Global Watchlists Search
Extensive screening against international watchlists and risk databases. Detect potential links to financial crime, sanctions, terrorism, organised crime and other high-risk activity.
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Organisations face growing pressure to identify potential risks before onboarding new hires, appointing key personnel or engaging third parties.
Watchlist screening draws together a wide range of government, regulatory, law-enforcement and international sources into a single structured check, helping organisations detect potential compliance, financial-crime, security and reputational concerns early.
CBS delivers Global Watchlists Search as a fully managed service, bringing extensive international watchlist and risk-database coverage together into a single structured check with expert oversight. Our secure platform allows searches to be completed efficiently while maintaining clear, audit-ready documentation.
Alongside our secure screening platform, our experienced screening specialists support organisations every day with eligibility guidance, complex applications and urgent onboarding requirements. When questions arise or timelines are tight, our team works alongside you to solve problems quickly and keep screening moving.
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What Is Watchlist Screening?
Watchlist screening checks an individual against a broad range of government, regulatory, law-enforcement and international-organisation sources, providing comprehensive global coverage. Sources include:
- Lists maintained by government agencies, such as law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and regulatory bodies, containing information about individuals involved in criminal activities, terrorism, or other illicit behaviour.
- Lists maintained by government agencies, international organizations, and regulatory bodies, containing information about individuals subject to economic or trade sanctions.
- Lists maintained by government agencies and international organizations, such as INTERPOL or the UN Security Council, containing information about individuals or groups suspected of involvement in terrorist activities or organizations.
- Databases maintained by law enforcement agencies containing information about individuals with a history of criminal activities, arrests, convictions, or outstanding warrants.
- Lists maintained by financial regulatory authorities containing information about individuals involved in money laundering, fraud, or other financial crimes.
- Databases containing information about individuals associated with security threats, including cyber threats, organized crime, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and other illicit activities.
- Lists maintained by international organizations containing information about individuals or entities involved in transnational crimes, corruption, or other cross-border threats
Coverage extends across multiple jurisdictions and includes individuals associated with criminal activity, terrorism and terrorist financing, economic and trade sanctions, money laundering and financial crime, fraud, organised crime, drug and arms trafficking, cybersecurity threats and corruption.
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Our solutions guarantee 100% submission rate with zero errors
What You’ll Receive
Where no relevant records are identified, the search is completed with a “No Negative Records Found” outcome. Where a potential match is identified, the report includes:
- Name of the watchlist or database
- Issuing authority
- Relevant jurisdiction
- Publication or listing date
- The subject identifiers used to match the record
Results may be sourced from English and local-language databases, with the final report provided in English. Standard turnaround is two to four business days. To initiate a search, we require the subject’s full name in Latin or local script (local script recommended) and date of birth.
Why Organisations Use Watchlist Screening
Financial crime and security risks are increasingly international and interconnected, making broad, consolidated screening an important part of a robust due-diligence programme.
- Broad risk coverage – sanctions, fraud, organised crime, terrorism and security concerns in a single check.
- Enhanced risk identification – supports compliance, onboarding and rescreening across the employee lifecycle.
- Reputational protection – identify high-risk associations before they affect your organisation.
- Confident decision-making – clear, actionable reporting supports informed compliance and risk decisions.
Watchlist Screening at Scale
Organisations managing large recruitment or onboarding programmes often need to screen high volumes of individuals consistently. CBS provides workflows designed to support high-volume screening environments, allowing organisations to:
- Manage watchlist searches centrally
- Track progress in real time
- Maintain structured, audit-ready records
- Automate candidate and stakeholder notifications
- Integrate results within wider screening programmes
This ensures screening is completed efficiently while maintaining visibility across your compliance processes.
Where Watchlist Screening Is Used
Global Watchlists Search supports a range of compliance and risk programmes, and is particularly valuable for:
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance
- Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)
- Executive and key personnel screening
- Ongoing compliance monitoring
- Corporate governance and risk-management initiatives
It can be run individually or alongside our Global Adverse Media, Global Sanctions and PEP searches as part of a wider due-diligence programme.
Built for Secure, Compliant Screening
CBS combines sector expertise with secure screening technology to deliver watchlist screening that meets the needs of regulated organisations. Our platform provides:
- Secure screening workflows
- Real-time screening visibility
- Structured audit trails
- Automated candidate notifications
- Secure document handling
- Integration-ready screening infrastructure
For IT and compliance teams, our systems operate within secure hosting environments, certified to ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 22301 (business continuity), with Cyber Essentials Plus certification and GDPR-compliant data handling. For HR and recruitment teams, screening becomes faster, simpler and easier to manage.
FA of Wales
CBS has proven to be an exceptional service partner, demonstrating remarkable responsiveness and a commitment to supporting our organizational needs. Our experience with their team has been consistently positive, characterized by their accommodating approach and willingness to provide tailored solutions. The account management has been outstanding, with CBS consistently delivering high-quality assistance. We wholeheartedly recommend CBS as a trusted and reliable service provider.
DBS and Employment checks a year
Solutions mobilised within
Processing solutions
Organisations serviced in the UK
Why Organisations Choose CBS for Watchlist Screening
Organisations choose CBS for:
- Comprehensive coverage of government, regulatory and international databases
- Broad screening across financial-crime and security risks
- Experienced screening specialists providing hands-on support
- Real-time application tracking and reporting
- Over one million background checks processed annually
- ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certified; Cyber Essentials Plus
- Scalable solutions for high-volume screening
CBS provides more than individual checks. Our secure platform delivers structured screening infrastructure built for organisations operating under safeguarding and regulatory scrutiny.
Behind the technology is our experienced screening team, providing hands-on guidance to help employers navigate due diligence and employment screening requirements with confidence.
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