Identity verification (IDV) is a core component of secure, compliant, and user-friendly applications. It protects developers, and their clients, by confirming a user is who they claim to be - and therefore safeguards all stakeholders and platform integrity.

It’s increasingly essential that developers not only embed IDV best practices into the design and delivery process, but balance compliance and user experience in order to optimise platform performance from the outset.

Let’s dig deeper into the what, why, and how of the identity verification process for developers:

What is identity verification and why does it matter?

Identity fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes globally. A record 421,000 cases were filed to the National Fraud Database last year, a rise of 13%.  This is the largest annual increase in fraud type filings ever recorded by Cifas.

Identity and Verification (ID&V) is a critical process for developers to ensure the individuals or entities using their platforms and applications are who they claim to be, and that they pose no threat.

The IDV process typically involves collecting and verifying official documentation, such as government-issued identification or proof of address. This process is designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes, as well as comply with regulatory requirements.  Critically for developers, building in IDV best practices can build greater levels of user trust and platform confidence

The IDV process can take different forms depending on the context, but for developers it typically means building in a robust suite of multi-factor authentication (MFA) processes, as well as document verification, biometric authentication, behavioural data analytics, and database checks.

Why does this matter for developers?

It matters for a range of reasons, ultimately all of which ensure they architect and deploy resilient, user-friendly platforms and applications:

• It’s critical to the design and delivery of secure user journeys.
• Boost resilience and prevent of sophisticated fraud tactics such as synthetic user identities and account takeovers.
• Mitigate of compliance, legal, financial, and reputational risks.
• In collaborative environments, it’s also a crucial tool for verifying team members and therefore controlling access to code, tools, and production systems.

Why developers should own identity verification

Whilst developers might think IDV falls under a product compliance or assurance function, it is increasingly critical that they take ownership of embedding IDV into platform and application builds for several reasons:

• They're building compliant, regulated platforms that require robust KYC, KYB, AML, and anti-fraud and even player/user safety mechanisms.
• Automated IDV checks are crucial for scalability.
• They’re responsible for crafting frictionless, secure onboarding and user journey experiences, and limiting drop offs or user abandonment.

Balancing user experience (UX) with protection and compliance

IDV, whilst essential, can also be a point of friction in the user experience.  Slow, cumbersome and excessively intrusion IDV processes can lead to user friction and undesirable levels of abandonment.  

In fact, our research highlights just how complex this can be for developers:

• 38% of users abandon the onboarding process.
• User experience tops the poll as the biggest challenge facing compliant application and platform use
• 53% of users abandoned the sign-up process because they felt uncomfortable with the IDV process.

But when they do experience secure, uncomplicated, and fast IDV it dramatically increases the user experience. The key is to simplify IDV processes (global document and biometric checks, and real-time monitoring) through developer-centric APIs and Software Development Kits (SDKs) - all with compliance baked in.

What does a best practice, UX-friendly compliant IDV process look like?

• Avoid slow or opaque process, instead harness real-time data-driven IDV processes
• Avoid file uploads, instead utilise instant mobile camera document and age verification
• Avoid self-declared personal information and instead automatically extract and process Personal Identifiable Information (PII) including name, address, and date of birth from scanned documents
• Avoid human error and outdated information and instead access extensive third-party document libraries to prefill sign up applications
• Avoid the risk of synthetic user identities, and instead harness facial comparison powered by liveness technology to identify potential fraudsters or bots with a single selfie.
• Avoid regulatory compliance failures, and instead build in automated KYC, KYB and AML checks and fraud prevention tools
• Avoid damaging risk appetite and instead embed risk scoring

The implications of getting it wrong: the regulations developers need to understand

Beyond UX best practices, IDV is often a non-negotiable regulatory and legal requirement - especially in the financial services, banking, professional services, insurance and gaming worlds.  

Regulatory compliance isn't optional it guides how IDV must function. Developers should be aware of regulations including KYC, AML, data privacy laws, and cyber security legislation, as well as industry specific legislation and of course secure development and coding practices.

The consequence of getting IDV wrong include penalties and legal issues, which could slow down development schedules and add tech debt, as well as substantial fines and other costs associated with reputational damage.

In contrast, get it right and it translates to accelerated onboarding, faster time to value, abandonment and user friction reduction, enhanced security and vulnerability mitigation, reduced exposure to fraud and financial crime, and enhanced regulatory compliance.  Ultimately this creates safer and more trustworthy development environments.

