Smartcomply Expands to UK with Africa-Focused Compliance Platform

Nigerian compliance and cybersecurity startup Smartcomply is making its presence felt in the United Kingdom, targeting fintechs specializing in cross-border payments, remittances, neobanking, and electronic money services.

The company’s AI-powered platform, Adhere, offers anti-money laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and fraud detection capabilities tailored for African financial systems. This expansion addresses a growing need as regulators across the continent strengthen AML controls while recognizing innovative technologies like AI for transaction monitoring.

Addressing Specific Challenges in African Payment Corridors

Smartcomply founder Gbemisola Osunrinde explains that traditional compliance solutions often struggle with African payment patterns, leading to false positives and inefficient manual reviews. This has pushed some institutions to de-risk or exit these markets entirely.

“African payment corridors should be a growth opportunity for the global financial system, not a liability,” said Osunrinde. “Our UK presence means fintechs and banks now have direct access to an AML platform that understands African data from the inside out.”

How Adhere Works

Adhere integrates directly into financial institutions’ backend systems via API, enabling:

  • Local identity verification: Supports Nigeria’s BVN and National ID databases, as well as regional partnerships for access to other identity infrastructure
  • Real-time transaction monitoring: Analyzes mobile payment behavior to distinguish legitimate high-volume transactions from suspicious activity
  • Automated compliance reporting: Generates audit-ready reports mapped to local regulatory frameworks

Smartcomply emphasizes a flexible pricing model that allows customers to select specific services based on their needs, from individual tools to comprehensive platform access.

The company currently serves over 100 businesses across Africa and beyond, monitoring more than $1 billion in monthly transaction volume. With this expansion, Smartcomply aims to bring its expertise to the UK market while continuing to build compliance infrastructure across East and Francophone Africa.