NatWest adopts Cleareye.ai to automate trade finance checks

NatWest is deploying Cleareye.ai software in May 2026 to automate checks of complex trade finance documents and to run AI-driven trade-based money laundering (TBML) screening for its commercial and institutional trade teams.

The software will verify whether trade transactions follow the International Chamber of Commerce rules and run TBML screening on both paper and digital documentation. NatWest said the tool will reduce manual processing of bills of lading, letters of credit and other trade instruments that typically require detailed human review.

Michael Gilham, trade product lead for commercial and institutional at NatWest, said the technology will allow business customers to trade in foreign markets “with greater speed and certainty” while strengthening protection against fraud and financial crime.

Trade finance often involves large international payments, multiple counterparties and extensive paperwork. NatWest said automating rule checks and TBML screening should cut processing time, reduce errors and help staff spot unusual patterns in complex supply chains that can indicate trade-based money laundering.

The bank reported that AI was rolled out across the organisation in 2025 at scale. NatWest said software engineers generated about 35% of the bank’s code using AI tools that year, all 60,000 employees were given access to AI productivity software and the bank recorded thousands of human hours saved. NatWest began a significant collaboration with an AI supplier last year to explore more use cases.

Cleareye.ai has been adopted by other large UK banks for document automation; one major lender signed a deal in 2024 to automate checks of both digital and paper trade documents. Banks and fintechs are increasingly applying AI to back-office processes such as trade finance, compliance and document handling where large volumes of structured and unstructured data must be processed quickly.

Industry survey data show a larger share of financial firms reporting AI-driven productivity gains in the past year and more banks saying AI supports business growth, customer experience and customer insights. Research projects that generative AI could save hundreds of millions of labor hours and may lead to significant changes in back-office roles by 2030.

NatWest said the Cleareye.ai deployment targets a document-intensive part of banking where automation can replace repetitive checks while flagging potential financial crime for human review. The bank said the technology will help it meet regulatory expectations for anti-money-laundering controls and give customers faster, more certain trade execution.