Selecting the right IDV partner is critical for developers

Choosing the right identity verification partner is vital to ensuring developers strike the right balance between enhancing security, whilst limiting friction in the UX.

Key considerations include:

• Can matching thresholds be customised to take complete control over the risk groups you consider satisfactory, and match verification levels to user types and geographies?
• Is ID verification supported by mobile SDKs in multiple frameworks, API end points for web journeys, and a web portal for data analysis, remediation, and secure auditability.
• Is the configuration flexible – can document verification be used alongside facial comparison - or use them independently for maximum flexibility?
• Can automated regulatory compliance checks – KYC, KYB, AML be deployed as part of a wider IDV process?
• Does the partner provide global coverage and compliance credentials?
• Does the provider utilise a secure token to authenticate API requests?
• Is there a sandbox environment for safe testing and experimentation
• Is there the capability to create API clients in preferred programming languages?
• Can IDV services be bundled in any way desired?
• Does the partner utilise two plus two checking - taking two pieces of information about the person and matching them against two different data sources?

What next?

Identity verification is more than just a compliance checkbox, it’s foundational for building trusted, secure, and user-friendly applications. Developers must therefore treat identity verification processes as core to application architecture, not an afterthought

By embracing best practices from secure integration to smooth UX and leveraging developer-focused platforms, developers can embed IDV into platform and application design and delivery confidently and efficiently.

Find out why FullCircl offers the ultimate in developer-friendly IDV. Get in touch or head over to our developer space.

The commercial lending market is highly competitive right now.  

Improvements in technology and strong governmental support have simultaneously encouraged more competition and a significant increase in the number of new lenders entering the market. As a result, non-traditional lenders, also known as challenger banks or alternative lending providers, now account for 60% of annual gross bank lending to SMEs.

When competition is fierce, success depends not only on finding new business customers, but on uncovering the hidden opportunities to serve those that have been declined funding, or indeed completely inactive potential customers.

Every year, lenders are missing out on millions in bookable lending from viable borrowers who were either rejected or approved but didn’t take up offers.

Are you ready to unlock these hidden opportunities for growth?

The missed potential behind declined applications

There are over 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, and around 30% of these have sought finance during the last three years, according to The British Business Bank. This equates to approximately 1.7 million businesses. Shockingly, over 50% of SMEs whose applications are declined do not seek alternative lenders.  

Perhaps even more alarming is that, according to data from Experian, up to 22% of declined commercial loan applications were from low-risk businesses. Customers that eventually secured lending elsewhere and performed reliably. That translates to tens of millions in potential lending lost each year.

In fact, some lenders found as much £14m of additional business identified that could have been written without increasing risk appetite.

We’re not talking marginal cases. This represents a large hidden group of viable businesses ready to borrow, but consistently overlooked.  

Why? The answer is poor data, legacy systems, and a lack of visibility into customer financial health; this translates into an inability to balance risk and opportunity effectively.

And, what about those that do not take up funding?

Of course, it’s not just poor decision making around rejections that cost lenders. There’s also the fact that many of those declined businesses don’t move on to seek funding elsewhere. Even worse are those approved application that do not convert and are not even followed up.

According to The British Business Bank’s latest Business Finance Survey approximately 30% of applications are discontinued, turned down, or failed to deliver the full amount of finance applied for.  As a result, there’s been a marked increase in the number of businesses who gave up, cancelled plans, or put their plans on hold due to issues accessing funding.

This is a huge blind spot, and yet also a huge opportunity to differentiate in a crowded market.

Often applications aren’t taken up, or are cancelled due to complexity, poor onboarding experiences, lack of follow-up or unnecessary delays in the application process. This undermines lender performance, especially when these applications could have been saved if the lender were equipped with the data-driven intelligence to spot hidden opportunities, drive more accurate decision making in terms of risk vs. reward, and become more proactive around customer engagement.

Traditional approaches are falling short of the proactive financing businesses require

A major factor behind these missed opportunities is incomplete data, leading to a lack of ability to lend smarter and support faster.  

Many lenders still rely on siloed financial data, outdated risk models, and manual checks. These often result in unnecessary declines, or missed opportunities to re-engage customers that do not take up lending offers.

The cost? Not just lost revenue, but missed opportunities to build relationships with the growing number of businesses seeking finance in the UK.  Indeed the SME sector alone is expected to require finance to the tune of £70 billion by 2030.

