FAQ RISC

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

RISC(c) – Risk Investigations for Supply Chains is an advanced intelligence platform that provides real-time risk assessments of individuals, companies, and organizations, their proxies, subsidiaries, branches, suppliers, and clients in criminal activities or regulatory offences. It provides the first warning signs that a supply chain is not clean. By documenting 300+ crime types and regulatory offenses, RISC helps financial institutions and government agencies uncover hidden risks within supply chains and corporate networks. RISC also categorizes entities into 13 different levels of risk based on severity, recency, and corrective actions taken by the entity.

RISC(c) – Risk Investigations for Supply Chains is an advanced intelligence platform that provides real-time risk assessments of individuals, companies, and organizations, their proxies, subsidiaries, branches, suppliers, and clients in criminal activities or regulatory offences. It provides the first warning signs that a supply chain is not clean. By documenting 300+ crime types and regulatory offenses, RISC helps financial institutions and government agencies uncover hidden risks within supply chains and corporate networks. RISC also categorizes entities into 13 different levels of risk based on severity, recency, and corrective actions taken by the entity.

RISC covers 300 crime types and regulatory offences including trafficking of drugs, and other goods, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons, illegal fishing crimes, crimes that affect the environment, white collar and financial crimes, diversion crimes, murder, terrorism, and a broad range of other crimes, and displays 13 different levels of risk depending on the severity and recency of the crime, and the steps undertaken by the listed entity to correcting such crime.

RISC primarily relies on curated sources, and internal investigations. We welcome partnerships with organizations that align with our mission, objectives, and methods. Contact our team to discuss potential collaborations.

Yes. RISC includes crimes involving cryptocurrencies, often associated with financial and trafficking crimes, such as fraud, money laundering, and illicit transactions, as part of its financial crime categories.

RISC integrates sanctions data from multiple jurisdictions as soon as it is publicly available. Our focus extends beyond sanctions to include broader criminal and supply chain risks. As a result, we also include negative news, categorized and cleaned for easy integration, and crime profile matches under the watchlist category of risk.

Yes. Where applicable, RISC includes identifiers like ISINs to enhance entity tracking within financial and supply chain networks.

Yes. Where applicable, RISC includes identifiers like date of birth, tax ID, passport number, nationality, and any other available identifier to enhance entity tracking for persons type, within financial and supply chain networks.

Contact our sales team via info@belinvestigations.com to discuss licensing tiers, custom agreements, and pricing based on your organization’s needs. We also offer a limited time pilot based pricing per organization.

RISC offers API access, a licensed platform, and integration with compliance platforms. Custom formats are available for enterprise clients.

Clients use RISC for due diligence, supply chain monitoring, risk scoring, and regulatory compliance. It helps prevent engagement with high-risk entities. Financial institutions and responsible traders face increasing challenges in detecting financial transactions linked to criminal groups. Standard compliance measures often focus only on direct offenders, overlooking indirect associations that can pose significant risks. Criminal networks operate through complex supply chains, proxies, and subsidiaries, making due diligence a difficult task. Without a comprehensive view of risk, institutions are exposed to:

Regulatory Compliance Failures: Risk of unintentional involvement with sanctioned or criminal entities.
Financial & Reputational Damage: Failing to detect illicit financial flows can lead to significant legal and brand consequences.
Operational Inefficiencies: Traditional methods require extensive manual investigations, delaying decision-making.

Yes. Enterprise-tier clients can negotiate tailored data access, integration, and reporting terms. Contact us for details.

We accept annual subscriptions with invoicing, credit card payments, or wire transfers. Discounts are available for multi-year commitments.

Usage terms are outlined in our Licensing Agreement, which restricts resale and mandates attribution. Review our Terms of Service for details.

RISC offers structured risk levels, supply chain mapping, and manually curated data—features free sources lack. Our 13 risk tiers enable nuanced decision-making.

RISC uniquely combines AI with human expertise, covers 300+ crime types, and maps supply chain associations, providing deeper risk insights than sanctions-only databases.

Basic: Access to entity search and risk levels.
Pro: Bulk downloads, API access, and supply chain mapping.
Enterprise: Custom integrations, dedicated support, and usage-based options.

