Watchlist Screening vs OFAC Screening
OFAC is one sanctions list family. Watchlist screening is the broader AML control. Build the API workflow for both without treating a possible match as a legal block.
Teams search “OFAC screening API” and then ship a control that only thinks in SDN strings. That is too narrow. **OFAC screening** checks names against U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control lists. **Watchlist screening** is the broader process: sanctions (including OFAC where you subscribe), PEP, and other restricted-party files, with a review queue for possible matches.
A possible match is not a license determination. Store the screening id, compare identity fields, then confirm or clear. Fuzzy names and transliteration will create REVIEW volume; that is expected, not a product defect.
Where Naiza sits
Naiza’s AML screening API screens customers, counterparties, and entities against documented watchlist sources on the AML product page. Confirm current list coverage there. Do not assume every national list is included. Persist your customer externalId next to the screening identifier so overnight list updates still join to the same case.
Use what watchlist screening is, OFAC screening, and sanctions screening when you need citation-ready definitions. Fuzzy matching and name transliteration explain why exact string equality fails in Arabic and Latin scripts.
If you are choosing architecture, read onboarding vs ongoing AML monitoring and real-time vs batch AML.