Mind the gap: How to find the hidden wins

To unlock these opportunities, lenders need more than just better models, they need access to real-time insights into a commercial customers’ full financial footprint.

Until now there was another glaring gap. No single fintech provider had the capability to deliver the total market view of risk and opportunity across customer portfolios needed to equip lenders with the clarity to lend smarter, support faster, and grow stronger client relationships.

Usher in a new era of smarter lending with nCino ProBanker.

ProBanker uniquely consolidates financial data to deliver a view of every business customer’s liquidity, debt exposure, and cash positions, helping lenders quickly identify viable applicants, even among those previously declined or dormant.

Through intuitive dashboards and automated alerts ProBanker delivers total real-time insight into a customer’s financial stability, current banking arrangements and outstanding financial commitments, as well as credit search data to identify businesses actively looking for financial products - giving early insight into changing credit needs.  

No other platform available in the market right now has the richness of data or AI-powered capability needed to reveal hidden lending opportunities without increasing risk exposure or workload.

Opportunities hide in the gaps, make sure you don’t miss them

Rejected or disengaged applicants, if properly understood and engaged with, can become some of the strongest additions to a lender’s book of business.

To truly compete in today’s market, lenders must stop seeing declines and applications not taken up as dead ends, and instead start viewing them as opportunities for growth.

Explore and never miss an opportunity again. Book your free discovery session now:

• Guided demonstration and executive briefing of nCino ProBanker
• Walk through of functionality, data processing, and how we deliver ROI
• Deep dive into your business goals to produce a customised recommendation for implemenation and transformation.

The gambling industry under intense regulatory scrutiny.

Since January 2022, the Gambling Commission has concluded more than 30 major regulatory enforcement cases, imposing over £100 million in financial penalties on operators.

Most recently, in July 2025, a new UK gambling inquiry was launched by cross-party MPs, to evaluate whether the current legislative framework remains fit for purpose for the digital age to protect people from harm. It’s been described as the first move in what could become Britain’s next rewrite of gambling law.

What does this mean for operators?  

It means compliance must no longer be a tick-box exercise.  

As expectations around identity verification (IDV), affordability and vulnerability checking, Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and player protection escalate, a piecemeal compliance strategy is simply no longer enough.

Operators need a safer, smarter approach to gambling compliance.

The future lies in a unified compliance stack- an integrated ecosystem of real-time data, intelligent automation, and smart decisioning. Helping gambling operators modernise their compliance posture - reducing costs and improving regulatory standing whilst creating smoother, safer player journeys.

Let’s explore what this look like in practice.

From compliance obligation to competitive advantage

Operators must now conduct affordability and vulnerability checks, rigorous KYC compliance and robust AML monitoring. They must comply with the Gambling Commission’s player safety regulations as well as a range of additional regulations, including The Proceeds of Crime Act, The Terrorism Act, and The Gambling Act. And they must do it all without degrading the player experience.

However, too many still rely on outdated or fragmented systems, manual checks, siloed tools, and reactive processes. This leads to lengthy identity verification (IDV), affordability assessments, and onboarding checks. The result being a frustrating journey, rising operational costs, and increased likelihood of financial and reputational damage and regulatory penalties.  

In fact, the Gambling Commission recently urged operators to do more to improve compliance measures.

In 2024 alone gambling operators worldwide faced more that £67million in financial penalties for AML failings. Specifically, the Commission took action against 8 operators, resulting in over £13.4 million in fines and settlements.

Fragmentation also stifles agility. As regulations shift  operators must be able to adjust rapidly (as mentioned operators are facing a rapidly evolving compliance landscape with a review of the regulatory framework).

The solution is to deploy a unified compliance infrastructure - powered by complete data visibility, automation, and real time decisioning – that takes compliance from onerous drain on resources to competitive advantage.

What a unified compliance stack looks like

A unified compliance stack brings together multiple capabilities into a single API-powered ecosystem. Helping to break down silos and improve total regulatory compliance:

• KYC checks: Automated KYC checks mean operators can streamline the onboarding process, reduce human error, enhance accuracy, and ensure real-time regulatory compliance
• AML screening: Global sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), and adverse media screening via a single access point enhance AML processes at every stage of the player journey
• Affordability and vulnerability checks: API access to a wide range of financial, lifestyle, and vulnerability data including CCJs, IVA, bankruptcy, debt and credit data, income and affordability verification combined and matched to build a single customer view and clear picture of risk, with minimal impact on player experience.
• Identity verification: Automated, biometrically powered real-time document and age verification capabilities (including optical character recognition, facial comparison document libraries and liveness checks) ensure operators can deliver a seamless player experience and account opening process without damaging regulatory compliance.
• Fraud prevention tools: Automated and seamlessly combined services (including mortality screening, email risk assessment, name, address, age bank account verification) through custom workflows help combat fraud whilst improving player protection.