Yes. Startups can apply for a 15% discount on annual plans. Contact sales with proof of eligibility.

Yes. Enterprise clients can opt for volume-based pricing tied to API calls or user seats.

Clients receive 60 days’ notice and a final data export. Enterprise agreements may include escrow options for continuity.

RISC provides critical intelligence for financial institutions, responsible traders and government agencies on entities that are associated with crimes and regulatory offences.

Comprehensive Crime & Risk Coverage - Covers financial crimes, trafficking, smuggling, environmental crimes, and more.
Early Detection of Compliance Issues - Identifies risks beyond visible trade sanctions, preventing regulatory breaches.
Real-Time Risk Categorization - Distinguishes between 13 levels of risk, ensuring nuanced risk evaluations.
Dynamic Search Functionality - Provides exact matches and similar results, ensuring thorough risk evaluations.
Seamless Due Diligence - Enables financial institutions to assess risks before engaging with entities, reducing exposure.

Enhanced Border & Maritime Security - Tracking smuggling networks (drugs, arms, humans), illegal fishing operations, and environmental crimes in real time. RISC's supply chain mapping helps trace illicit goods to their source, aiding customs and naval forces in intercepting high-risk shipments.
Crime Pattern Analysis & Proactive Enforcement - Identify emerging criminal networks (e.g., trafficking rings, terrorist financiers) through associative risk flags and historical data. Police and intelligence agencies gain actionable insights to disrupt activities before they escalate.
Compliance with International Sanctions & Regulations - Monitor entities evading sanctions, circumventing trade embargoes, or violating environmental laws. RISC's inclusion of pre-enforcement sanctions data and adverse media supports customs in blocking non-compliant actors.
Operational Efficiency in Investigations - Streamline resource allocation with RISC's 13-tier risk categorization, prioritizing high-risk targets (e.g., Severe High Risk, Prohibited Pending Resolution). Dynamic search functionality uncovers hidden links between suspects and criminal entities.
Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration - Facilitate interagency cooperation by sharing standardized risk assessments and supply chain maps. RISC's multilingual, globally sourced data bridges gaps in regional intelligence.
Protection of Critical Infrastructure - Flag entities linked to cybercrime, terrorism, or espionage that threaten national security. Naval and defense agencies use RISC to vet contractors and suppliers for associative risks.
Environmental & Human Rights Enforcement - Track illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, or forced labor in supply chains. Regulatory bodies leverage RISC's Reformable Risk and Localized Risk tiers to enforce corrective actions.

Government agencies rely on RISC for its:

Manual curation (200+ hours/week) - Ensures data accuracy by filtering out noise from unverified sources.
Real-time updates - Reflects geopolitical shifts (e.g., post-2022 sanctions evasion tactics) and emerging threats.
Supply chain granularity - Exposes criminal networks disguised as legitimate businesses, critical for customs, law enforcement, and national security operations.

Unlike traditional compliance tools, RISC goes beyond standard sanctions lists, proactively detecting hidden financial risks within supply chains. By identifying potential threats before they escalate, RISC empowers financial institutions to stay compliant, safeguard assets, and mitigate regulatory risks effectively.

RISC looks beyond the visible, i.e. beyond trade sanctions that include only a minority of offenders. By detecting any compliance issues early on, and within supply chains, it allows the financial institutions to detect financial transactions potentially linked to criminal groups. RISC enables governments to limit access and detect actors entering the country for nefarious reasons, even if these have never been documented as directly involved in a crime before, thanks to the supply chain approach of RISC.

RISC documents 13 levels of risk:

Not Permitted (Absolute Risk) - Engagement is entirely restricted due to decisive criminal involvement.
Prohibited Pending Resolution (Conditional Risk) - Engagement is blocked until the entity resolves outstanding disputes.
Severe High Risk - Engagement is technically possible but requires extraordinary scrutiny.
Moderate High Risk - Crimes of significant concern with mitigating factors or remedial actions.
Reformable Risk - Entities showing commitment to reform but requiring monitoring.
Temporary High Risk - Recent incidents under investigation with no established pattern.
Associative High Risk - Risk stems from indirect involvement or association.
Supply Chain Risk - Product-based risk without full company association.
Localized High Risk - Risks geographically or operationally confined.
Historical High Risk - Past offenses over 15 years old but with a lingering reputation.
Cautionary Watch List - Red flags requiring further investigation.
Low and/or Unknown Risk - Entity mentioned in a case without a crime association.
Clean - No risk flags after due diligence.

