Third-party screening: how SMEs can stay compliant easily
Check your customers, partners and suppliers against sanctions lists, PEP databases and adverse media in seconds — and keep auditable compliance evidence.
Need a clear framework? Download the “Third-party screening” checklist (PDF).
DownloadWhy third-party screening has become essential
Compliance requirements are increasing (AML/CFT, sanctions, anti-corruption). Even without a dedicated compliance team, SMEs are exposed: onboarding new customers, international partners, sensitive suppliers, subcontractors and intermediaries.
Third-party screening quickly identifies whether a person or company presents risk signals (sanctions, PEP, adverse media, offshore exposure) in order to document proportionate decisions.
What risks if you don’t perform screening
Risk is not only theoretical: it can be commercial (payment blockage), legal, reputational and operational.
Common risks
- Bank payment blockage / transaction freeze
- Contract termination by a client
- Litigation and remediation costs
- Reputational damage
What you must be able to demonstrate
- That screening was performed
- On which criteria (sanctions, PEP, media…)
- Which decision was taken and by whom
- That you acted reasonably (risk-based)
Reduce exposure by launching your first screening today.
Start free trialWhat a compliance screening includes
A robust screening aggregates several signal families to identify potential risk and guide decisions.
Essential checks
- Sanctions (national & international lists)
- PEP (Politically Exposed Persons)
- Adverse media (negative press)
- Offshore exposure (leaks / ICIJ datasets)
Best practices
- Resolve name matches (matching)
- Qualify alerts (TRUE / FALSE / PENDING)
- Document justification
- Define risk level
Why existing solutions are often unsuitable for SMEs
Many enterprise-grade tools are built for large compliance teams, with complex interfaces, long contracts and high pricing. As a result, SMEs improvise or skip systematic screening.
Typical barriers
- Cost and volume minimums
- Steep learning curve
- Heavy processes for simple needs
- Lack of audit-ready traceability
What SMEs need
- Results in seconds
- Documented decisions
- Exportable proof
- Transparent pricing
VigiComply: third-party screening made accessible
VigiComply delivers instant screening and transforms alerts into documented, auditable decisions (depending on modules).
VigiComply Screening
- Instant screening (sanctions, PEP, media…)
- Immediate risk signals
- Built for daily use
VigiComply Manager
- Alert qualification (TRUE / FALSE / PENDING)
- Centralised decisions and controls
- History & audit trail
A simple 3-step process
Instant screening
Search your third parties and get risk signals in seconds.
Qualification & documentation
Review alerts, justify decisions, assign risk levels and reviewers if needed.
Compliance evidence
Keep audit-ready history for internal audits and stakeholders.
Ready to test? Launch your first screening in under 2 minutes.
Start free trialDesigned according to international standards
Risk-based approach, traceability and privacy-by-design principles — the goal is defensible decisions, not just alerts.
Covered best practices
- KYC / third-party onboarding
- Risk scoring and periodic review
- Decision traceability
- Exports / reporting (depending on configuration)
GDPR & data
- Data minimisation
- Retention control (depending on module)
- Action logging
- Application security measures
FAQ — Third-party screening
Is third-party screening mandatory for SMEs?
It depends on your activity, flows and partners. In practice, many SMEs must demonstrate minimal checks (banks, clients, export, sensitive sectors). The recommended approach is risk-based.
How long should proof be kept?
Practices vary depending on context and applicable compliance framework. The key is to keep dated, consistent and traceable evidence (who, when, why). Define an internal retention policy.
What is a PEP?
A PEP is a person holding or having held an important public function (and certain relatives or associates). It usually requires enhanced vigilance.
Can I perform screening without a tool?
Manual research is possible but quickly becomes time-consuming and difficult to trace. A tool standardises, accelerates and documents decisions.
Final step: test VigiComply on a real case, no commitment.
30-day free trialStart your screening in minutes
Run your first screening, qualify alerts and keep auditable proof — no credit card required.