London-based Diligent AI, a Y Combinator-backed startup developing autonomous AI analysts for financial crime compliance, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Speedinvest alongside fintech investor Shapers, with participation from strategic angel investors including the CEOs and founders of N26, Allica Bank, IDnow, Billie and Cybersource (acquired by Visa).
KYC and AML teams play a critical role in safeguarding the global financial system by verifying customer legitimacy, monitoring transactions and identifying potential fraud or money laundering. However, the expansion of sanctions regimes, rising fraud levels and the growing velocity of digital payments have significantly increased their operational burden.
As a result, much of the work has become repetitive and time-intensive, with skilled professionals often focused on routine data gathering rather than deeper investigative analysis.
Diligent AI addresses this challenge by replacing static compliance workflows with autonomous AI analysts designed to read, reason and investigate. Its agents automate routine KYC and AML tasks, including reviewing SMB risk profiles, analysing adverse media and resolving sanctions and payment screening alerts, reducing the need for manual information gathering and contextual analysis.
Founded by Edoardo Maschio and Ahmed Gaber, Diligent AI develops AI agents that automate complex financial crime compliance processes such as AML screening and merchant due diligence, helping institutions reduce operational costs while improving risk detection.
Edoardo Maschio, CEO and co-founder of Diligent AI, said the company is designing its platform specifically for analysts:
When you strip away repetitive tasks - like clearing false positive alerts, searching corporate registries and public records, cross-referencing adverse media - you free up the human mind to focus on judgment and strategy. It’s decision-making instead of data processing. We’re not just making teams faster; we’re enabling them to do the job they were hired to do.
The company’s agents are already deployed across financial institutions in Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Japan. Customers use the platform to resolve sanctions, PEP and adverse media alerts, conduct merchant risk reviews and streamline customer onboarding. Users report measurable operational efficiencies alongside improved decision consistency.
Diligent AI plans to use the new funding to expand its engineering capabilities and accelerate the rollout of its agents across the UK and Europe as it continues to develop tools for financial crime compliance teams.
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