Sanctions screening API (EU, UN, OFAC SDN, UK)

Short answer: Call GET https://api.wsystem.dev/sanctions/screen?name=Sberbank. The name is fuzzy-matched (with transliteration, e.g. Cyrillic) against the official EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List, the UN Security Council Consolidated List, the US OFAC SDN list and the UK sanctions list, downloaded from the official publishers. You get potential_match or no_match, scored candidates (0–100), the list, programme and listing date.

Key facts

Lists: EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List, UN Security Council Consolidated List, OFAC SDN, UK sanctions list. Restrict with lists=EU,UN.
Optional birth_year and country reduce false positives for people.
Default threshold 85 (range 50–100).
Not covered: PEP lists, adverse media, national lists outside those four. For those, use a full compliance provider.
Screening aid only: a potential match needs human review. This is not legal advice.

Examples

Screen one name

curl "https://api.wsystem.dev/sanctions/screen?name=Sberbank"

Real response (live data, 2026-10-17):

{
 "query": "Sberbank",
 "status": "potential_match",
 "top_score": 100,
 "matches": [
  {
   "score": 100,
   "matched_name": "sberbank",
   "list": "EU",
   "list_name": "EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List",
   "list_id": "EU.8537.32",
   "sanctioned_name": "Сбербанк",
   "type": "entity",
   "aliases": [
    "Sberbank"
   ],
   "programs": [
    "UKR"
   ],
   "dob": [],
   "nationality": [],
   "listed_on": "2022-07-21",
   "remarks": "(Date of UN designation: 2022-07-21)",
   "score_notes": []
  }
 ],
 "lists": {
  "EU": {
   "entries": 6234,
   "name": "EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List"
  },
  "UN": {
   "entries": 1010,
   "name": "UN Security Council Consolidated List"
  },
  "OFAC": {
   "entries": 19457,
   "name": "OFAC SDN List (US Treasury)"
  },
  "UK": {
   "entries": 6408,
   "name": "UK Sanctions List (FCDO)"
  }
 },
 "lists_date": "2026-10-17T08:14:13Z",
 "disclaimer": "Screening aid only; potential matches require human review."
}

Batch of up to 50

curl -X POST https://api.wsystem.dev/sanctions/screen/batch -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"names":["Sberbank","Example Trading Ltd"],"threshold":85}'

Pricing

Channel	Price
Free tier	20 calls/day per IP, no key
x402 GET /sanctions/screen	$0.01 USDC per name
x402 batch (up to 50 names)	$0.10 USDC per request
Apify Actor wsystem/sanctions-screening	$0.005 per name + $0.005 per run

Comparison with alternatives

	W System API	OpenSanctions API	Official list downloads
Lists	EU, UN, OFAC SDN, UK	Sanctions, PEPs and more (hundreds of sources)	One list per publisher
Entry price	$0.01 per name, no account (x402); 20/day free	€50 for 500 credits (€0.10/query)	Free, you build matching
Fuzzy / transliteration matching	Yes	Yes	No
PEPs	No	Yes	No
MCP tool for agents	Yes (screen_sanctions)	Not listed on API page	No

Based on each provider's public pages on 2026-10-17. Corrections welcome via GitHub issues.

Questions and answers

Is there a free sanctions screening API?

W System gives 20 free screens per day per IP without a key; beyond that $0.01 per name. The official lists are free to download if you build matching yourself.

Which lists should an EU company screen against?

At minimum the EU consolidated list; most also screen UN, OFAC SDN (if any US nexus) and UK lists. Ask your compliance adviser.

How often are lists refreshed?

Daily from the official publishers. The response includes lists_date.

Does a match mean the person is sanctioned?

No. It is a candidate for human review; compare dates of birth, nationality and identifiers.

Facts and competitor details checked 2026-10-17. W System Hungary Kft. is the maker of this product. Not affiliated with the European Commission. Not legal or tax advice.