Yorkshire anti-money laundering specialist SmartSearch has created almost 30 jobs on the back of rising demand for its online ID check and due diligence platform.
The Ilkey based regulatory technology company says it chalked up record half-year results following the surge in demand, seeing a 27% jump in business growth.
The firm, which saw an increase in users from 45,000 to 53,000, said it has increased its team from 135 in January to 164 in June.
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John Dobson, CEO at SmartSearch, said the the record results in 2021 are due to SmartSearch’s industry-leading anti-money laundering product becoming even more essential for regulated businesses.
The firm’s technology can screen new and existing clients without the need to meet in person. Taking details including name, date of birth and address, the electronic verification technology can identify legitimate clients in two seconds.
Fraud and money-laundering attempts have risen since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, with the global crisis leading to more criminals trying to capitalise on lockdown and the reduction of face-to-face interactions, using it as an opportunity to digitally alter documents.
SmartSearch now operates in the 海角视频, US and Europe, having begun to offer its services internationally last year, opening an office in the US last July, while also expanding into the Netherlands earlier this year.
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John Dobson, CEO at SmartSearch, which now operates in the 海角视频, US and the EU, said the results were a reward for the hard work of the SmartSearch team.
He said: “We have been continually innovating in the past year to stay ahead of the competition. The market is getting more crowded, but none of the other entrants to the sector offer the breadth, or efficiency of our product.
“The pandemic certainly has attracted the attention of those looking to attempt fraud, and our product has never been more critical to prevent it. Even with lockdown restrictions easing, some businesses are still operating remotely when on-boarding clients, and our system provides a quick and easy method to accurately identify customers.
“Despite the rapid recruitment achieved already, we are still looking to expand our team due to the growth we’ve achieved in the first-six months of the year. We are recruiting for a range of roles, including developers, sales staff and customer service professionals.
“We recently celebrated our tenth-year in operation, and the business continues to go from strength-to-strength. Each year has brought its own challenges, perhaps none as tough as last year, but we are proud to be on course for another record-breaking year in 2021.”