SAS an AML leader, says top research and advisory firm

Evaluation of market's 15 preeminent AML solutions finds SAS Anti-Money Laundering a great fit for firms that need "cutting-edge, AI/ML risk-scoring strategies for highly efficient AML processes"

CARY, N.C., April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prestigious analyst firm Forrester has again declared SAS an anti-money laundering (AML) leader in The Forrester Wave™: Anti-Money-Laundering Solutions, Q2 2025. In its latest evaluation of the market's 15 foremost AML technology providers, Forrester awarded SAS top marks in 10 of its 18 evaluation criteria, including for critical capabilities like:

• Data integration.
• Administrator management.
• Rules-based risk scoring and alerting.
• AI- and machine learning-based risk scoring.
• Case management.
• Third-party integrations.
• Reporting.

SAS^® Anti-Money Laundering earned an overall "current offering" score of 4.40 out of 5, the second highest score of any vendor evaluated.

Also of note, SAS is the only AML vendor that is also recognized as a leader in AI and machine learning (ML) platforms.

"This and other recent analyst accolades are a testament to the breadth and depth of SAS' solutions portfolio on SAS Viya," said Stu Bradley, Senior Vice President of Risk, Fraud and Compliance Solutions at SAS. "Our extensibility is a significant differentiator, allowing financial firms to deploy cloud-native SAS solutions across the risk, fraud and compliance spectrum on one AI-powered, language-agnostic platform.

"With our AI-driven approach, we've helped our customers reduce their false positives by as much as 90% – and now we're also helping them streamline their IT infrastructures as they achieve greater power, efficiency and decision-making agility."

Productized risk-scoring models, case management and reporting matter
Even as criminals use advancing technology – like cryptocurrency and peer-to-peer payments – and the complexities of the global financial system to disguise their malfeasance, banks, insurers and other financial firms face ever more stringent regulatory demands and higher penalties for anti-money laundering violations.

When evaluating AML solutions, says Forrester, productized risk-scoring models, case management and reporting matter – all areas where SAS Anti-Money Laundering excels.

"[SAS'] rules-based risk scoring and alerting is comprehensive: Customers can define thresholds, what-if scenarios, and segmentation strategies," reads the Forrester Wave report. "[SAS'] name resolution module offers a built-in cultural affinity AI model. Its reporting is powerful and provides more types of built-in reports than do many other vendors."

"Built-in, productized support for common payment transaction types (peer-to-peer, automated clearing house [ACH], wire, etc.) is on par," continues the report, adding that SAS "offers a strong framework for quantifying the ROI of its AML solution for its potential and existing customers."

With regard to strategy, the Forrester Wave report notes, "SAS' vision includes transaction monitoring that includes segmentation logic, anomaly detection, and ML-based detection as well as GenAI inclusion into productized copilots. Roadmaps promise model-driven customer risk rating, increased depth of cash activity risk scoring, and better scenario tuning and optimization processes."

The report also highlights SAS' November 2024 acquisition of the principal software assets of Hazy, a pioneer in synthetic data technology, which is helping SAS expand its synthetic data generation capabilities. "Forrester expects that this acquisition will accelerate the adoption of large data models and other GenAI techniques in SAS' Financial Crime Compliance portfolio," the report says.

The future of AML tech
Recent SAS research, based on a global survey of 850 Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) members, revealed slow progress in the adoption of AI and ML technology that threatens financial institutions' FinCrime defenses.

While not a magic bullet for every AML challenge, AI technologies are proving incredibly effective in facets that involve voluminous data, like automating transaction monitoring alerts and reporting suspicious activity. In fact, reducing false positives and better, faster investigations were among the top benefits of AI/ML deployment cited by the AML professionals surveyed.

Curious to learn more? Download the latest SAS-ACAMS AML technology study, co-sponsored by KPMG, The road to integration: The state of AI and machine learning adoption in anti-money laundering compliance.

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SOURCE SAS