SmartSearch reveals strongest financial results from 2020
John E. Kaye
- Published
- Banking & Finance, Home, Technology

The UK’s leading anti-money laundering (AML) solution provider, has revealed 2020 was the most successful year in the company’s history
The RegTech specialist, based in Ilkely West Yorkshire, was quick to react to the outbreak of the coronavirus, and subsequent rise in money laundering and financial crime, with enhanced products and new concepts to provide greater security for its customers.
Driven by increased demand for its user-friendly, ID verification system, the business saw sales rise by 13.5% over the course of the year and net profits up by almost a third at 28%.
In addition, SmartSearch brought on 840 new customers taking their total base to more than 5,000 client customers, with 45.000 users of its comprehensive, market-leading digital platform.
It was also the year that the firm, now in its tenth year, began to realise its ambitions for global growth by opening its first office outside the UK, in the U.S.
SmartSearch CEO John Dobson said that the success of the business has been down to the right combination of cutting-edge technology and exemplary customer service.
He added: “Clearly it was a year like no other and while we had been growing successfully year-on-year prior to 2020, the business really went up another level. As we said at the outbreak of coronavirus, an event of this magnitude will provide opportunities for unscrupulous criminals and professional enablers to commit fraud when collectively our guard is down.
“At SmartSearch we were able to respond to that demand very quickly and built new concept products such as the award-winning TripleCheck, which combines three highly sophisticated verification methods to set a new standard in AML security.
“But we also ensure our high standard of customer service is maintained at all times, with the focus on making the tech simple to operate for the end-user.
“The property sector has always been a prime target for money laundering and the pandemic exacerbated that because brokers and estate agents were still relying on manual ID checks when onboarding new customers, which is wide open to abuse.
“We developed the most robust and comprehensive verification system on the market, a one-stop-shop that provides a secure, digital solution. By moving to electronic verification there’s no need to meet people in person, which makes it efficient as well as covid-secure.
“By doing a smartsearch you get access to the most extensive databases in the world, with results back on individuals in just two seconds, and under three minutes for a business search.”
Further information
RECENT ARTICLES
-
Europe opens NanoIC pilot line to design the computer chips of the 2030s -
Building the materials of tomorrow one atom at a time: fiction or reality? -
Universe ‘should be thicker than this’, say scientists after biggest sky survey ever -
Lasers finally unlock mystery of Charles Darwin’s specimen jars -
Women, science and the price of integrity -
Meet the AI-powered robot that can sort, load and run your laundry on its own -
UK organisations still falling short on GDPR compliance, benchmark report finds -
A practical playbook for securing mission-critical information -
Cracking open the black box: why AI-powered cybersecurity still needs human eyes -
Tech addiction: the hidden cybersecurity threat -
Parliament invites cyber experts to give evidence on new UK cyber security bill -
ISF warns geopolitics will be the defining cybersecurity risk of 2026 -
AI boom triggers new wave of data-centre investment across Europe -
Make boards legally liable for cyber attacks, security chief warns -
AI innovation linked to a shrinking share of income for European workers -
Europe emphasises AI governance as North America moves faster towards autonomy, Digitate research shows -
Surgeons just changed medicine forever using hotel internet connection -
Curium’s expansion into transformative therapy offers fresh hope against cancer -
What to consider before going all in on AI-driven email security -
GrayMatter Robotics opens 100,000-sq-ft AI robotics innovation centre in California -
The silent deal-killer: why cyber due diligence is non-negotiable in M&As -
South African students develop tech concept to tackle hunger using AI and blockchain -
Automation breakthrough reduces ambulance delays and saves NHS £800,000 a year -
ISF warns of a ‘corporate model’ of cybercrime as criminals outpace business defences -
New AI breakthrough promises to end ‘drift’ that costs the world trillions


























