OFAC compliance for early-stage startups
Startups should start screening early because strict liability applies at any size and a free tier removes the cost excuse.
TL;DR
TL;DR: Early-stage startups can begin OFAC screening on a free tier today, then move to a $19 per month plan as volume grows, which is far cheaper than a penalty that starts at $356,000 per violation.
Why size does not matter
OFAC enforcement does not scale with company size. Liability is strict, meaning intent is not required, and civil penalties start at $356,000 per violation. A small team that builds a payment feature without screening carries the same legal exposure as a large exchange, but with far less budget to absorb a penalty.
A low-cost start
- Free tier: 5 checks per day, no signup, no key.
- Dev: $19 per month for 10,000 checks per month.
- MIT-licensed and self-hostable if you prefer to run it yourself.
Build it into the payment path
Screening is a single HTTP call that returns ALLOW or BLOCK in under 100 ms, so it slots into whatever payment path you already have. The sanctions_check tool handles the initial check, risk_score adds a risk view, and kya_verify documents the counterparty. Starting with these now means compliance is already in place by the time your volume and scrutiny grow.