OFAC Screening Integration Testing

Verifying a screening API integration against known sanctioned wallets before it goes to production.

TL;DR

TL;DR: Integration testing proves the screening call actually returns a block for a known sanctioned party and an allow for a clean one, before production deployment.

What Integration Testing Verifies

A screening API only protects payments if the integration is correct. Testing confirms that a known sanctioned wallet returns flagged equals BLOCK, a clean counterparty returns clean equals ALLOW, and the call completes in the expected time. Without this, a wiring mistake can silently skip screening.

What to Test

• A known OFAC-listed wallet returns BLOCK.
• A clean test counterparty returns ALLOW.
• Response latency stays under 100 ms.
• An error or timeout does not default to allow.

Why Fail-Open Is the Danger

The worst outcome is a payment that proceeds when the check failed. OFAC applies strict liability, so a failed screening call does not excuse a violation. An integration must treat errors as a stop, not an implicit approve.

Practical Guidance

• Test with real listed wallets from the 947 OFAC-listed set.
• Assert that errors and timeouts block, never allow.
• Re-run tests when the integration or dependencies change.