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Configuring ComplyAdvantage

Updated 1 month ago by Ainsley

ComplyAdvantage is a data provider you can use to run these checks:

  • PEPs and sanctions screening (individuals)
  • Sanctions and adverse media screening (companies)

PEPs and sanctions screening (individuals)

How it works

This is the default behaviour for a variant of the PEPs and sanctions screening check with ComplyAdvantage as the data provider.

The check is performed by screening an individual’s name and, when available, date of birth and nationality through ComplyAdvantage’s sources to provide a list of the individual’s potential matches to sanctions and politically exposed persons (PEPs).

To learn about how ComplyAdvantage classifies PEPs and sanctions, see ComplyAdvantage's knowledgebase.

If no potential matches are found for the individual (and the individual doesn't have potential matches returned from earlier screening checks), the check is marked Completed.

If any potential matches are found, the check returns Unresolved events and the matches are displayed in the check results. By default, all matches are displayed in the Potential matches list.

For every match that’s discovered, a detailed portfolio is displayed. This portfolio provides all available information from ComplyAdvantage about the match’s biography, associates, political exposure, events, and sources.

This check variant is supported for all countries.

Any false positives filtered out by ComplyAdvantage aren’t displayed at all in PassFort. Contact ComplyAdvantage for more information about how they determine false positives and where you can see them.
To reduce false positives, provide the individual’s date of birth and nationality where possible.

Configuration options

You have the following configuration options:

  • Name match fuzziness - from exact match (0.0) to loose (1.0) (required): The value here should match the settings you’re using for your ComplyAdvantage account. To get more information about this value or your account settings, please contact your ComplyAdvantage account manager.
  • Enable ongoing monitoring (optional): When this option is selected, any time a new match is discovered by ComplyAdvantage, the check’s task is marked incomplete, and, if the profile’s application is approved, it’s put into review. When this option is deselected, new matches are only returned from ComplyAdvantage when a user runs the check manually or, if your policy specifies, when a new task version is added to the application. Learn more about monitored applications.
When ongoing monitoring is enabled, any new matches are updated and displayed in PassFort as soon as ComplyAdvantage sends them.
  • Include adverse media? (optional): When this option is selected, PassFort displays instances of adverse media returned from ComplyAdvantage.
This option should only be selected if you have adverse media configured on your ComplyAdvantage account. If you select this option and adverse media is not configured on your ComplyAdvantage account, this check cannot run successfully and error messages are displayed.
To learn about how ComplyAdvantage classifies adverse media, see ComplyAdvantage's knowledgebase.
  • Ignore historical matches (optional): When this option is selected, PassFort removes any matches that ComplyAdvantage previously listed as politically exposed or sanctioned but are not on any current lists.
  • Name settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s name does not match the name on the profile. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
  • Date of birth settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s date of birth does not match the profile’s date of birth. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
If the profile doesn’t have a date of birth (e.g. the field was left blank), date of birth is not used as a factor in identifying false positives.
  • Nationality settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s country of nationality does not match the profile’s country of nationality. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
If the profile doesn’t have a country of nationality (e.g. the field was left blank), country of nationality is not used as a factor in identifying false positives.
To turn off PassFort’s false positive reduction service, set the Name settings for false positive reduction, Date of birth settings for false positive reduction, and Country settings for false positive reduction options to Allow any matches.
  • The name of a provider configured search profile (optional with a direct agreement): Add the name of a ComplyAdvantage search profile, and the associated search filters (and any other configurable options) are applied by ComplyAdvantage to reduce false positives.
The name of a provider configured search profile cannot be used with the Include adverse media configuration option.
The name of a provider configured search profile can only be used when you have a direct agreement with ComplyAdvantage. It is not used for reseller agreements with PassFort.

What we’ll need

Let us know that you’d like to add a PEPs and sanctions screening check variant with ComplyAdvantage and let us know which configuration options you’d like to use. We’ll set it up for you.

We'll also need you to:

  • Send us your ComplyAdvantage API key.
  • Create a ComplyAdvantage webhook with the URL we’ve sent you.

Learn how to get your API key and create a webhook.

Testing your configuration

Once the check variant is configured, follow these steps in your demo environment to test whether it's working as expected.

  1. Does the check complete when no matches are returned from ComplyAdvantage? To run the test, create an individual profile (with no other potential matches returned from previous screening checks) and run the check variant. If the check is marked Completed and there are no potential matches displayed in the check results, it’s working as expected.
  2. Do the check results display PEPs matches returned from ComplyAdvantage? To run the test, create an individual profile with "Hugo" as the first name and "Chavez" as the surname, and run the check variant. If the check status is Unresolved events and there are PEPs matches displayed in the check results, it’s working as expected.
  3. Do the check results display sanctions matches returned from ComplyAdvantage? To run the test, create an individual profile with "Bashar" as the first name and "Assad" as the surname. If you're using any false positive reduction configuration options, ensure the date of birth is 11 September 1965. Run the check variant. If the check status is Unresolved events and there are PEPs and sanctions matches displayed in the check results, it’s working as expected.

When the check is configured to include adverse media results:

  1. Do the check results display adverse media matches returned from ComplyAdvantage? To run the test, create an individual profile with "Robert" as the first name and "Mugabe" as the surname, and run the check variant. The check status should be Unresolved events and matches should be displayed in the check results. If, when you click the names of the matches, there are adverse media results displayed under Sources, it's working as expected.

When ongoing monitoring is configured:

  1. To see what happens when new results are returned during ongoing monitoring, follow the API steps in Test ongoing monitoring.
The data returned is demo data only.

Required and optional profile fields

These are the profile details searched in ComplyAdvantage’s sources:

Name

Description

First name(s) (personal_details.name.given_names)

Required

The individual’s first and, if applicable, middle names.

