London-based Diligent AI, a startup focused on automating financial crime compliance processes, has secured $2.5 million in seed funding to develop AI-powered analysts for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) operations.
The round was led by Speedinvest and Shapers, with participation from several strategic angel investors, including the CEOs of N26, Allica Bank, IDnow, Billie, and Cybersource.
Automating Compliance Workflows
Financial institutions face increasing regulatory pressure as sanctions lists expand, fraud activity rises, and digital payment volumes grow. Compliance teams are often required to review large numbers of alerts and conduct extensive data checks, which can consume significant time and resources.
Diligent AI aims to streamline these processes by deploying autonomous AI agents that assist compliance analysts with investigative tasks. The platform automates activities such as KYC verification, AML investigations, adverse media screening, and sanctions or payment alert analysis.
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AI Analysts For Risk Investigation
Founded by Edoardo Maschio and Ahmed Gaber, the company develops AI agents designed to read, interpret, and investigate large datasets relevant to financial compliance. By automating repetitive data-gathering tasks, the system allows compliance teams to focus on higher-level risk assessment and decision-making.
Diligent AI’s platform is already used by financial institutions across Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Japan. It helps institutions manage sanctions alerts, politically exposed person (PEP) checks, adverse media investigations, merchant risk reviews, and customer onboarding processes.
Improving Efficiency In Compliance Teams
By reducing the time spent on manual research and verification tasks, the platform aims to improve operational efficiency while supporting more consistent compliance decisions. The system aggregates information from public records, corporate registries, and other data sources to assist analysts in resolving alerts and conducting investigations.
Growth Plans
The new funding will be used to expand the company’s engineering team and accelerate the deployment of its AI agents across financial institutions in the UK and Europe. Diligent AI also plans to continue developing advanced tools designed specifically for financial crime compliance teams.
About Diligent AI
Founded in 2023, Diligent AI develops generative AI assistants designed to automate and support KYC and AML workflows for banks and fintech companies. Its platform helps institutions manage sanctions screening, adverse media analysis, customer onboarding, and compliance investigations more efficiently.
