Fintech PR
Refine Intelligence Launches with $13M Seed Funding to Transform Anti-Money Laundering by “Catching the Good Guys”
Refine helps financial institutions recognize customers’ life stories and identify legitimate activities, so they can quickly clear away false alarms
NEW YORK and TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Refine Intelligence, the pioneer in Financial Crime Greenflagging, launched today with a $13 million seed funding round led by Glilot Capital Partners and Fin Capital with participation from SYN Ventures, Valley Ventures (the corporate venture capital arm of Valley Bank), and other investors including Ground Up Ventures.
While the anti-money laundering (AML) industry is focused on detecting account anomalies, Refine Intelligence is the only crime-fighting fintech focused on “greenflagging” legitimate customer behavior through providing a clear picture of their life stories. This novel approach is set to change the game in AML, helping banks reduce handling time while focusing on truly unexplained anomalies. Founded by serial entrepreneurs in financial crime fighting and cybersecurity, Refine Intelligence will use the funding to accelerate expansion within North America, Europe and Latin America, and advance the development of its technology.
Catching the Good Guys
AML investigators are overwhelmed by transaction monitoring alerts that spot anomalies in customer accounts. Most alerts are triggered by perfectly legitimate life stories such as selling a house, buying a used car, or paying tuition for an international student. Banks simply lack the context for these activities, and devote many resources to investigating false alarms. Refine Intelligence provides critical context in real time to explain customers’ actions using two capabilities:
- User-friendly digital inquiries in which customers are asked about the source of funds, the nature of the activity and other crucial contextual information; and
- AI trained using a unique, proprietary data set of genuine customer activity patterns that can automatically recognize specific customer life stories.
With Refine Intelligence, banks can bolster their existing AML monitoring to:
- Better focus on truly suspicious activity by quickly clearing away false alarms
- More clearly understand customer behavior and transactions, leading to more effective and efficient investigations
- Enable financial institutions to collect much needed context from the customer in a structured, consistent and bias-free manner
Putting Customer Relationships Back into Banks’ Hands
“Banks used to have a superpower: knowing their customers’ life stories so they could provide personalized financial service,” said Refine Intelligence Co-founder and CEO Uri Rivner. “With banking increasingly done online and a significant drop in face-to-face interactions, banks’ understanding of customer behavior is limited. Refine Intelligence restores that critical context, empowering banks to ‘catch the good guys’ – identify false alarms triggered by perfectly legitimate customer transactions, and focus their energy on actual dubious activity.”
Refine Intelligence’s first customer was Valley Bank, which saw such great outcomes that their venture capital arm, Valley Ventures, decided to invest in the company. “After implementing Refine Intelligence’s solution, our AML inquiry process was cut from 16 days to two minutes,” said Valley Bank’s Director of AML Chris Phillips. “This has freed up our team to spend less time on investigations and more time serving our customers. Using Refine Intelligence has enhanced our efficiency by streamlining the process of investigating and resolving AML alerts, and improving our customers’ satisfaction.”
Statistical Analysis from Refine Intelligence
Based on Refine Intelligence’s work with North American banks, it has determined the following points of interest:
- Refine Intelligence’s Digital Outreach reduces customer inquiry resolution time from two weeks to two minutes.
- Refine’s Digital Outreach customer inquiries achieve an 85% completion rate
- 64% of all AML alerts can be explained by the following top five life stories:
- Buying or selling real estate
- Payment for cash-intensive jobs
- Giving or receiving of gifts
- Buying or selling a vehicle
- Payment for construction expenses
“Money laundering is a persistent problem for banks to monitor, yet it lacks an effective automated solution to keep the issue in check,” said Glilot Capital Partner Founder and Managing Partner Kobi Samboursky. “Refine Intelligence has developed a powerful solution that ensures efficiency through the innovative application of their AI technology. We are excited about the market opportunities ahead of Refine Intelligence, and thrilled to join their mission to transform the financial fraud detection sector.”