Surname (personal_details.name.family_name)

Required

The individual’s last name.

Date of birth (personal_details.dob)

Optional

The individual’s date of birth.

Nationality (personal_details.nationality)

Optional

The individual’s country of nationality.

Sanctions and adverse media screening (companies)

How it works

This is the default behaviour for a variant of the Sanctions and adverse media screening check with ComplyAdvantage as the data provider.

The check is performed by screening a company’s name and country of incorporation through ComplyAdvantage’s sources to provide a list of the company’s potential sanctions matches and (if you have access to ComplyAdvantage’s PEPs results) PEPs matches.

Individuals who are company associates (e.g. shareholders and officers) are not screened as part of this check. To screen individuals automatically, create an associate smart policy for the task with a screening check for individuals. Learn how company associates are approved/rejected using associate smart policies.
To learn about how ComplyAdvantage classifies PEPs and sanctions, see ComplyAdvantage's knowledgebase.

If no potential matches are found for the company (and the company doesn't have potential matches returned from earlier screening checks), the check is marked Completed.

If any potential matches are found, the check returns Unresolved events and the matches are displayed in the check results. By default, all matches are displayed in the Potential matches list.

For every match that’s discovered, a detailed portfolio is displayed. This portfolio provides all available information from ComplyAdvantage about the match’s biography, associates, political exposure, events, and sources.

This check variant is supported for all countries.

Any false positives filtered out by ComplyAdvantage aren’t displayed at all in PassFort. Contact ComplyAdvantage for more information about how they determine false positives and where you can see them.

Configuration options

You have the following configuration options:

  • Name match fuzziness - from exact match (0.0) to loose (1.0) (required): The value here should match the settings you’re using for your ComplyAdvantage account. To get more information about this value or your account settings, please contact your ComplyAdvantage account manager.
  • Enable ongoing monitoring (optional): When this option is selected, any time a new match is discovered by ComplyAdvantage, the check’s task is marked incomplete, and, if the profile’s application is approved, it’s put into review. When this option is deselected, new matches are only returned from ComplyAdvantage when a user runs the check manually or, if your policy specifies, when a new task version is added to the application. Learn more about monitored applications.
When ongoing monitoring is enabled, any new matches are updated and displayed in PassFort as soon as ComplyAdvantage sends them.
  • Include adverse media? (optional): When this option is selected, PassFort displays instances of adverse media returned from ComplyAdvantage.
This option should only be selected if you have adverse media configured on your ComplyAdvantage account. If you select this option and adverse media is not configured on your ComplyAdvantage account, this check cannot run successfully and error messages are displayed.
To learn about how ComplyAdvantage classifies adverse media, see ComplyAdvantage's knowledgebase.
  • Ignore historical matches (optional): When this option is selected, PassFort removes any matches that ComplyAdvantage previously listed as politically exposed or sanctioned but are not on any current lists.
  • Name settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s name does not match the name on the profile. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
  • Date of birth settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s date of incorporation does not match the profile’s date of incorporation. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
If the profile doesn’t have a date of incorporation (e.g. the field was left blank), date of incorporation is not used as a factor in identifying false positives.
  • Country settings for false positives reduction (required): This is one of three options contributing to PassFort’s false positive reduction service. It determines how PassFort treats results returned from ComplyAdvantage when a result’s country of incorporation does not match the profile’s country of incorporation. The value for the option must be one of the following: Allow any matches, Allow close or exact matches, or Allow exact matches.
To turn off PassFort’s false positive reduction service, set the Name settings for false positive reduction, Date of birth settings for false positive reduction, and Country settings for false positive reduction options to Allow any matches.
  • The name of a provider configured search profile (optional with a direct agreement): Add the name of a ComplyAdvantage search profile, and the associated search filters (and any other configurable options) are applied by ComplyAdvantage to reduce false positives.
The name of a provider configured search profile cannot be used with the Include adverse media configuration option.
The name of a provider configured search profile can only be used when you have a direct agreement with ComplyAdvantage. It is not used for reseller agreements with PassFort.

What we’ll need

Let us know that you’d like to add a Sanctions and adverse media screening check variant with ComplyAdvantage and let us know which configuration options you’d like to use. We’ll set it up for you.

We’ll also need you to:

  • Send us your ComplyAdvantage API key.
  • Create a ComplyAdvantage webhook with the URL we’ve sent you.

Learn how to get your API key and create a webhook.

Testing the configuration

We’re currently building the tests for this check variant.

Required and optional profile fields

These are the profile details searched in ComplyAdvantage’s sources:

Name

Description

Company name (metadata.name)

Required

The company’s name.

Country of incorporation (metadata.country_of_incorporation)

Required

The country in which the company is incorporated.

Getting your ComplyAdvantage API key and creating a webhook

To get your ComplyAdvantage API key:

  1. Log into your ComplyAdvantage account.
  2. Click the API option from the menu.
  3. Click API Keys.
  4. Under Create a new API Key, add a name for the key in the field provided. We recommend calling the key "PassFort", but it can have name you choose.
  5. Click Create. The key is created.
  6. Send us the text displayed under Key.

To create a webhook:

  1. Log into your ComplyAdvantage account.
  2. Click the API option from the menu.
  3. Click API Webhooks.
  4. Under Create a new Web Hook, add a name for the webhook in the field provided. We recommend calling the webhook "PassFort", but it can have any name you choose.
  5. For the Endpoint, add the Webhook Url from the PassFort Policy Builder. To get the URL, log into your live PassFort environment, go to Policy Builder > Data providers, and click ComplyAdvantage (from Individual data providers or Company data providers). Ensure you're using your live PassFort account rather than your demo account for this step.
  6. Set the Type to Monitored Search Updates.
  7. Click Create.

How did we do?

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