This is why platforms like FullCircl are leading the field - driving safer, smarter gambling.

The FullCircl unification advantage for gambling operators

FullCircl enables gambling operators move beyond a piecemeal approach to compliance and instead deliver a holistic, integrated compliance.

A single API integration allows operators to manage their compliance stack through one unified workflow, eliminating the need for multiple systems or manual intervention. This ensures that players can enjoy a seamless onboarding experience while operators maintain full compliance.

But the benefits go far beyond meeting regulatory requirements:

• Reduced onboarding time and improved experience
• Improved operational efficiency at every stage of the player lifecycle
• Lower operating costs
• Robust player protection
• Higher levels of player trust and loyalty
• Future-proof agility

With FullCircl the era of fragmented gambling compliance is over.

This isn’t just about avoiding penalties. It’s about building a smarter, safer, and more sustainable gambling ecosystem. One where compliance drives customer trust, improved player protection, operational agility, and long-term growth.

Experience FullCircl's capabilities first hand. Sign up for a demo today and see how FullCircl empowers gambling operators to remain compliant and transform the player lifecycle experience.

Non-UK banks face a range of Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) challenges. These include adapting to cultural nuances, ensuring regulatory compliance in various jurisdictions, managing customer data across different countries, adapting to diverse customer demands and preferences, and maintaining a consistent customer experience across global operations whilst also delivering a differentiated approach appropriate to local needs.

Complex to say the least, especially when you consider that banks are operating in the age of uncertainty – shifting economic and geopolitical tensions, a difficult international trading environment, intense competition, and escalating cyber and financial crime risks.

Without being the bearers of doom, banks must of course also add into the mix the compounding impact of outdated technology, disparate processes, risks of human error, siloed data, lack of a single customer view, and an inability to create more value and operationalise the huge amounts of data, both at global and local level, they have access to.

"In the face of all these challenges, it is crucial for non-UK banks to seek new opportunities to grow and retain a profitable customer base and bridge the gap between global strategies and local customer needs."

Time to grasp a new opportunity to differentiate

In the face of all these challenges, it is crucial for non-UK banks to seek new opportunities to grow and retain a profitable customer base and bridge the gap between global strategies and local customer needs.

Opportunities that go beyond traditional CLM strategies to deliver a truly unified approach that empowers them to be more adaptive, responsive, and agile to the pace of change. After all, the status quo is unsustainable. It’s costing banks an average of $20,000-$30,000 to onboard new commercial customers, and a further $25,000 can be lost due to delays in acquiring them. Meanwhile they are shouldering a global financial crime compliance cost of $206.1bn, plus a staggering £38.4 billion regulatory compliance price tag.

When done well, CLM is the best way to drive growth, retention and trust, as well as mitigate risks and enhance regulatory compliance. But for too long CLM has been expensive and difficult to navigate. Why?  Because of disparate processes, siloed data, lack of a single customer view, and an inability to effectively and efficiently operationalise the vast amounts of intelligence banks have access to.

CLM is the battleground for banking success in 2025.  Your bank needs to be on the frontline.

"Picture a CLM strategy that leverages deep data resources and advanced AI to deliver transformative insights that empower smarter, faster decision making, enhanced global and local regulatory compliance, continuous risk management, and unified yet highly personalised experiences across all jurisdictions."

The future: Intelligence everywhere CLM

Picture a CLM strategy that leverages deep data resources and advanced AI to deliver transformative insights that empower smarter, faster decision making, enhanced global and local regulatory compliance, continuous risk management, and unified yet highly personalised experiences across all jurisdictions. Whilst simultaneously bringing down cost to acquire and serve, eliminating manual and inefficient processes, and boosting competitiveness on the global banking stage.

