Nigerian cybersecurity and compliance firm Smartcomply has officially announced its expansion into the United Kingdom. The company is introducing its flagship AI-powered platform, Adhere, to assist UK financial institutions in navigating African payment corridors. This strategic move aims to bridge a significant compliance gap for firms managing cross-border transactions between the UK and Africa.
Addressing a Critical Compliance Gap
For years, UK financial institutions have faced rising compliance costs and regulatory pressures when serving African markets. This has led to a significant de-risking trend, with correspondent banking relationships in Sub-Saharan Africa declining by over 25% in the last decade. Consequently, the cost of remittances remains high, averaging 8.5%, well above global development goals.
A primary challenge stems from compliance systems designed for European or North American financial behaviors. These platforms often misinterpret African transaction patterns, leading to a high volume of false-positive fraud alerts. This inefficiency forces institutions into costly manual reviews or to withdraw from these corridors entirely, hindering economic growth.
An Africa-Centric Solution
Smartcomply's Adhere platform was engineered specifically to address these issues with an Africa-first approach. It provides UK firms with corridor intelligence, real-time transaction monitoring, and automated Know Your Customer (KYC) orchestration. The system is purpose-built for the regulatory and data realities of key markets like Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa.
The platform integrates directly with local identity infrastructure, such as Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) database. Its machine learning models analyze regional payment behaviors, effectively distinguishing legitimate transactions from suspicious activity. Adhere already monitors over $1 billion in monthly transactions, reportedly reducing manual workloads by 70% and false positives by 40% for its clients.
Strategic Vision and Market Entry
Company leadership emphasizes that African payment corridors represent a major growth opportunity, not a liability. CEO Gbemisola Osunrinde stated that the UK presence gives fintechs direct access to a platform that understands African data from the inside out. This vision positions compliance as an enabler of secure and efficient cross-border finance.
CTO Anita Ajalla highlighted that generic compliance technology cannot effectively interpret Africa-specific data like mobile money flows or local identity systems. Smartcomply aims to provide the essential infrastructure built for African reality to companies looking to participate in the continent's growth. The firm plans further expansion across East and Francophone Africa, targeting Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire in 2026.
Smartcomply's expansion into the UK marks a pivotal step in enhancing the UK-Africa financial ecosystem. By providing a specialized compliance solution, the company aims to lower operational barriers, reduce costs, and foster greater financial inclusion. This move positions Adhere as a critical tool for institutions seeking to confidently and securely engage with African markets.