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Central Payments is not only scaling fast—they’re reshaping how financial programs think about fraud and AML operations. We sat down with Sridevi Anwar, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, and Joy Kurtzweil, Director of AML & Fraud of Central Payments (CP), to talk about innovation, agility, and how their partnership with Unit21 is helping them build the infrastructure needed for rapid growth.
Q: Central Payments is known for managing a wide range of fintech programs. What makes that so complex—and what does success look like for your team?
A: Our structure is inherently complex. We currently support two issuing banks and over 20 fintech programs, from payroll to remittance. Each has different behaviors, customer types, and risk profiles. Success for us is the ability to scale that variety without friction—in the case of fraud mitigation the Unit21 tool helps CP, respond quickly, and give our team full control to manage risk without technical bottlenecks.
Q: Let’s talk about speed and agility. What’s changed for your team since partnering with Unit21?
A: Massive difference. With Unit21, we can spin up rules in real time, tailor them to a specific program, test them, and go live—all without pulling in engineering. That independence has been a game changer for our compliance team, especially as we onboard large partners quickly. We move in hours or even minutes.
Q: You’ve mentioned that customization is key. Can you share more about how Unit21 enables that?
A: Previously, we had to apply the same rule logic across all programs, which led to a flood of false positives. Unit21 lets us get surgical—we can build logic specific to each program and product. That means more accurate alerts, less noise, and more time focused on real risk. It’s elevated the precision of our entire approach.
Q: How has this flexibility impacted your ability to grow?
A: It’s been essential. We’re bringing on larger fintechs and other brands with more volume and complexity. We need to be able to stand up customized screening fast, and Unit21 makes that possible. We can tailor rules to new clients in a day, not a month, and hit the ground running with effective detection from day one.
Q: Where are you seeing value in AI adoption?
A: We’re especially interested in applying AI to black-and-white tasks, like verifying if names and birthdates match. That’s where automation shines. We recently rolled out Unit21’s AI Agents for alert review. It’s not replacing analysts, but it speeds things up by summarizing key data. That efficiency makes our team more effective.
Q: What about reporting and transparency—especially for auditors and regulators?
A: That’s another area where Unit21 shines. Weekly reporting is faster and more accurate, and the auditability of the system is a huge plus. Examiners have specifically commented on how transparent and unified everything looks in the platform. That’s a level of confidence that’s hard to earn.
Q: Why do you think some institutions hesitate to adopt modern tools?
A: Fear and familiarity. People resist change. But once they see how Unit21 performs, even under audit pressure, they see that the platform has deep expertise—from audits to AML—and that builds our trust. It’s not about reinventing the wheel—it’s about working smarter. And when we show how Unit21 fits into our current processes, it’s clearly not overhauling everything—just improving what already matters to them.
Q: How do you see the future of this partnership?
A: We’re just getting started. What excites us most about our partnership is Unit21’s shared mindset—we are innovative, scrappy, and adaptable to the situation and circumstances at hand. We’re growing fast, and we need partners who can grow with us. Unit21 is doing that every step of the way.
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