The Evolving Landscape of Name Screening in Global Sanctions

In the complex world of sanctions enforcement, where the stakes are high and the challenges are intricate, a subtle yet powerful barrier often hinders investigations: name transliteration. The challenge of tracking assets tied to sanctioned individuals and entities has sparked a global push to refine name screening practices – and the implications are profound.

Transliteration Challenges in Global Investigations

As international efforts to track hidden wealth intensify, the transliteration of names remains a critical issue. Slavic names, like those of Russian oligarchs, often appear in multiple Latin-script variations. For instance:

• Sergei Kiriyenko can also appear as Sergey Kiriyenko, Sergei Kirienko, or Sergey Kirienko.
• Abramovich may also be listed as Abramovič in certain documents.
• In the UK's Companies House registry, you might find a company linked to Filipp Adonyev but miss critical details if they search for Filip Adoniev.

These variations arise because there are no universally accepted rules for transliteration, and many databases require exact matches for name searches. This inconsistency creates challenges for investigators working to uncover hidden assets, especially when names appear differently in corporate registries, legal documents, or passports.

The Growing Shift: Screening Names in Original Scripts

To address these challenges, global regulators are embracing a transformative approach: screening names directly in their original scripts. This shift eliminates the reliance on romanization and ensures more accurate identification of sanctioned entities.

Several key developments illustrate this trend:

• UN consolidated lists and EU sanction lists now display names in their original scripts, such as Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian), Arabic, Chinese, and Korean.
• UK sanction lists recently began including names in Russian and Arabic scripts.
• SWISS sanction lists accommodate names in eight different languages.
• OFAC (U.S. Treasury) has expanded its lists to include Cyrillic scripts.

This global movement highlights the growing recognition of the risks associated with transliteration and underscores the importance of precise name screening.

Why Screening Names in Original Scripts Matters

Names in their original scripts provide unparalleled accuracy in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance and sanctions enforcement. Transliteration variations can obscure crucial connections, leading to:

• False Negatives: Missed matches when names are incorrectly transliterated.
• False Positives: Excessive matches due to overly broad searches, creating inefficiencies.

Direct screening in original scripts avoids these pitfalls, ensuring that no critical links are overlooked.

The Role of Technology in Sanction Screening

To meet regulatory expectations and keep pace with evolving global standards, organizations must adopt advanced sanction screening solutions. Here's what to consider when selecting a system:

Avoid:

• Systems that rely solely on romanization technologies to convert names into Latin characters. These often result in missed matches or a flood of false positives.

Seek:

• Solutions capable of direct screening in original languages, including Cyrillic, Chinese, Korean, and Arabic.
• Technologies that bypass the need for a third language, ensuring accurate, efficient compliance with minimal errors.

The Path Forward: Precision and Accountability

The increasing inclusion of original scripts in sanction lists marks a turning point in global compliance efforts. By moving away from transliteration and adopting advanced name-screening technologies, regulators and organizations can:

• Strengthen AML compliance.
• Improve the accuracy of investigations.
• Ensure that no sanctioned individual or entity slips through the cracks.

As conflicts and geopolitical tensions persist, the demand for precise, multilingual sanction screening solutions will only grow. The message from regulators is clear: screening names in original scripts is no longer optional—it's a global requirement.

So, as the world continues its hunt for hidden wealth and sanctioned assets, the tools and technologies used in this effort must evolve. After all, in the high-stakes game of global compliance, one mismatched letter can make all the difference.