AML Summit Takeaway: Fighting Fire with Fire
When discussing the future of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and compliance, the consensus is clear: AI has changed the game. It's becoming both a growing threat and a valuable tool—when used wisely, it can significantly enhance how we detect and understand financial crime.
This insight comes straight from the AML Summit 2025 in Vilnius, where the Vialet team, including our MLRO Simona Adomaityte, explored how the compliance landscape is rapidly evolving, from AI-driven risks to real-time sanctions challenges.
The Dual Role of Artificial Intelligence
As Simona noted, Artificial Intelligence has become both our greatest ally and our most pressing threat in the AML sector:
The Threat: Financial criminals are leveraging AI to scale deception. This includes the creation of highly convincing deepfakes and forging sophisticated digital documents. These threats are making traditional methods of document verification and identity checks obsolete.
The Ally: The solution is to turn the technology back on itself. This is the concept of “Fighting Fire with Fire.” AI is transforming how AML teams operate: from detecting suspicious behavioral patterns and complex transaction flows to identifying synthetic identities and digital forgeries faster than any manual process could.
The Real-Time Sanctions Challenge
Beyond AI, a major discussion point was the growing complexity of sanctions compliance. With constantly evolving EU and global sanctions packages, AML teams must remain vigilant, proactive, and adaptable.
Simona emphasized that the key is real-time monitoring and asking the right questions, such as:
When payments don't align with the business model.
When counterparties seem unrelated to the client's activity.
When activity suddenly spikes without a clear commercial reason.
It’s about understanding not only what happens, but why it happens, and turning daily monitoring into real insight into our clients and their behavior.
Building a Resilient Defense
For FinTech leaders and businesses operating in regulated markets, the takeaway is clear: AML is no longer a matter of checking boxes—it is a matter of adopting strategic technology.
Vialet Team's Insight: "The AML Summit reminded us that staying ahead of financial crime is a shared effort—people, knowledge, and technology working together. We returned with fresh ideas and a stronger sense of purpose."
At Vialet, we believe that technology is powerful when it works hand in hand with people. We’re bringing these new insights into our daily work—learning, testing, and improving together so we can stay one step ahead of evolving risks and keep our clients safe with confidence and care.
