Unit21, a US-based AI risk infrastructure provider for fraud prevention and AML monitoring, has announced a partnership with Helix by Q2, a cloud-native core banking platform built for modern banking programmes, to support AI-powered AML compliance for Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Embedded Finance clients.
According to the two companies, the integration enables sponsor banks and fintech firms using Helix to ingest first and third-party data into Unit21's platform, where it is processed through configurable, AI-driven detection and investigation workflows. Through this, compliance teams can centralise monitoring, investigations, and reporting across complex programme structures, while sponsor banks gain a consolidated view of activity across both their own risk data and that of their fintech partners.
Compliance architecture and BaaS regulatory context
Unit21's platform converts ingested banking data into compliance signals through a combination of configurable rules and machine learning models, surfacing suspicious behaviour, prioritising alerts, and supporting investigation workflows.
Compliance teams retain control over AML workflow design, allowing rules, thresholds, and investigation paths to be tailored by sponsor bank, programme, or individual fintech partner. AI agents assist with alert triage, investigation steps, and decision support to reduce manual effort and improve consistency across monitoring operations.
Furthermore, the partnership addresses a growing challenge in the BaaS sector, where regulatory scrutiny of sponsor bank oversight has intensified in recent years. US regulators have increasingly required sponsor banks to demonstrate effective oversight of their fintech partners without impeding commercial growth, creating demand for scalable compliance infrastructure capable of operating across multi-entity programme portfolios.
Commenting on the news, Trisha Kothari, CEO and Co-Founder of Unit21, said the integration enables banks to operate more effective and efficient AML programmes, reducing manual effort and improving signal quality while confidently onboarding more fintech partners without increasing compliance overhead.
The end of 2025 also saw Helix inking a deal with Sardine to provide real-time transaction monitoring, fraud prevention, and BSA/AML compliance tools. The move sought to support Helix's sponsor banks and fintechs to optimise their risk management operations.