“In a digitally-transformed banking landscape, Refine Intelligence stands out for its innovation in combating financial crime,” said Fin Capital Principal Sasha Pilch. “Their approach to AML offers a simple yet unique solution to a problem that banks have struggled with for years. We’re excited to join Refine Intelligence on its path to becoming a leader in crime-fighting fintech, transforming how banks combat money laundering and fraud.”
About Refine Intelligence
Refine Intelligence has developed a novel approach to help banks reduce the growing operational costs of financial crime. Their proprietary AI scans anti-money laundering alerts from transaction monitoring systems and “greenflags” customers’ legitimate activity to dramatically reduce investigation time, and can also be used to protect against check fraud, scams and money mules. Founded by tech veterans in fighting financial crime, Refine Intelligence is backed by Glilot Capital Partners, SYN Ventures, Fin Capital and Valley Ventures. To learn more, visit www.refineintelligence.com.
For more information, please contact:
Josh Turner
Si14 Global Communications
[email protected]
+1 (917) 231-0550
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/refine-intelligence-launches-with-13m-seed-funding-to-transform-anti-money-laundering-by-catching-the-good-guys-301987267.html
Fintech PR
President Emmerson Mnangagwa met this week with Zambia’s former Vice President and Special Envoy Enoch Kavindele to discuss SADC’s candidate for the AfDB
President Mnangagwa, who is SADC Chairperson, reaffirmed his own country’s and SADC’s enthusiastic support for Zambian candidate Sam Maimbo
LUSAKA, Zambia, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Special Envoy Kavindele released the following statement following the meeting:
“I am elated to witness the growing success and momentum of Sam Maimbo’s candidacy to become the next President of the African Development Bank. I am filled with gratitude to our friends across both SADC and COMESA for their continued support and good wishes.
Sam has garnered such wide consensus due to his being uniquely qualified to deliver the transformative change and empowerment our continent needs. Sam’s 30 years in development work is defined by driving outcomes, improving processes, and investing in people. The AfDB needs a hands-on leader who is laser focused on delivering results and who is unafraid of making tough decisions in order to best serve our continent. Sam is that leader. Sam has the track record and experience to drastically enhance the pace, scale, and impact of the Bank’s work in service of the people and governments of Africa.
Our region has a proud history of supporting fellow Southern Africans. For example, we all recall Lusaka’s role in hosting the African National Congress’ headquarters during the dark days of Apartheid oppression.
It therefore gives me no pleasure to observe my South African brothers, who have themselves leant on Zambia’s steadfast friendship over many decades, fail to rally behind both SADC and COMESA’s chosen candidate for the AfDB. Africa’s urgent economic development challenges demand transformational leadership at the AfDB, it is all of our responsibility to put forward the best candidate for the job. This is not the time or place for a government to act with narrow self-interest, we all must act in the continent’s and AfDB’s best interest.
I thank Sam Maimbo for his lifelong service to our entire continent, and I am eager to witness his enormous impact as President of the AfDB.”
LONDON, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Heimdal Security shares a practical holiday cybersecurity checklist, offering expert insights to help businesses safeguard against cyber threats this festive season.
With reduced staffing, remote work setups, and a surge in online shopping creating heightened vulnerabilities, this guide offers actionable tips to enhance business security.
Going beyond basic advice, the checklist also highlights the most common holiday scams and features videos showcasing real-life examples of Christmas-themed cyber scams and effective prevention strategies.
Key Tips to Protect Businesses This Holiday Season:
- Strengthen endpoints: Ensure devices are updated with antivirus and endpoint protection software; consider Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and application whitelisting.
- Prepare for phishing spikes: Train staff to identify suspicious emails, enforce robust email filters, and establish protocols for reporting unusual activity.
- Secure remote access: Mandate VPN usage, monitor unusual logins, and deactivate inactive accounts temporarily.
- Segment and shield networks: Isolate sensitive areas, deploy DNS security and advanced firewalls, and maintain full visibility over network traffic.
- Apply timely patches: Regularly update all systems and test patches in a controlled environment to minimize disruptions.
- Mitigate supply chain risks: Assess vendors thoroughly and limit their access to essential systems.
- Have a response plan ready: Tailor incident protocols for the holidays, create an on-call rotation for the IT team, and enable rapid action against suspicious activity.
