Smartcomply, an African cybersecurity and compliance company, has expanded its business into the United Kingdom (UK).
The company is launching its artificial intelligence (AI) platform, called Adhere, to help UK banks and financial firms safely move money between Europe and Africa.
This move aims to make sending money to Africa cheaper, faster, and much safer.
The Problem with Sending Money to Africa
People in the UK send more than £4 billion every year to Sub-Saharan Africa. However, sending this money is very expensive. On average, a person loses 8.5% of their money just in transfer fees which is far higher than what the United Nations says is fair.
One big reason for these high costs is “compliance.” UK banks have to follow very strict rules to stop financial crime and money laundering. However, standard British or American security software often cannot understand African financial data.
“Compliance technology designed in New York or London cannot read Nigerian Bank Verification Numbers or understand mobile money flows in Kenya,” explained Anita Ajalla, the company’s Chief Technology Officer.
Because overseas systems do not understand how Africans use money, they often flag normal transactions as suspicious. This forces banks to check transfers by hand, which slows down service and raises costs.
What Does Smartcomply Do?
Smartcomply’s platform, Adhere, was built from the inside out to understand African financial systems. It connects directly with African identity databases, like Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) system.
By using smart AI models, the platform can:
• Check Identities Instantly: Easily verify who is sending and receiving the money.
• Spot True Fraud: Know the difference between normal mobile money habits and actual criminal activity.
• Reduce False Alarms: Cut down fake fraud warnings by 40%, meaning legitimate money travels without getting blocked.
• Save Time: Reduce the manual paperwork for compliance teams by 70%.
A Big Step for African Innovation
Currently, Adhere safely checks over $1 billion in financial transactions every single month across Africa. The company’s technology is also recognized globally; it recently joined the exclusive Mastercard Engage program, a partnership that helps spread its tools to banks worldwide.
With this UK launch, Smartcomply is helping bridge the financial gap between London and major African markets like Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda.
Instead of African businesses relying solely on Western technology, African-built tech is now moving abroad to help global banks solve complex local problems.