The benefits of this approach at each stage of the customer journey are profound:

• Acquire: identify, visualise and target the entire customer universe to improve prospecting, and enhance sales and marketing efforts
• Onboard: perfectly balance customer experience with regulatory compliance
• Originate: improve product and credit decisioning and reduce time to value
• Monitor: maintain a real-time 360-degree record of every customer, minimise risk and continuously drive portfolio success
• Retain: pivot quickly to local and international development, to stay one step ahead of needs and unlock new opportunities to add value
• Grow: enable next-level experiences that foster trust and lasting loyalty

However, nowhere could the impact of intelligence everywhere CLM be more dramatic than at onboarding stage.

"In FullCircl’s 2025 State of IDV report, we revealed the rate of abandoned sign-ups is potentially 2.9x greater than FIs estimate. The most common reason for this appears to be a total focus on regulatory compliance at the expense of customer experience an imbalance could that be costing them dearly."

Reinventing onboarding

Recent research uncovered that 38% of all new banking customers abandon the onboarding process if it takes too long. This is backed by our own research.

In FullCircl’s 2025 State of IDV report, we revealed the rate of abandoned sign-ups is potentially 2.9x greater than FIs estimate. The most common reason for this appears to be a total focus on regulatory compliance at the expense of customer experience an imbalance could that be costing them dearly.

Just as national banks are facing off against fintechs, so too are non-UK banks. An intelligence everywhere approach creates a “wow’ factor first impression, that enables banks to compete with even the most digitally enabled challengers.

The ability to unify data orchestration and automate workflows is a gamechanger for accelerating customer screening (KYC, KYB, PEPS, sanctions, adverse media) and identity verification. Seamlessly guiding customers through the onboarding process, without compromising on either compliance or experience.

Take one example – AFB member Santander has witnessed a 75% decrease in onboarding effort and has reduced time to onboard customers from 14-21 days to an average of just 5 days by utilising an intelligence everywhere approach.

The challenges facing foreign banks in the UK are increasing in complexity and urgency. The pressure to adapt and redefine customer experiences on both a global and local scale is mounting. Those that embrace a future of ‘intelligence everywhere’ will certainly have a significant advantage.

At FullCircl, we are driving change to members such as Habib AG, Santander, AIB, Bank of Ireland, BNP Paribas, Raiffeisen Bank and more. Learn more about our API capabilities – expertly designed and documented to facilitate effortless workflow orchestration through record creation and population, automated customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring and data maintenance.

Biometric identity verification is transforming how businesses verify identities in real time, offering faster, more secure, and user-friendly alternatives to traditional methods. In this blog, we explore how biometric ID verification works, the technologies behind it, and why it has become essential for fraud prevention and regulatory compliance.

What is Biometric Identity Verification?

Biometric identity verification uses unique biological traits to verify a person’s identity. Unlike passwords or physical documents, biometrics are inherent to the individual, making them significantly harder to forge or steal.

Common biometric identifiers include:

• Facial biometrics
• Fingerprint scanning
• Iris or retinal patterns
• Voice recognition
• Palm vein recognition
• Behavioural biometrics (e.g., typing rhythm or gait)

These traits are captured and compared against stored biometric data to verify the individual in real time.

What are the Main Types of Biometric Authentication?

Facial Recognition

One of the most widely used methods, especially in ID&V journeys with biometrics. It matches facial features using algorithms and is popular for onboarding in fintech and banking sectors.

Use case: Opening a digital bank account or submitting a visa application via an app.

Fingerprint Scanning

Used in mobile devices and secure access systems. Fingerprint data is quick to capture and hard to replicate.

Use case: Granting secure access controls in high-risk environments.

Voice Recognition

Analyses the unique vocal characteristics of a person.

Use case: Call centre authentication for insurance services.

Iris and Retinal Scans

Highly secure, though less common due to the need for specialised equipment.

Use case: Border control or secure physical access.

Palm Vein Recognition

Scans the unique vein patterns inside the palm. Difficult to spoof and suitable for high-security industries.

Use case: Access control in government facilities.

Behavioural Biometrics

Tracks how users interact with devices (typing speed, mouse movement). Useful for continuous authentication.

Use case: Monitoring for account takeovers in fintech platforms.

How Does Biometric ID Verification Work in Everyday Life?

Biometric verification begins with the collection of biometric information via a scanner, camera, or sensor. The system then performs:

• Liveness checks to ensure the user is physically present
• Biometric data capture, stored in encrypted form
• Real-time comparison to a pre-verified identity document or database

For instance, identity verification solutions with biometrics can verify a person remotely by asking them to take a selfie and scan their ID. FullCircl's platform performs automated liveness checks and cross-references identity documents against official databases, ensuring the verification is fast, secure, and compliant.

