Disrupting the $3.1T Laundering Machine: ThetaRay's AI Hunts Down Global Fraud

Brian Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer at ThetaRay, joins Karla Jo Helms on Disruption Interruption to discuss how AI is transforming financial crime compliance. By leveraging advanced algorithms, ThetaRay's platform identifies hidden criminal networks, reduces false positives by up to 90%, and empowers banks to mitigate risks while pursuing growth in high-risk markets.

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With an estimated $3.1 trillion in illicit funds moving through the global financial system in 2023 and over $4 billion in fines for financial crime compliance failures, financial institutions face unprecedented challenges. ^(1-2) On this week's episode of Disruption Interruption, host Karla Jo Helms welcomes Brian Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer at ThetaRay, a fintech disruptor pioneering AI-powered solutions to identify and prevent crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and terrorist financing. Gilman shares how ThetaRay's cutting-edge algorithms provide banks with a competitive edge by transforming risk management, reducing false positives by up to 90%.

"Quite frankly, crime has far outpaced the technology used to fight it," stated Gilman. "AI provides us with a way to detect hidden criminal networks and reduce false positives, offering a secure pathway for businesses to grow in high-risk markets."

Financial Crime is Outpacing Technology

Financial crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and terrorist financing have become alarmingly prevalent. With transactions being processed at warp speed in today's globalized financial markets, legacy systems have buckled under the pressure. By applying basic, static rules, these outdated technologies fail to detect the increasingly complex criminal activities taking place.

Gilman noted the significant limitations of these systems, stating, "Legacy systems rely on rigid and simplistic criteria, such as flagging transactions from certain geographical regions. But modern financial crime is too nuanced to be caught within these inflexible rules."

The result? A staggering 20-30% of global financial transactions could be linked to criminal activities. Yet, despite extensive compliance processes, financial institutions still face incalculable fines and irreparable reputational damage. "Banks aren't just battling fraudsters; they're also fighting to protect their credibility," Gilman added. "Losing trust in this industry could be catastrophic."

ThetaRay's AI Revolutionizes Financial Crime Compliance

ThetaRay has developed an AI-powered financial crime compliance platform that integrates seamlessly with existing systems. Whether deployed as a standalone solution or layered over legacy tools, their platform uses cognitive AI and proprietary algorithms to both identify and reduce risk faster than previously possible.

"Our AI technology is a game-changer," emphasized Gilman. "By using sophisticated algorithms, we're able to detect anomalies and uncover the most hidden criminal networks. Whether it's money laundering, human trafficking, or fraudulent practices, patterns that elude legacy systems are now coming to light."

The platform's ability to reduce false positives by up to 90% helps financial institutions save enormous costs—from reducing human analysts' workloads to minimizing reputational risks caused by unnecessary transaction holds. "It's not just about stopping the bad actors," emphasized Gilman. "It's about creating an environment where banks trust their systems enough to pursue growth in areas that were previously written off as too risky."

Links

Disrupting the Underworld Economy: How AI is Targeting Billions in Dirty Money with Brian Gilman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bgilman1/

Company Website: thetaray.com.

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple's App Store and Spotify.

About Disruption Interruption^™

Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.

About Brian Gilman

Brian Gilman is a visionary marketing executive driving AI-powered disruption in one of the most regulated sectors—financial services. As Chief Marketing Officer of Array, he is reshaping how institutions combat financial crime by reducing false positives, uncovering hidden criminal networks, and enabling secure growth in high-risk markets.

With a career spanning leadership roles at high-growth tech firms, Gilman has led companies through $100M+ funding rounds, scaled go-to-market strategies that boosted deal sizes by 1600%, and forged strategic enterprise partnerships that deepened share of wallet by over 25%. He brings a rare blend of technical fluency, brand strategy, and C-level influence.

Gilman is a recognized thought leader in AI, CX, and CPaaS, and a sought-after public speaker with deep ties across the industry. His leadership continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in enterprise marketing and compliance innovation.

About Karla Jo Helms

Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References

¹ NASDAQ. "Nasdaq Verafin 2024 Global Financial Crime Report." Nasdaq.com, 2024, nasdaq.com/global-financial-crime-report.
² Kroll. "2025 Financial Crime Report." Kroll, 2025, kroll.com/en/publications/financial-crime-report-2025.

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