The country AML risk platform built for regulatory scrutiny
Regulators expect country risk assessment to be rigorous, evidence-based and demonstrably driving decisions. KnowYourCountry gives compliance teams the data, methodology and audit trail to meet that standard across 245 jurisdictions.
The problems we solve
Fragmented data sources
Compliance teams spend hours pulling together information from multiple sources, with no guarantee of consistency or completeness. We consolidate everything into a single, auditable source of truth across 245 jurisdictions.
Inconsistent scoring
When different offices or teams apply different methodologies, ratings become impossible to defend. Configurable risk bands, weightings and overrides ensure everyone works from the same framework.
Weak audit trails
Regulators expect you to show your working. Time-stamped overrides, documented reasoning and a transparent methodology mean every decision is defensible when it needs to be.
Regulatory lag
FATF decisions, sanctions changes, political shifts: the risk landscape moves fast. Event-based updates mean you're never working from stale data.
The platform
245 country EDD reports, 60+ pages each
Coverage spans all areas FATF and national regulators require. Reports are time-stamped on download. Executive Summary versions are available for Customer Due Diligence, Enhanced Due Diligence and TPRM workflows. Country-by-country virtual asset and VASP risk scoring and reporting is available for virtual asset compliance teams.
Our methodology
The risk matrix is structured around the risk elements regulators worldwide now use as standard reference points. Through our customisable risk rating tool, you can configure the risk matrix to align with your own risk profiles and your regulator’s framework, whether FinCEN, EU AMLA, or any other.
Ratings are composite scores drawn from multiple primary sources. Where data is unavailable for a jurisdiction, we apply a documented assessment based on comparable risk factors. Full weightings and scoring values are available on the platform.
Regulatory alignment
FATF guidance
Threat categories and scoring indicators map directly to FATF’s methodology for mutual evaluations and country risk assessments.
EU AMLA requirements
Coverage and structure reflect the risk categories and evidential standards the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority applies.
FinCEN AML/CFT Priorities
Ratings incorporate FinCEN’s published national AML/CFT priorities, giving US-regulated firms a direct line of sight to their regulatory expectations.
Read more about our methodology and sources here.
Where it fits in your compliance programme
Customer onboarding
Transaction monitoring
AML equivalence assessments
Third-party risk management
Correspondent banking
Business-wide risk assessments
FAQs
How is KnowYourCountry different from doing your own research?
Building your own country risk methodology is a significant internal project. Source selection, weighting, documentation, and ongoing maintenance every time there is a change across every jurisdiction you cover is a continuous operational commitment. When a regulator asks how you arrived at a rating, that answer has to be defensible.
KnowYourCountry gives compliance teams a verified, auditable methodology with a human name attached. Every AI-assisted element is reviewed and approved by subject-matter experts before publication. The scoring is entirely human-overseen. When you use KnowYourCountry, the methodology, source selection and update obligations are ours. You apply the output.
What types of organisations use KnowYourCountry?
Any regulated business with AML obligations. That includes banks, investment firms, money service businesses, insurers, auditors, accountants, tax advisers, trust and company service providers, crypto asset exchanges, custodial wallet providers, estate agents, legal professionals, and art market participants. Broadly, any organisation required to assess customer and counterparty risk on a risk-based approach.
How does your methodology reflect the latest regulatory frameworks?
Keeping current with regulatory developments is core to how we maintain our methodology. Our risk categories track the frameworks regulators are actively working from so when expectations shift, our ratings shift with them.
Our enhanced methodology reflects where regulatory focus is moving. Proliferation financing now has its own dedicated category, recognising growing scrutiny from FATF and the UN Security Council. Sanctions coverage is integrated across all jurisdictions. Criminality coverage has expanded to include tax crimes, environmental crime, arms trafficking, and transparency and beneficial ownership, areas that regulators and financial intelligence units increasingly treat as core AML risk factors.
How is the methodology documented for regulators and auditors?
Every rating links back to its primary source. Scoring weightings and any overrides are time-stamped and logged. If a regulator asks what sits behind a country rating, the platform produces a complete, source-referenced audit trail.
Can we apply our own risk appetite rather than a default score?
Yes. Scoring Profiles let you adjust the weighting of each underlying indicator, set your own risk bands, input country-specific overrides, and build separate configurations for different business lines, offices, or use cases. Every profile updates automatically when the underlying data changes.