Hawk (formerly Hawk:AI) relies on AI-driven technology for fraud prevention and anti-money laundering (AML). With its modular solution, the startup can either complement or completely replace traditional rule-based systems. It offers AI-driven transaction monitoring, payment screening, continuous KYC (Know-Your-Customer) checks, and real-time fraud prevention, leading to greater accuracy and fewer false alarms. This enables Hawk to help financial institutions drastically reduce false positives compared to conventional AML/CFT solutions while detecting more unknown and novel crimes.
With its solution, the company, founded in 2018 by industry veterans, has quickly established a global presence. According to its own data, Hawk monitors billions of transactions worldwide. Nevertheless, there is still considerable room for growth. After all, Capgemini’s World Payments Report estimates the volume of cashless transactions in 2023 globally at around 1.3 trillion. For 2027, a volume of approximately 2.2 trillion transactions is expected.
Hawk focuses on international growth
Now Hawk has expanded its series B funding round once again. Back in June, Rabobank joined the circle of investors. Now Macquarie Capital joins the existing funders BlackFin Capital Partners, Sands Capital, DN, Picus, and Coalition as a new investor. With the additional funds, the Munich-based company plans to accelerate its international growth further and meet the rising demand for AI-powered technology to combat financial crime.
Elmar Broscheit, global co-head of Macquarie Capital Venture Capital, explains:
“Hawk is a very exciting company. Their AI-centric approach to combating financial crime demonstrates impressive results. The comprehensiveness of their enterprise solution, which brings together AML, sanctions screening, and fraud prevention, sets them apart clearly from other providers in this field. We look forward to supporting the company’s growth through our investment and expertise.”
And Tobias Schweiger, CEO and co-founder of Hawk, says:
“We are delighted that Macquarie Capital has decided to partner with Hawk. The global banking sector has recognized the enormous potential of AI in preventing, detecting, and managing financial crime. With Macquarie Capital’s network and experience in scaling successful risk software companies, we can continue to expand our customer base in the Asia-Pacific region, the US, and beyond.”
