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| Sr# | Name | Country | AML Network Risk Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak | Egypt | đź”´ High Risk |
| 2 | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Egypt | đź”´ High Risk |
| 3 | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | Saudi Arabia | đź”´ High Risk |
| 4 | Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa | Bahrain | đź”´ High Risk |
| 5 | Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | United Arab Emirates | đź”´ High Risk |
Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) are individuals who are or have been entrusted with prominent public functions, as defined by leading international standards such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) directives. This designation extends beyond officials themselves to include their immediate family members and close associates, given their potential access to state resources, policy influence, and susceptibility to corruption risks.
Global standards—including FATF, EU directives, and various national legislations—typically recognize these core categories:
Family members typically include spouses, children (and their spouses), parents, siblings, and sometimes even in-laws or stepchildren. Close associates comprise individuals known to have a joint business interest with a PEP, close professional or social relationships, or those benefitting from the same legal structures or companies.
PEPs pose increased money laundering and corruption risks because their positions can allow them to:
Numerous scandals have highlighted the AML risks posed by PEPs:
These examples underscore why PEPs, by virtue of their power and connections, require intensified scrutiny in the fight against money laundering, corruption, and abuse of public office. Strengthening PEP identification and monitoring helps safeguard the integrity of the financial system on a global scale.
Monitoring politically exposed persons (PEPs) is essential for anti-money laundering (AML) compliance due to the unique risks they present. PEPs—such as senior politicians, government officials, judges, and military leaders—wield substantial control over public resources and decision-making. This power, while essential for governance, also opens opportunities for corruption, embezzlement, and the laundering of illicit funds on a vast scale. By exploiting their positions, corrupt officials can divert state assets, solicit bribes, and misuse public funds, often resorting to complex webs of offshore accounts, shell companies, and enablers—including lawyers, bankers, and other intermediaries—to obscure the origins and beneficiaries of stolen wealth.
Real-world scandals illustrate these dangers. The Panama Papers leak revealed how a global network of politicians, their relatives, and close associates—over 140 public figures from 50 countries—used offshore law firms to hide assets and launder public money, implicating leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Nawaz Sharif, and Petro Poroshenko. Similarly, the 1MDB scandal exposed how Malaysia’s then-Prime Minister Najib Razak used international banks and shell corporations to embezzle billions, prompting worldwide investigations and regulatory scrutiny. In both cases, negligent or complicit financial institutions facilitated the movement and concealment of vast sums—HSBC’s Swiss unit, for example, was sanctioned for repeatedly failing to assess and monitor PEP clients as required by law.
To counter these risks, global regulations mandate that financial institutions identify, screen, and monitor PEPs through enhanced due diligence (EDD). EDD involves verifying the source of funds, conducting ongoing transaction monitoring, and reporting suspicious activities to authorities. Banks that fail to establish robust PEP monitoring face heavy penalties, reputational damage, and contribute to the erosion of financial system integrity. Ultimately, diligent tracking of PEPs is a cornerstone of effective AML regimes, helping businesses and authorities detect abuse of power and safeguard the global economy.
Our global Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) Database offers a comprehensive, structured, and rigorously verified resource designed to support AML compliance for financial institutions, regulators, and compliance professionals worldwide. Each PEP profile is organized with key identifying and contextual information, including:
The database has a truly global geographic scope, covering over 240 countries and territories. It categorizes PEPs into multiple types to fit regulatory needs and risk profiles, including:
Data sourcing is robust and multifaceted, combining open-source intelligence (OSINT) from government and public records, verified NGO partnerships, direct submissions, and internal audit findings. This diversity ensures comprehensive coverage and current information.
Profiles undergo stringent verification processes involving cross-referencing multiple independent sources and regulatory watchlists. They are updated regularly—daily where possible—to reflect changes in positions, sanctions status, or risk ratings. Each profile is flagged with a risk level based on the position held and relevant threat factors, enabling users to prioritize screening and due diligence efforts effectively.
This dynamic, trusted PEPs Database empowers organizations to meet global AML regulatory obligations through enhanced due diligence, continuous monitoring, and risk mitigation.
Users can explore the PEP database through an intuitive, structured navigation system that allows filtering by country, region, and office type, enabling quick access to relevant profiles. Available filters include continent, country, political office held (such as heads of state, ministers, judiciary, or military officials), exposure level ranging from low to high risk, and sanctions status. This multi-dimensional search capability ensures users can focus precisely on geographic areas or specific categories of political exposure.
Such organized navigation helps journalists trace regional political figures involved in high-risk activities, compliance officers conduct targeted enhanced due diligence on PEPs relevant to their jurisdiction or client base, and researchers analyze political networks efficiently. By streamlining access to detailed, categorized profiles, the database supports timely identification and monitoring of individuals posing the greatest AML risks, improving the effectiveness of detection efforts and regulatory compliance. This targeted approach saves time and resources while enhancing risk management through comprehensive, filtered searching across a global scope.
Common red flags indicating higher risk among Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) that compliance teams should watch for include:
Compliance teams conducting enhanced due diligence (EDD) should use these red flags to guide risk assessments and ongoing monitoring. Detecting one or multiple of these indicators should prompt deeper investigation, verification of source of wealth, and enhanced transaction scrutiny to mitigate AML risks associated with PEP relationships. These traits collectively help identify PEPs who might be abusing their position to launder illicit funds or engage in corruption.
Contribute to strengthening global transparency by helping enhance our Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) Database. Your verified submissions and corrections undergo a secure, multi-step verification process, ensuring accuracy and trustworthiness. Inclusion criteria focus on individuals holding prominent public positions, their family members, and close associates who pose potential AML risks. By sharing credible information or correcting existing profiles, you support financial institutions, regulators, and researchers worldwide in detecting and combating corruption and illicit financial flows. Whether you’re a civic-minded individual, journalist, or compliance professional, your contributions are vital to maintaining an up-to-date, reliable resource that empowers the global fight against money laundering. Engage with us to help promote accountability and transparency in public life.
The inclusion of an individual in this Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) Database does not imply any wrongdoing, criminal guilt, or illegal activity. All profiles are compiled exclusively from reputable, publicly available sources such as government records, sanctions lists, and open-source intelligence, ensuring transparency and reliability. We strictly comply with applicable data protection and privacy laws to safeguard personal information. While we strive for accuracy and completeness, the database operates under editorial independence—the presence or absence of any profile does not constitute legal or regulatory judgment. Users are advised to conduct their own due diligence and seek professional advice where necessary. For detailed information, please refer to our full Disclaimers & Ethics Statement, which outlines our data sourcing, verification, privacy practices, and ethical guidelines in depth.