Novobanco Expands Financial Crime Controls Through Feedzai…
Novobanco has deployed Feedzai’s artificial intelligence platform as part of a multi-year effort to modernize fraud prevention and anti-money laundering operations. The Portuguese bank selected the technology provider as its strategic platform partner in a program designed to strengthen financial crime detection while simplifying internal risk management processes.
The transformation project combines fraud monitoring, anti-money laundering oversight and customer risk screening within a single technology environment. Novobanco stated that the system already produces operational improvements including more accurate alerts, shorter investigation cycles and improved detection of suspicious activity.
The initiative forms part of a broader trend across banking in which financial institutions replace fragmented compliance tools with integrated data platforms capable of analyzing financial crime signals across multiple channels.
From Fragmented Compliance Systems to Unified Risk Monitoring
Feedzai first began working with Novobanco in 2023 through a project focused on securing the bank’s digital channels. The deployment included fraud monitoring tools designed to detect suspicious activity in online and mobile banking environments.
The relationship expanded in 2025 when Novobanco implemented additional capabilities from Feedzai’s platform and introduced anti-money laundering technology within the same system. The change marked a shift in the bank’s internal risk management structure.
Previously, fraud monitoring and AML compliance functions often relied on separate systems and operational teams. Novobanco reorganized those functions into a single Economic Crime Prevention unit responsible for fraud detection, customer verification and transaction monitoring.
The bank also consolidated its technology infrastructure by replacing several legacy systems with Feedzai’s unified platform.
Through this structure, the system aggregates multiple risk signals related to transactions, customer profiles and account activity within one analytical environment.
Combining these signals allows investigators to identify patterns of suspicious behavior that might remain hidden when different systems operate independently.
The integrated approach enables the bank to view risk across the full lifecycle of a customer relationship, from onboarding to daily transaction monitoring.
Improved Detection and Faster Investigations
The new platform uses machine learning models to analyze transaction data and identify patterns associated with fraud or financial crime.
According to Novobanco, the system improves the quality of alerts by reducing the number of false positives that investigators must review.
False positives remain one of the main operational challenges in financial crime monitoring because large volumes of alerts require manual investigation by compliance teams.
When detection systems produce excessive alerts, investigators may spend significant time reviewing legitimate transactions.
By improving the accuracy of alerts, the bank stated that the platform reduces investigation workloads and shortens the time required to review suspicious cases.
Archit Chamaria, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Novobanco, commented that integrating fraud and AML analysis improves the bank’s ability to identify financial crime risks.
Archit Chamaria, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Novobanco, commented, “Fraud and AML risks are deeply interconnected, and managing them in isolation limits effectiveness.”
He stated that the platform allows the bank to analyze risk signals using consolidated data.
Archit Chamaria, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Novobanco, commented, “We wanted a platform that allows us to see risk holistically, powered by high quality data. Feedzai enables us to protect customers better and operate more efficiently.”
Chamaria added that the project has already affected both operational efficiency and customer protection.
Archit Chamaria, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Novobanco, commented, “Most importantly, this transformation is already improving the experience and safety of our customers.”
Watchlist Screening Added Through Neterium Integration
A further component of the transformation involved the integration of watchlist screening capabilities provided by Neterium.
Watchlist screening systems allow banks to check customers and transactions against sanctions lists and other risk databases used in financial crime compliance.
The updated screening framework introduced real-time monitoring for both customer onboarding and transaction analysis.
According to the bank, the new system generates more accurate alerts and reduces unnecessary disruptions for legitimate transactions.
Improvements in screening algorithms also reduce the need for frequent rule updates, allowing compliance teams to focus on investigative analysis rather than system maintenance.
The bank stated that the platform improves productivity across frontline risk teams by providing more consistent data and clearer prioritization of potential cases.
Customers may also benefit from fewer interruptions during routine transactions and faster onboarding processes as screening systems produce fewer false alerts.
The system also strengthens the bank’s ability to detect multiple forms of financial crime including first-party fraud, third-party fraud and account takeover activity.
Banks Move Toward Integrated Financial Crime Platforms
The transformation at Novobanco reflects a broader shift across the banking industry as financial institutions adopt integrated risk management platforms.
Historically, fraud detection, AML monitoring and customer due diligence systems developed as separate operational processes. Each function used its own technology tools and investigative workflows.
However, many financial crime patterns involve overlapping behaviors that span multiple categories of risk.
For example, fraudulent transactions may also signal money laundering activity or account manipulation by organized networks.
Integrated platforms allow banks to analyze these behaviors across multiple datasets, increasing the likelihood of identifying suspicious patterns earlier.
Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have also influenced how financial institutions approach financial crime detection.
AI systems can process large volumes of transaction data and identify anomalies that may indicate suspicious activity.
These technologies increasingly serve as the analytical backbone of modern fraud detection and AML monitoring platforms.
Pedro Barata, Chief Product Officer at Feedzai, commented that financial crime risks increasingly intersect across multiple domains.
Pedro Barata, Chief Product Officer at Feedzai, commented, “Fraud and financial crime are no longer separate challenges - they are part of the same risk ecosystem.”
He stated that banks are moving toward integrated intelligence systems to address this shift.
Pedro Barata, Chief Product Officer at Feedzai, commented, “Novobanco’s transformation reflects a shift we’re seeing across the industry, as banks move toward unified risk management and a connected data-led approach.”
Barata added that combining fraud and AML intelligence within a single environment allows financial institutions to respond more effectively to emerging threats.
Pedro Barata, Chief Product Officer at Feedzai, commented, “By bringing fraud and AML intelligence together on a single platform, institutions can see risk more clearly, respond with more conviction, and protect customers with maximum efficiency.”
Next Phases to Expand Risk Coverage
Novobanco stated that the transformation program will continue with additional phases that expand the use of the unified platform.
Future developments include event-driven customer risk reviews triggered by behavioral changes and additional fraud detection tools covering more channels.
The bank also plans to introduce further digital trust modules and cybersecurity risk monitoring capabilities.
These additions aim to extend the unified platform approach across more areas of operational risk while maintaining a single technology infrastructure.
The bank indicated that this structure allows it to respond to new financial crime threats and regulatory changes without introducing additional operational complexity.
Takeaway
Novobanco has expanded its partnership with Feedzai by deploying a unified artificial intelligence platform that combines fraud detection and anti-money laundering monitoring within a single system. The transformation replaces multiple legacy compliance tools and allows investigators to analyze financial crime signals across the full customer lifecycle. Banks increasingly adopt integrated risk platforms as fraud, AML and cybersecurity threats converge across digital financial services.
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