By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
COMMERZBANK, one of Germany’s largest banks, has partnered with Hawk to strengthen its AML controls using artificial intelligence.
The German lender said the collaboration centres on Hawk’s “AML AI Extended Risk Model”. The tool supplements its existing rule-based compliance systems while “significantly increase effectiveness in combating financial crime”.
Commerzbank said the partnership reflects its broader strategy to deploy AI while improving its systems.
Viktor Kraus, Cluster Lead Global Financial Crime Prevention Platform at Commerzbank: “Given the complexity of the landscape, we can only successfully combat financial crime with the help of AI. It is a high strategic priority for us to proactively and continuously expand our compliance system architecture.”
Hawk said banks face increasingly complex threats linked to money laundering. “Banks must adapt to new threat scenarios in money laundering. Our AI-driven solution helps achieve this,” said Tobias Schweiger, the company’s chief executive.
According to the companies, the extended risk model allows banks to use advanced AI models without making major changes to existing infrastructure. The software connects to legacy systems through an integration layer.
Commerzbank said the implementation has:
- Increased the accuracy (targeting) of alerts and reduced false positives,
- Detected more novel cases of money laundering or fraud, and
- Expanded software validation to include robust AI model governance.
“Our software enables compliance teams to improve the quality and transparency of money laundering detection and investigations,” Schweiger said. “In this context, the explainable nature of our AI plays a central role – particularly regarding regulatory approval.”
Hans-Georg Beyer, Group Chief Compliance Officer at Commerzbank, said: “Commerzbank is using its position as a pioneer to conduct its fight against money laundering in an even more targeted manner. The collaboration with Hawk is a vital step in this direction.”
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