Sanctions screening is a critical compliance process used by banks, fintech companies, insurers, payment providers, and other regulated businesses to identify individuals, organizations, or entities subject to economic or trade restrictions. It involves comparing customer and transaction information against relevant sanctions and watchlists issued by governments and regulatory authorities. Screening is commonly performed during customer onboarding and may continue throughout the customer relationship through ongoing monitoring. Effective screening should account for variations in names, aliases, spelling differences, and other identifying information to reduce both missed matches and false positives. Organizations typically combine sanctions screening with KYC, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes. Automated screening tools can provide real-time checks, continuous list updates, risk-based alerts, and audit trails.