ThetaRay Crowned World’s Best Software Provider for AML and Sanctions Screening at 2026 Euromoney Awards

ThetaRay has been named the world’s top software provider for AML and sanctions screening at the 2026 Euromoney Transaction Banking Awards. For fintech professionals, this recognition signals the growing dominance of AI-native infrastructure in replacing legacy compliance systems, as institutions prioritize real-time risk visibility and explainable decisioning across increasingly complex global payment rails.

What was announced

The 2026 Euromoney Transaction Banking Awards recognized ThetaRay for its technology excellence and performance in the modern transaction banking value chain. This accolade follows a series of high-profile rankings for the firm, including being placed eighth globally in the Financial Crime and Compliance50 (FCC50) 2026 report by Chartis Research, where it also secured a Category Winner title for Explainable AI.

ThetaRay’s platform is designed as an intelligent infrastructure layer that integrates into core banking architecture, avoiding the need for "rip-and-replace" deployments. The system utilizes patented machine learning and agentic AI to provide continuous transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and customer due diligence. Key features include autonomous multi-agent systems that assist in triaging alerts and providing full transparency into algorithmic scoring—a critical requirement for regulatory compliance across the entire investigation lifecycle.

The year 2026 has been a period of rapid expansion for the company. Under the leadership of CEO Brad Levy, who took the helm in January 2026, ThetaRay launched Ray, its agentic investigations platform. The company has seen adoption across tier-one banks, payment service providers (PSPs), and fintechs in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions. Other recent honors include a spot on CNBC’s World’s Top FinTech Companies, a Silver award in the 2026 Datos Insights Fraud & AML Impact Awards, and being named Best RegTech Solution at Finovate.

"Our customers operate on the front lines against Illicit networks exploiting the speed and scale of modern payment rails, which means defensive technology must meet and outpace them in real time,"

Brad Levy at ThetaRay

The companies involved

ThetaRay is a global provider of AI-native financial crime compliance infrastructure. The company specializes in providing banks and fintechs with the tools necessary to monitor cross-border payments and identify illicit financial activity without hindering legitimate transaction flow. ThetaRay has positioned itself as a leader in the shift toward "Explainable AI," ensuring that its machine learning models are not "black boxes" but rather transparent systems that regulators can audit.

The firm’s leadership underwent significant changes in 2026, starting with the appointment of Brad Levy as CEO in January. Levy brought extensive experience in financial technology and data services to the role. The company’s growth strategy has focused on embedding its technology directly into the core architecture of global financial institutions, serving a diverse client base that includes major banks and high-growth payment service providers across multiple jurisdictions. This approach has allowed ThetaRay to scale its footprint across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, establishing it as a foundational layer for modern compliance operations.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed ThetaRay’s strategic expansion throughout 2026. In September, we reported on the company’s efforts to scale its AI-native compliance operations through the appointment of ThetaRay Appoints Laure Richmond as CFO to Scale AI-Native Financial Crime Compliance. Earlier in the year, the firm’s market standing was highlighted when it ThetaRay Secures Spot on CNBC’s World’s Top Fintech Companies 2026 List for AI Compliance Innovation. The company also bolstered its leadership team by ThetaRay Appoints Former Santander VP Luis Pinedo to Lead Enterprise AI Compliance Strategy. Beyond corporate moves, FF News covered ThetaRay’s research into consumer sentiment, which found that 88% of UK customers would switch banks due to financial crime failures, ThetaRay Report Finds, emphasizing the high stakes for institutions managing AML risks.

What this means

This recognition highlights a critical shift in the regtech market: the transition from reactive, rules-based monitoring to proactive, agentic AI. As transaction speeds increase, legacy systems are becoming a liability, unable to keep pace with sophisticated illicit networks. The industry is now under intense pressure to adopt "explainable" models that satisfy both operational efficiency and regulatory scrutiny. For competitors, the bar has been raised; it is no longer enough to flag suspicious activity. The next generation of compliance tools must offer seamless integration and autonomous triage capabilities. The open question for the sector remains how quickly mid-tier institutions can migrate to these AI-native layers without disrupting their existing customer experience.