Convergence of fraud and anti-money laundering (FRAML) technology and operations has been somewhat of a Holy Grail for financial institutions for at least a decade. While the concept has its promoters and detractors, FRAML makes sense to many in the industry. A number of technology providers have offered FRAML features in their financial crime solutions for some time already.

Now is a good time to take stock of where we are with FRAML. Regulators have come to understand that fraud and money laundering are intrinsically connected and are starting to ask financial institutions to coordinate their fraud, AML, and even cybersecurity efforts. The pandemic year has seen significant increases in fraud volumes and a proliferation of new laundering techniques. This has all played out against a backdrop of increasing technological sophistication on the part of fraudsters and money launderers to exploit the criminal opportunities that abound in digital financial services channels.