Yoono Blog

Accountability, Judgement and the Role of Technology. Why regulated firms remain responsible for decisions, even as AI and reliance models continue to evolve

Across Trust and Corporate Service Providers (TCSPs), law firm risk teams and governance functions, many due diligence processes still rely on Google searches, LinkedIn profiles, Companies House lookups and analyst notes.

Demonstrating AI-Driven Intelligence for Financial Services Yoono, an AI-powered people intelligence platform for modern due diligence, is showcased at the new LHoFT AI Experience Centre from 13 April 2026, giving visitors the opportunity to experience how AI is transforming decision-making across financial services. The AI Experience Centre, launched by the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), is designed to demonstrate the transformative capabilities of AI in

Why due diligence is being redefined. A recent investigation by The Sunday Times and Bellingcat should give anyone working in due diligence cause to pause. Using open-source intelligence techniques, journalists identified two individuals linked to the Kinahan cartel sitting openly in the VIP section of a 6,000-person MMA event in Dubai. There were no leaks, no insiders and no privileged access. Instead, they worked with what was already available, public data. Images, video,

In an era of AI-driven analysis and automated deal flow, the most unpredictable variable in any transaction remains people. Founders misrepresent track records, senior hires carry undisclosed history, and partners bring hidden conflicts that only surface after commitments are made. The human element has always shaped deal outcomes, but for decades it sat outside the structured diligence process, assessed through interviews, references, and instinct rather than systematic anal

AIFMD II (Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive) is changing how limited partners assess operational risk. Even where UK-based general partners are not directly subject to EU regulation, the directive is materially raising expectations around delegation oversight, liquidity risk management, supervisory reporting and loan origination controls. AIFMD II is the EU's updated rulebook AIFMD II is the EU's updated rulebook for alternative investment fund managers that come

Backing the wrong founder creates operational and reputational risk that may never be recovered. As deal activity picks up in 2026, early-stage and founder-led businesses are attracting renewed attention from PE and growth investors. But with that attention comes sharper scrutiny. The question facing investment committees is no longer just whether a business is viable, but whether the people behind it can withstand the weight of diligence, governance, and public-domain review

From 28 January 2026, the United Kingdom will transition to a single sanctions list. Introducing an important change for sanctions screening and ongoing compliance oversight. While the update may appear administrative, it carries clear expectations for regulated firms and is likely to be an area of supervisory focus. What’s Changing? At present, UK sanctions designations are reflected across two sources: The UK Sanctions List (UKSL) Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and

Regulated firms are under increasing pressure to prove they understand exactly who controls, owns, or influences the entities they work with. Directors, Persons with Significant Control (PSCs), and Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs) sit at the heart of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Business (KYB) regulation. Yet despite years of regulatory tightening, many organisations still rely on shallow, slow, or inconsistent verification processes. Recent FCA thematic reviews

For years, due diligence teams have treated Companies House as a useful starting point, but rarely as something you could rely on with confidence. It was a register you checked, not a dataset you trusted. That assumption is now being tested. Reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) are designed to strengthen register reliability and reduce corporate misuse. The question for risk professionals is no longer "should we look at Companies House?", be