Sanctions screening

Sanctions screening solutions for compliance and risk teams 

LSEG sanctions screening capabilities combine World-Check risk intelligence with different access and workflow options. Designed for compliance, financial crime, onboarding, payments and risk teams, they support sanctions checks, potential-match review and ongoing screening workflows. Organisations can use a screening platform, API-delivered records, embedded screening, specialist data files or managed support according to the subjects they screen and how screening fits their operations.

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  1. Overview
  2. What is sanctions screening?
  3. Our solution
  4. How It Works
  5. Use cases
  6. Benefits
  7. FAQs
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Overview

What is sanctions screening?

Sanctions screening is the process of checking people, organisations, vessels, transactions or securities against relevant sanctions information to identify possible restrictions or exposure. It supports a wider risk-based compliance process across onboarding, ongoing review and transaction activity. It does not replace an organisation’s policies, assessment, legal advice or decision-making responsibilities.

Explore the sanctions screening glossary

Useful links

WHO NEEDS SANCTIONS SCREENING

Who are LSEG sanctions screening solutions for?

The solutions are intended for organisations that assess customers, third parties, payments, transactions, vessels or financial instruments as part of financial crime and sanctions compliance. Compliance, operations and risk teams can select data, technology or service-led access according to their screening volumes, workflow design and review responsibilities.

What sanctions screening need does LSEG support?

Explicit sanctions exposure

Screen against structured World-Check sanctions intelligence and supporting source information.

Ownership and control risk

Assess potential indirect exposure through ownership, control and related-party relationships.

Narrative and sectoral measures

Review sanctions exposure that may not be identified through a simple named-list search.

Different workflow requirements

Use screening, API, data and service options that support different operational models and review processes.

World-Check provides the underlying risk intelligence, while complementary LSEG solutions support screening, integration, investigation and specialist delivery models. Together, these capabilities can help organisations review potential matches and apply their risk-based processes in line with their policies and responsibilities.

Why can sanctions checks require more than a list search?

Sanctions regimes change as authorities issue, amend and remove designations. A single global sanctions list does not necessarily capture every relevant restriction or relationship. Organisations may need to consider explicit sanctions alongside narrative, implicit and sectoral measures, then assess potential matches using identifiers, source information and contextual research.

For deeper definitions, see sanctions, financial sanctions and sanctions lists.

OUR SOLUTION

Need help to manage sanctions screening requirements?

LSEG sanctions screening solutions combine World-Check risk intelligence with data, screening, due diligence and managed-service options. Organisations can select the approach that supports their screening subjects, workflows and review responsibilities as sanctions information and exposure change.

LSEG World-Check

World-Check provides structured sanctions risk intelligence and source information to support the review of potential matches, including explicit, narrative, implicit and sectoral sanctions exposure. Specialist research brings relevant sanctions information and public-domain sources into consolidated records, while keywords, categories, secondary identifiers, ownership and relationship intelligence support risk-based sanctions screening and assessment of potential indirect exposure.
Explore World-Check

LSEG Due Diligence Reports

Due diligence reports provide additional research and analysis when screening results or the risk context require deeper investigation. Available report scopes support selected customer, third-party and business situations, with analysts responsible for the research and conclusions.
Explore Due Diligence Reports

LSEG Managed Screening

Managed Screening provides service-led screening and ongoing monitoring support for customer and third-party records. LSEG specialists can support match review and escalation while organisations retain responsibility for their policies, decisions and regulatory obligations.
Explore Managed Screening

LSEG Sanctioned Securities Data File

The LSEG Sanctioned Securities Data File combines financial-instrument data with World-Check sanctions and ownership intelligence. The structured feed supports screening for possible direct and indirect links to sanctioned entities across portfolio, trade-surveillance and related workflows.
Explore Sanctioned Securities Data File

HOW IT WORKS

How does LSEG sanctions screening process work?

  1. 1

    Select the subjects, data categories, matching settings and review rules that align with your policies and responsibilities.

  2. 2

    Check customers, third parties, transactions, payments, vessels or financial instruments through the selected platform, API, data feed or service.

  3. 3

    Use World-Check records, source information and identifiers to investigate alerts and decide where further scrutiny may be appropriate.

  4. 4

    Route relevant cases through internal review, due diligence or specialist support in line with the organisation’s policies and responsibilities.

  5. 5

    Selected solutions support ongoing screening and alerts when relevant records or cases are updated.

COMPLEX EXPOSURE

How can organisations address implicit sanctions risk?

Implicit sanctions may affect an organisation or individual that is not directly named on a sanctions list but is brought within scope through ownership, control, affiliation or a narrative measure. World-Check research and related ownership intelligence can support assessment of possible direct and indirect exposure. Customers remain responsible for interpreting results and applying relevant legal and policy requirements.

The most appropriate access model depends on what an organisation screens and how screening fits its workflow. Organisations can use a screening and review platform, API-delivered World-Check records, embedded screening for supported workflows, a specialist securities data file or managed support.

USE CASES

Where can sanctions screening be used?

BENEFITS

What can support an effective sanctions screening workflow?

Relevant risk intelligence

World-Check provides structured records and source information to support review of potential sanctions-related risk.

Focused screening

Filtering, matching options and secondary identifiers help teams align screening with policies and risk appetite.

Flexible delivery

Use an interface, API, data file, selected partner software or managed service according to requirements.

Specialist support

Due diligence and managed screening services can support investigation, screening and match-resolution needs.

Efficient alert review

Structured information and match-resolution capabilities can help teams prioritise potential matches and focus review where closer attention is required.

Workflow integration

Integrate screening into existing workflows and internal systems to support customer, transaction and other risk-screening requirements.

FAQs

  • Sanctions check compares a person, organisation, vessel, transaction, security or other subject with relevant sanctions information. Effective review may also use identifiers, source material and information about ownership, control or other relationships to determine whether a possible match requires further scrutiny.

  • Screening is commonly a check performed at a defined point in a workflow. Monitoring involves ongoing review for relevant changes. Selected LSEG solutions support ongoing screening, case updates or alerts, depending on the product and configuration.

  • Yes. World-Check One can be accessed by API, while World-Check On Demand and World-Check Verify provide additional API-based models for selected data and embedded-screening requirements.

  • Yes. The LSEG Sanctioned Securities Data File combines financial-instrument data with World-Check sanctions and ownership intelligence to support assessment of direct and indirect links to sanctioned entities.

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Our specialists will tailor a sanctions screening solution to help solve your specific needs.

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