OFAC Name Matching Glossary Part 1

How name matching works in sanctions screening, and why accurate matching matters for agent payments.

TL;DR

TL;DR: Name matching is the process of comparing a counterparty's name against the SDN List to detect sanctions hits. Strong matching catches spelling variations without flooding the system with false positives.

What name matching is

Name matching compares a counterparty name against the SDN List, the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Because names are transliterated and spelled in many ways, effective matching uses more than exact string comparison; it accounts for aliases and variations.

Why name matching matters

A listed person rarely transacts under the exact name on the list. Weak matching produces false negatives, letting a blocked party through, while overly aggressive matching produces false positives that block innocent parties. Under strict liability, intent is not required for a violation, so the quality of matching is the real line of defense.

Name matching in practice

The sanctionsai.dev API screens a counterparty before an agent pays, returning ALLOW or BLOCK in under 100 ms against 19,218 SDN names synced hourly. It also covers 947 OFAC-listed crypto wallets, which are matched by address rather than name. Not documented: the specific matching algorithm or fuzziness thresholds used.