OpenSanctions vs World-Check vs Dow Jones — choosing a UK sanctions data provider
Three data providers dominate UK sanctions + PEP + adverse-media screening: OpenSanctions, LSEG World-Check (formerly Refinitiv), and Dow Jones Risk & Compliance. They differ on three axes that matter for buyer choice: data licensing model, transparency, and unit economics.
**OpenSanctions** is open-source and CC-BY-NC. Coverage includes the canonical sanctions lists (OFSI / UN / EU / OFAC / Swiss SECO and 50+ others), a curated PEP catalogue (~700,000 records as of 2026), and an adverse-media catalogue derived from journalistic source. Pricing: €0.10 per Match API query for retail use, €595/mo bulk-licence for unlimited use. Transparent attribution — every match in the response carries the source dataset URL. Used by Stratum's sanctions-screening + suite endpoints as the baseline for retail screening.
**LSEG World-Check** is the enterprise incumbent. 4M+ records with daily updates from a global research team across five continents. Coverage includes sanctions, PEPs, RCAs (relatives + close associates), state-owned entities, vessels, and adverse media indexed against 60+ risk topics. Pricing: enterprise quote-only, typically £20,000+/year minimum. Used by most banks, fintechs, and the larger compliance-platform vendors (SmartSearch, Veriphy, ComplyAdvantage all consume World-Check or equivalent underneath).
**Dow Jones Risk & Compliance** is the other enterprise option. ~5M distinct records — slightly bigger than World-Check — with sanctions + PEPs + RCAs + state-owned entities + Special Interest Persons (SIPs). Subscription priced by volume + users + modules. Used by global banks and corporates.
For a UK letting agent or small accountancy firm, OpenSanctions hits the price-performance sweet spot: same legal-shield coverage as the enterprise providers (sanctions list quality is equivalent because they all source from the same regulators), transparent attribution that survives a regulator inspection, and a per-call cost that scales with revenue rather than a flat licence. The Stratum suite charges OpenSanctions at €0.10/call into the £14.95 customer price; gross margin on a 5-entity suite check stays above 90%.
Source: OpenSanctions Datasets
Last updated 2026-05-09.