RelyComply: Balancing Innovation With Financial Integrity

At the Fintech Talents Festival 2025, James Saunders, Chief Technology Officer at RelyComply, shared the origins of a company shaped by two powerful global forces: the explosive growth of financial innovation and the equally urgent need to preserve the integrity of the financial system. Saunders, who grew up in South Africa and began his career in mathematics and technology, explained that RelyComply was founded on a simple but profound tension — innovation is good for society, but innovation without safeguards invites systemic risk.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, he saw firsthand how new digital financial products were transforming lives. Mobile money, alternative lending models, digital wallets, and embedded payment infrastructure were driving unprecedented financial inclusion. Yet with this growth came increasing exposure to fraud, financial crime, and regulatory gaps. Saunders and his co-founders recognised that the industry desperately needed solutions that could keep pace with innovation while protecting the system itself. That meant giving fintechs and institutions the ability to launch products quickly — but with compliance and AML intelligence built in from the beginning.

For Saunders, the appeal of AML goes beyond technology. He spoke passionately about South Africa’s social compact — the belief that individuals and organisations must contribute more to society than they take. Growing up during a time of national transition, he saw how fragile trust can be, and how essential it is for building a stable economy. “The financial system is all about trust,” he said. “You’re literally giving people your money.” Safeguarding that trust isn’t just a regulatory requirement; it’s a moral obligation.

RelyComply’s spark came unexpectedly during a project with a multinational bank. Saunders’ previous company was working on an alternative credit-modelling solution, but shortly before launch, the team discovered that compliance had been overlooked entirely. What followed was silence — and then opportunity. Saunders’ team quickly built a compliance solution that met the bank’s standards. Within months, three more divisions requested the same tool because incumbent vendors were too inflexible and slow to support innovation.

That moment shifted everything. RelyComply was launched as a company that was “profitable before it existed,” built on real customer demand and rooted in the idea that agility, compliance, and innovation must co-exist. Today, RelyComply helps financial institutions close systems gaps, prevent exploitation by criminals, and bring new products to market without compromising integrity.

For Saunders, the mission remains deeply personal: protect society’s financial fabric while empowering innovators to build the future.