Why is Biometric ID Verification Becoming More Popular?

Several factors are driving adoption:

• Increasing fraud rates demand stronger fraud prevention tools
• Digital transformation in banking, insurance, and fintech
• Remote onboarding and KYC due diligence needs
• Stronger regulations like UK GDPR, FCA AML regulation, and the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)

Businesses need a reliable way to verify their identity of users while protecting personal data and ensuring security across all access controls.

How Secure is Biometric ID Verification Compared to Traditional Methods?

Biometric identity verification provides a high level of assurance because:

• Biometrics are unique and difficult to forge
• Liveness detection and anti-spoofing add layers of protection
• Data encryption and compliance ensure personal information is protected

Unlike passwords or tokens, biometric authentication is tied to the individual, which prevents fraud and reduces identity theft.

What is the Biometric Verification Process?

Step 1: Identity Document Collection

Users submit a government-issued ID, like a passport or driver’s licence.

Step 2: Biometric Capture

Users take a live selfie or use fingerprint scanning on a mobile device.

Step 3: Liveness Detection

AI checks that the biometric input is from a real, present person.

Step 4: Data Matching

Captured data is compared to the biometric data in the identity document.

Step 5: Decisioning

A match confirms the user’s identity. Results are delivered in real time.

What Data is Collected During Biometric Verification?

• Facial images or fingerprints
• Voice samples
• Identity document information
• Behavioural patterns (if applicable)

All collected data is subject to strict compliance with the UK GDPR and DIATF standards.

Can Biometric Verification Be Used Remotely for Onboarding?

Yes, biometric ID verification is ideally suited for remote onboarding. With solutions like FullCircl, businesses can:

• Capture and verify biometric data via an IDV app with biometrics
• Perform real-time document validation
• Ensure regulatory compliance with AML and KYC rules

This reduces friction for users and accelerates customer acquisition.

What Should Businesses Look for in Biometric ID Verification Software?

When selecting a biometric identity verification system, businesses should consider:

• Accuracy: High success rate in verifying identities
• Compliance: Meets data privacy and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards
• Integration: Fits into existing KYC and AML workflows
• Security: Encrypts and safeguards personal information
• Speed: Verifies identity in real time

How Does FullCircl’s Biometric Verification Integrate with Existing KYC Workflows?

FullCircl’s biometric verification capabilities are designed to slot seamlessly into KYC and onboarding workflows. Our system:

• Supports document and biometric data capture
• Conducts automatic liveness checks
• Cross-checks data against official registries
• Detects and identifies high-risk individuals

This helps regulated businesses comply with UK and international AML regulations while delivering a frictionless customer experience.

FAQs

What is an Example of a Biometric Identification?

Using facial recognition to unlock a mobile banking app is a common example of biometric identification.

What Are the Main Types of Biometric Authentication?

Facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, iris scans, palm vein recognition, and behavioural biometrics.

How is Biometric ID Used in Daily Life?

Biometric authentication is used in smartphones, airport security, remote onboarding, healthcare access, and online banking.

Can Biometric Identity Verification Prevent Fraud?

Yes, because it verifies identities using traits that are nearly impossible to replicate, making it a strong fraud prevention tool.

Looking for a trusted biometric identity verification system?

FullCircl helps regulated businesses verify identities with cutting-edge biometric technologies. Our IDV solution with biometrics is built for real-time verification, liveness checks, and full compliance. Learn more about our Identity Verification Software or book a demo with the team.

The regulatory landscape in the gambling industry has evolved rapidly in recent years.  

Twelve months ago, we witnessed the launch of the Gambling Commission’s new player safety regulations. This included the introduction of vulnerability checks, as part of a wider roll out of comprehensive regulatory reform aimed at increasing player safety. In the latest development, from 31^st October 2025 gambling operators will be required to prompt customers to set financial limits and review them regularly.

In addition to challenges around player vulnerability, the sector is also targeted by a range of financial crimes, including fraud and identity theft. Perhaps the costliest and reputationally-damaging, however, is money laundering – with organised criminals taking advantage of the opportunity to play with dirty money and leave the online casino with legitimate funds.  

Operators must therefore comply with a range of additional regulations, including The Proceeds of Crime Act, The Terrorism Act, and The Gambling Act.

