ThetaRay has launched Ray, an artificial intelligence (AI) system tailored to support anti-money laundering (AML) investigations within financial institutions.
This new tool is integrated into the ThetaRay Investigation Centre and aims to alleviate operational pressures brought about by stringent regulatory expectations and the proliferation of alerts.
The official press release mentions that regulatory frameworks, particularly in major markets like the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), have raised the bar for investigative depth, consistency, and documentation. The EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Regulation and the creation of a central AML Authority are working to harmonize due diligence and monitoring requirements among member states. In the US, updated priorities set by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) emphasize evidence-based investigations and substantiated suspicious activity reports.
These changes have put investigation teams under significant stress as manual data collection and disorganized workflows often lead to delayed resolution of cases and inconsistencies. ThetaRay’s Ray is designed to address these challenges by automating a substantial part of the investigative process while keeping human analysts involved in decision-making.
Automating evidence gathering and case preparation
Ray manages end-to-end investigations, including data aggregation, counterparty and behavioral analysis, geolocation checks, adverse media screening, and document review. It generates structured case files aimed at meeting audit and regulatory requirements, with supporting materials such as charts or visual summaries attached where appropriate.
An AI assistant is also included to assist analysts in testing assumptions, requesting additional checks, and summarizing documentation during reviews or escalations. ThetaRay representatives claim that the goal is to reduce variations among investigators and ensure that conclusions can be traced back to underlying evidence.
Company officials highlighted that previous efforts to modernize AML operations often focused on detection rather than thorough investigations, creating bottlenecks in downstream processes. They also pointed out that investigative outcomes can differ widely between analysts, which may increase regulatory risk.
ThetaRay claims that institutions using the system could significantly reduce manual investigation time while improving consistency and transparency. Ray is suitable for banks, fintech companies, and payments platforms operating under increased AML scrutiny.