“ Cybercriminals thrive on holiday distractions, but with proactive measures like phishing training, secure endpoints, and network segmentation, businesses can stay ahead of potential threats,” said Alex Panait, System Administrator at Heimdal Security.
Common Holiday Scams That Businesses Should Watch For:
Cybercriminals often tailor their tactics to exploit the festive season. The most common scams include:
- Spear phishing: Emails disguised as holiday bonuses or event invitations that steal credentials or spread malware.
- Malicious holiday E-Cards: Festive greetings that contain links deploying ransomware or spyware.
- Fake E-Commerce sites: Fraudulent websites offering discounts to steal payment information.
- Insider threats: Distracted or disgruntled employees mishandling or exploiting sensitive data.
- Corporate travel scams: Fake booking platforms targeting business travelers.
- Business email compromise (BEC): Fraudulent requests for urgent wire transfers during year-end financial rushes.
For more, read the full article here or watch the video on YouTube to see how these threats unfold and learn actionable prevention strategies.
About Heimdal:
Established in Copenhagen in 2014, Heimdal® empowers CISOs, security teams, and IT administrators to improve their security operations, reduce alert fatigue, and implement proactive measures through a unified command and control platform.
Heimdal’s award-winning cybersecurity solutions span the entire IT estate, addressing challenges from endpoint to network levels, including vulnerability management, privileged access, Zero Trust implementation, and ransomware prevention.
For further press information:
Madalina Popovici
Media Relations Manager
[email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/stay-cyber-safe-this-holiday-season-heimdals-checklist-for-business-security-302337465.html
Fintech PR
According to Tickmill survey, 3 in 10 Britons in economic difficulty: Purchasing power down 41% since 2004
The people who have the most problems are women (30%) and are between 35 and 49 years old (39%)
ROME, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The purchasing power in the UK has dropped by 41% over the last 20 years. Today, £100,000 left in a bank account since 2004 without being invested would now be worth £59,021.
This figure is one of the findings from a study conducted by Tickmill, an international online trading broker that compared the economic situation in the UK and the European Union through the infographic “Purchasing Power and Cost of Living: UK vs EU”.
The analysis reveals a slight decline of 0.4% in the UK’s purchasing power, which currently stands at £41,573. In contrast, the European Union has seen a modest rise of 0.1%, reaching £40,874.
Why is purchasing power declining in the UK? One key factor is the cost of living. If the UK were still part of the European Union, it would rank as the fifth most expensive country, behind Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Unsurprisingly, 3 in 10 Britons are struggling with the cost of living. Women (3 in 10, compared to 25% of men), those aged between 35 and 49 (4 in 10), households earning less than £15,000 (6 in 10), and single parents (1 in 2) are among the most affected groups.
Among UK nations, Northern Ireland is the hardest hit, with 34% of its population facing financial difficulties, followed by Wales (31%), England (28%), and Scotland (22%). In England, the North East has the highest percentage of people struggling, with 4 in 10 residents affected. Even in London, the high costs impact 1 in 4 adults.
In response to these challenges, Britons are making significant adjustments:
- 53% have cut back or delayed spending on smaller items like eating out, entertainment, subscriptions, clothing, toys, books, etc.;
- 52% have reduced household energy consumption;
- 48% have decreased their grocery spending;
- 41% have scaled back or postponed major expenditures, such as holidays, cars, and weddings;
- 26% are working longer hours, taking on overtime, or pursuing additional jobs to earn extra income.
The British also made changes on the financial side. One in four adults has been forced to dip into their savings or investments to cover daily expenses. Moreover, 44% have stopped saving or investing entirely or have reduced their savings and investments—a 4% increase compared to 2023.
The lack of investment is another critical factor contributing to the decline in purchasing power. It is estimated that 13 million UK residents hold £430 billion in cash deposits but do not invest. The reasons? Seventy-four percent say they cannot compare investment products effectively, and 43% are afraid of losing their money.
A lack of knowledge and fear are preventing many savers from taking advantage of an important opportunity: preserving or increasing their purchasing power in the long term.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586123/Tickmill.jpg
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