The lines between an operators’ Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations and safer gambling responsibilities are becoming increasingly intertwined. Operators find themselves under mounting pressure to meet compliance standards, in a way that balances financial integrity and player protection.

Yet amid growing complexity, a critical question persists - who is ultimately accountable for navigating this convergence, and how can they meet these broad obligations efficiently and cost effectively?

The compliance conundrum facing gambling operators

In its latest annual report, the Gambling Commission revealed it is stepping up enforcement action against gambling operators found to have breached conditions relating to AML, social responsibility controls, and customer interaction.

In 2024, gambling operators worldwide faced nearly £70million in financial penalties for AML failings. Specifically, the Commission took action against 8 operators, resulting in over £13.4 million in fines and settlements.

That’s the size of the challenge facing operators - but what about the shape of it?

Successfully balancing AML and player safety is challenging the traditional operating model of operators, one typified by siloed compliance practices and player protection operations. Not only does this make the overlap between AML and safer gambling harder to manage, raising the potential for regulatory penalties, it also damages the player experience.

The player experience problem

As regulatory oversight into AML and safer gambling compliance becomes more stringent, players will inevitably feel the impact of friction.

The siloed approach leads to lengthy identity verification (IDV), affordability assessments, and onboarding checks. This all makes for a frustrating journey - degrading the player experience, driving up player churn, or even worse driving them into the hands of nefarious black-market operators, who care little for safety and protection. It’s by no means an understatement to suggest the growing black market is becoming real threat to legitimate operator profitability.

So, it begs the question - who’s responsible for driving improved cross-functional alignment? And what are the benefits, both for operators and the players they serve?

Who’s responsible?

If compliance teams are focused on AML, financial monitoring and IDV; and player responsibility teams are focussed on safety and experience, then who’s accountable for the bigger picture? Who will bring the silos into alignment?

Without unified ownership, or the processes and mechanisms to drive clarity and alignment, the outcome will always be inconsistent, slow and fraught with risk – audit failures, regulatory penalties and fines, player churn, erosion of brand integrity, and reputational harm.

Shared accountability, clear goals, and integrated workflows are the answer – but how to drive this level of transformation rapidly and cost effectively?

Solving the puzzle: The role of data and technology in removing compliance complexity

The answer isn’t just greater human oversight, its smarter technology innovation. To move beyond compliance bottlenecks, onboarding friction and experience erosion, operators must augment compliance teams with data-orchestration and intelligent workflow automation.

Let’s explore the benefits:

Streamlined technology stack

Break down the silos to assessing risk and safety holistically, and improve total regulatory compliance with a single platform approach. Remove legacy, reduce total cost of ownership, and eliminate fragmentation of experience by unifying AML and safer gambling innovations though a single API access point.

Think KYC, IDV, AML and fraud screening seamlessly integrated to help operators remain compliance, avoid fines and suspensions, offer efficient onboarding of new players, and enhanced safety.  

Data-driven frictionless compliance

Data orchestration is a gamechanger for both AML and safer gambling unification. The ability to dynamically profile customers in terms of risk and affordability, drawing from verified data sources, serves to significantly enhance player lifecycle management.

CCJs, IVA, bankruptcy, debt and credit data, income and affordability verification, plus a range of vulnerability and risk indicators, combined and matched from a wide range of data assets from multiple sources builds a single customer view and clear picture of risk with minimal impact on player experience.

Intelligent automation

When AML compliance and safer gambling tools talk to each other in real time, everything gets easier. Take the complexity out of compliance by replacing manual intervention and disconnected teams with intelligent workflows, and operators gain a single view of risk and affordability whilst eliminating redundancy and human error, reducing regulatory exposure, and improving outcomes for players.

Remain compliant, reduce financial crime, and keep players safe with FullCircl

The intersection of AML and safer gambling is where regulators are focussing, customers are feeling the impact, and leading operators are creating competitive advantage.

Let’s together reimagine what smarter, safer gambling looks like.

FullCircl is used by some of the biggest gambling operators, including Entain, Novibet, and Fitzdares, helping balance revenue generation and regulatory compliance with enhanced player safety. Get in touch with a member of our team to:

• Explore cutting-edge tools for seamless customer onboarding and enhanced regulatory compliance
• Stay ahead of regulations and remove player friction with our new financial vulnerability checks
• Understand how you can harness data orchestration to reduce risk and improve efficiency