Unit21 Announces Partnership to Power AI-Driven AML Workflows and Sponsor Bank Oversight for BaaS Programs

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unit21, the leading AI Risk Infrastructure for fraud prevention and AML monitoring, today announced a partnership with Helix by Q2, an award-winning, cloud-native core purpose-built for modern banking, to support AI-powered AML monitoring and investigations for Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and embedded finance programs. The partnership enables sponsor banks and fintechs using Helix to ingest first and third-party data into Unit21’s platform, where it can be operationalized through configurable, AI-driven workflows.

Through the integration, joint customers can enable Helix data to flow into Unit21, allowing compliance teams to centralize monitoring, investigations, and reporting across complex program structures. Sponsor banks gain a consolidated view of activity across both internal risk data and that of their fintech partners, while maintaining the flexibility to tailor AML controls based on each program’s risk profile.

“Sponsor Banks need AML programs that scale as fast as their growth ambitions,” said Trisha Kothari, CEO and Co-Founder of Unit21. “By combining data ingestion from Helix with Unit21’s AI-driven detection and investigation workflows, banks can operate more effective and efficient AML programs, reducing manual effort, improving signal quality, and confidently onboarding more fintech partners without increasing compliance overhead.”

Developed using deep in-house expertise in banking infrastructure, Unit21’s platform is designed to turn raw banking data into actionable compliance signals. Once data is ingested, it is analyzed using a combination of configurable rules and machine-learning models to surface suspicious behavior, prioritize alerts, and support efficient investigations. Compliance teams then have full control to design AML workflows that reflect the structure of their programs, ranging from a single fintech to multi-entity portfolios.

Key capabilities enabled through the partnership include:

• Data Ingestion: Seamless ingestion of core banking and transaction data
• Configurable AML Workflows: Customizable rules, thresholds, and investigation paths tailored by sponsor bank, program, or fintech
• AI-Driven Signal Quality: AI agents that assist with alert triage, investigation steps, and decision support, reducing manual effort and improving consistency
• Sponsor Bank Visibility: Consolidate data across multiple fintechs for streamlined investigation with program-level controls

As regulatory scrutiny of BaaS programs continues to increase, sponsor banks are expected to demonstrate effective oversight without slowing down fintech innovation. The partnership provides a scalable compliance foundation that enables banks to meet those expectations while supporting growth across their embedded finance programs.

About Unit21

Unit21 is the leader in AI-powered fraud prevention and AML monitoring, trusted by 200 customers across 90 countries, including Green Dot, Chime, and Sallie Mae. One unified platform brings detection, investigation, and decisioning together with intelligent automation, centralizing signals, eliminating busy work, and enabling faster responses to real risk. Learn more: Unit21.ai.