Data is currently gathered in 15 languages from multiple sources using a combination of Artificial intelligence built on an investigative algorithm base, and human intelligence. These sources include official lists, media reports, and internal investigations and analysis. We spend 200 hours a week looking for trouble, so you don’t have to! Our expertise in crime profiling enables us to also create a list of cautionary watchlisted entities, which display a behaviour typical of a crime, but have not been investigated officially yet.

The search function is the main tool on RISC that allows the user to type in the name of the entity of interest and obtain a level of risk associated with such an entity. The search function is dynamic and elastic. It provides exact matches and similar results.

Associations are all links and relationships between at least 2 entities. These can be family ties, corporate network associations, or supply and value chain associations. They can also be geographical, for example two companies sharing the same address.

A supply chain is a set of entities linked to each other through financial transactions and trade of goods and services. On RISC, a supply chain can be a corporate network that documents shareholders, subsidiaries, and branches, a trade supply chain with suppliers and buyers, or a criminal network that mimics the behaviour of a supply chain.

A supply chain can be viewed through the list of associations. If you search for a name that is associated with a high risk entity within RISC, your search will return a risk level for that name, and document the associated high risk entity.

Why does RISC include Russian and Iranian company data starting from 2023? RISC includes a category of risk that deals with potential behaviours that could warrant sanctions in the future, but also potential entities that are geographically at a higher risk. RISC hence includes data that address geopolitical risks and compliance needs related to sanctions evasion, illicit trade, and supply chain exposure in high-risk regions. These include Iran and Russia.

Yes. Submit a Data Removal Request with proof of identity.
Yes. RISC complies with Canada’s PIPEDA and U.S. state-level privacy laws (e.g., CCPA). Individuals not classified as high-risk entities can submit a Data Removal Request with proof of identity. However, RISC retains data on companies, organizations, or vessels linked to crimes or regulatory offenses to comply with legal obligations.

Yes. RISC adheres to GDPR principles for EU citizens and aligns with PIPEDA (Canada) and U.S. privacy frameworks for North American users. We anonymize or pseudonymize data where required and limit personal data collection to lawful purposes.

No. For this category, RISC focuses on companies, organizations, and vessels involved in or associated with criminal activities. Individuals are only flagged if they are publicly linked to crimes (e.g., sanctioned persons, convicted traffickers) and classified under specific risk tiers (e.g., Severe High Risk).

Narrowly defined protocols for risk categorization - Only entities with verifiable ties to crimes or regulatory breaches are included.
Transparency - All sources of information are listed for official lists, and both links and original content under the link in a PDF format is included for every profile. Users can also request audit trails for risk categorizations.
Manual review - 200+ hours of weekly human oversight ensures data relevance and minimizes overreach.

RISC’s API grants scalable access to our risk intelligence data, enabling integration into compliance workflows, supply chain monitoring, or investigative tools.

Access Tiers:

Base Tier - Designed for moderate usage, ideal for periodic risk assessments or small-scale supply chain audits.
Enterprise Tier - Customizable caps for high-volume users (e.g., financial institutions screening thousands of transactions daily). Contact our team to tailor limits to your needs.

Usage Safeguards:

Monthly Call Caps - Prevent service abuse and cost overages. Exceeding limits returns a '429 Too Many Requests' error until the next billing cycle.
Quota Adjustments - Need higher limits? We prioritize flexibility—reach out to upgrade your tier or negotiate custom thresholds.

Dashboard Analytics - Log into your RISC account to view real-time metrics, including call volume, remaining quota, and endpoint-specific consumption.
Alerts - Configure notifications at 75%, 90%, and 100% of your monthly limit to avoid disruptions.

