Use case
Sanctions screening for DNFBPs in the UAE
A passport tells you who they are. Screening helps you assess the risk behind the name.
Screen people and companies for adverse media, sanctions and PEP risk, then keep the source evidence for human review. AdverseMe supports UAE customer due diligence with daily UAE list ingestion, 13 official sanctions feeds snapshotted twice a day, and downloadable reports. Screening is one part of your compliance process, not a substitute for full KYC.
- UAE list
- Parsed from source daily
- UN and OFAC
- 13 feeds, twice a day
- Arabic names
- Transliteration support
- Report
- Branded PDF, free
Which UAE businesses does this help?
These are examples of DNFBP activities in Article 3 of the 2025 executive regulations, not an exhaustive list or a determination of your firm's status.
Real estate brokers and agents
When concluding property purchases or sales for customers. Check the precise activity and your supervisor's guidance.
Dealers in precious metals and stones
For qualifying cash transactions of AED55,000 or more, including linked transactions. Other sanctions duties can apply below that threshold.
Independent legal and accounting professionals
When carrying out specified client transactions, such as managing funds, property transactions or company formation. The category is not a blanket rule for every bookkeeping engagement.
Trust and company service providers
For specified services including company formation, nominee arrangements and registered offices.
Check the official activity definitions and your supervisor's requirements. Customers outside the UAE can use the same platform with global source coverage.
The current UAE framework, in plain language
The AML framework now includes Federal Decree-Law 10 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025. Cabinet Decision 74 of 2020 addresses targeted financial sanctions. This is a screening-focused summary, not legal advice or a complete compliance checklist.
Covered firms apply customer due diligence when starting a business relationship, when there is suspicion, or when earlier identification data is doubtful. See the Ministry's current legislation list, Article 7 on due diligence and official sanctions guidance. References checked .
- 1
Apply targeted financial sanctions
UAE targeted financial sanctions duties extend beyond DNFBPs. Use the UAE Local Terrorist List and UN Security Council lists, investigate potential matches, and follow the applicable freezing, prohibition and reporting procedures. A software result is not an official clearance.
- 2
Identify the beneficial owner
For a company customer the obligation reaches through to the natural persons who own or control it, which means tracing the ownership chain, not just the named contact.
- 3
Keep the record
Regulators expect a record of who was screened, when, against which lists, and what was found. A screenshot of a search box is not that record.
- 4
Re-screen when lists change
Designations are added without notice. A customer cleared last month can be listed today, so screening is ongoing, not one-off.
How AdverseMe fits
One run covers the list, the owners and the record
UAE Local Terrorist List, parsed daily
AdverseMe reads the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN) file daily and supports Arabic and common transliterated spellings. Name similarity is a starting point: review identifiers, source details and limitations before deciding whether a match is relevant.
UAE coverage →UN, OFAC and the other feeds in the same run
13 official sanctions feeds are snapshotted twice a day, and 5 GCC and MENA national lists are parsed daily. One screening checks all of them, plus 110+ sources in total.
GCC coverage →Beneficial owners, traced
The ownership graph follows a company customer to depth 6, computes the OFAC 50 percent rule across the chain, and marks inferred links dashed so you know what is registry fact and what is not.
Ownership graph →A record you can file
Every screening produces a branded PDF with its determination, findings, sources, coverage, exclusions and limitations. The council's individual votes remain in the app. Downloads are free, and every action sits in the audit log.
Reports →Ongoing screening without ongoing cost
Put customers on a daily, weekly, monthly monitor. When a list version changes, only the difference is re-checked, free. A confirmed hit escalates and re-screens for one credit.
Monitoring →Whole client books at once
Upload a CSV of existing customers, watch the batch screen with live progress, and escalate any hit to a case for review.
Batch screening →Plans start at $49 a month for 50 screenings. See pricing, or how AdverseMe compares with enterprise platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Does the new UAE AML framework require every company to buy KYC software?
No. Federal Decree-Law 10 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 set obligations according to the activity and regulated category. Financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, and virtual asset service providers have customer due diligence duties. Separate targeted financial sanctions obligations have broader reach. Neither point means every UAE company must purchase a particular screening product.
Does AdverseMe complete KYC or guarantee UAE compliance?
No. AdverseMe supports the screening and evidence-review parts of customer due diligence. Your firm remains responsible for customer identity verification, beneficial ownership checks, risk assessment, any required source-of-funds checks, ongoing monitoring and regulatory reporting. Use your supervisor's guidance and qualified advice for your exact obligations.
Which lists must a UAE DNFBP screen against?
Under UAE AML rules, DNFBPs apply targeted financial sanctions, which means screening customers and beneficial owners against the UAE Local Terrorist List issued by the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation and the UN Security Council consolidated list. Many firms also screen OFAC, EU and UK lists because of correspondent and counterparty exposure. AdverseMe covers all of these in one run.
Does AdverseMe handle Arabic names?
AdverseMe supports Arabic transliteration and common Latin spelling variants in UAE and other GCC and MENA lists. This does not guarantee a match for every spelling. Review dates of birth, nationality, company identifiers and source evidence where available.
Can I screen my existing customer base, not just new ones?
Yes. Upload a CSV and every row is screened with live progress. Results can be downloaded, and any flagged customer can be escalated to a case and put on a monitor.
What do I show the regulator?
The PDF report for each screening lists findings, source evidence, coverage, excluded matches and limitations. Per-judge reasoning is available in the app. The audit log records who ran what and when, and results can be anchored with OpenTimestamps.
Screen the next customer against the UAE list today.
Plans start at $49 a month for 50 screenings. Every plan includes the AI council, ownership graph, Engine Trace and PDF reports.