All endpoints retrieving risk intelligence or entity data count toward your quota:

Features:

Risk Assessment (/risk-profile): Fetch 13-tier risk ratings for entities or supply chains.
Entity Associations (/network-mapping): Trace corporate, geographic, or transactional links between high-risk entities.
Batch Screening (/bulk-screening): Submit multiple entities (e.g., vendors, clients) in one request. Note: Each screened entity counts as one call.

Exclusions:

Failed requests (non-200 status codes).
Self-hosted deployments (requires a bulk data license).

Batch Screening: Use /bulk-screening to evaluate hundreds of entities in a single request.
Smart Caching: Store static risk profiles (e.g., Historical High Risk entities) locally to reduce repeat queries.
Precision Filtering: Narrow results using parameters like risk_level, geo_region, or last_updated to avoid unnecessary data retrieval.
Webhook Integration: Subscribe to real-time updates for high-priority entities instead of polling the API.

Common causes include:

Unoptimized loops in code (e.g., screening the same entity multiple times).
Frequent polling without caching.
Broad search filters returning large datasets.

Solutions:

Audit integration logic for redundant calls.
Implement client-side throttling (e.g., 1 call/sec).
Schedule screenings during off-peak hours.

Need help? Our engineering team offers free optimization reviews for enterprise clients.

Yes. Organizations requiring on-premise deployment can license bulk data feeds for internal systems. This bypasses usage caps but requires annual licensing.

Curated Data: Includes 200+ hours/week of manually verified risk flags.
Multilingual Support: Screen entities across 15 languages natively.
Compliance-Ready: Audit trails for all API activities to meet GDPR, PIPEDA, and CCPA requirements.

All API endpoints that retrieve risk intelligence data (e.g., /risk-assessment, /entity-matching) are metered. Usage is billed based on monthly subscription tiers, with higher tiers accommodating larger call volumes. Custom pricing for high-volume users (e.g., financial institutions screening thousands of entities).

Yes. Use the /compliance-screening endpoint to batch-screen lists of entities (e.g., vendors, clients) against RISC’s risk database. This endpoint is optimized for structured data inputs and returns risk tiers (e.g., Severe High Risk) and compliance flags.

/compliance-screening: Designed for structured batch checks (e.g., due diligence workflows). Returns risk tiers and actionable compliance flags.
/investigate: Use for exploratory queries with partial data (e.g., fuzzy name matches). Returns broad risk signals and initial associations.

Yes. RISC’s API is built for scalability:

Rate Limits: Default limits vary by tier (e.g., 100 calls/minute for Enterprise).
Async Processing: Submit large batches via asynchronous endpoints (e.g., /async-screening).
Custom Solutions: Contact us for enterprise-grade throughput needs.

Use /entity-details to fetch comprehensive profiles for pre-identified entities, including:

13 risk tiers (e.g., Prohibited Pending Resolution).
Supply chain associations and historical offenses.
Manual curation notes (200+ hours/week of human review).

To optimize performance, associations (e.g., supply chain links, subsidiaries) are available via the /network-mapping endpoint. This ensures compliance checks remain fast while allowing deep dives into network risks.

Adjust Confidence Thresholds: Set min_confidence=80 to filter low-probability matches.
Filter by Risk Tier: Use risk_level=Severe High Risk to prioritize critical alerts.
Geographic Filters: Narrow results with region=North America.

Required: Entity name + country/region.
Optional: Registration IDs, dates of incorporation, aliases.
Multilingual Support: Inputs in 15 languages (e.g., Mandarin, Arabic) are automatically normalized.

Common Names: High false positives for generic names (e.g., “John Smith”).
Sparse Data: Limited accuracy for entities with minimal public records.
Non-Latin Scripts: Partial support for transliterated inputs (e.g., Cyrillic-to-Latin).

Default Quota: 5,000 calls/month (Basic Tier).
Adjustments: Upgrade tiers via your account dashboard or contact sales for custom quotas.

Yes. Use parameters like:

risk_category=financial_crimes
geo_scope=EU

to screen against specific risk types or jurisdictions.

Yes. Use the /embed endpoint to securely display risk profiles in internal dashboards via iframes. Requires an active API key and HTTPS.