AML compliance software for mid-market UK accountancy and law firms
For multi-partner, multi-office UK practices running 1,000-10,000 active client portfolios across multiple risk segments. The gap between per-check tools that punish growth and enterprise-priced platforms designed for global banks.
By Mehmood Rajoka · Last updated 2026-06-08
TL;DR: Quick Summary
- •Certivus is the AML compliance software designed for mid-market UK accountancy and law firms: multi-partner, multi-office, 1,000-10,000 client portfolios across multiple risk segments.
- •The mid-market firm has the volume to outgrow per-check tools but doesn't need the cost or implementation overhead of an enterprise-priced global platform. Certivus is built for exactly that gap.
- •Multi-user team workflows: separate roles for fee earners, paralegals/admin, the MLCO, the MLRO. Each role sees the right slice of the AML programme.
- •Multi-office governance: firm-wide risk assessment at the firm level, with office-by-office and team-by-team rollout views. One programme, scaled.
- •a £300/month retainer (£500 of credit, 200 checks a month) is calibrated for this segment. Enterprise is one conversation away for the largest firms.
Answer-first summary
What does mid-market mean for AML software buying?
In the UK accountancy and legal market, mid-market typically means 5-50 partners or fee earners, 1,000-10,000 active clients, often across multiple offices. The mid-market firm has outgrown per-check AML pricing (where £2.10/check times 3,000 clients is £75,600 a year) but doesn't need or want the implementation overhead of an enterprise-priced global platform. Certivus is built for exactly that gap: a £300 to £500/month retainer buying full checks at £1.49 to £1.25 each, with the operating-model fit (multi-office, multi-team, role-based access, bulk operations, portfolio-scale audit evidence) that the segment actually needs.
- 5-50 partners / fee earners typical
- 1,000-10,000 active clients
- Multi-office or multi-team common
- A £300 to £500/month retainer (200 to 400 checks a month) calibrated for this segment
What we mean by mid-market
5-50 partners or fee earners
Big enough to need structured governance, but too small to warrant a six-figure annual AML SaaS contract. The classic mid-market UK firm.
1,000-10,000 active clients
Volume where the cost per check is what matters. A firm running 3,000 clients on a £2.10/check tool is paying £75,600 a year. The same firm on a £500/month Certivus retainer is paying £6,000 a year for 4,800 checks, at £1.25 each.
Multiple offices or geographies
Network or regional firms with offices across two or more UK cities. The MLR 2017 framework is consistent UK-wide, but operating reality varies by office. Certivus handles that variation in one workflow.
Layered AML governance
Multiple roles in the AML chain: fee earners triggering CDD, paralegals/admin collecting evidence, the MLCO owning the firm-wide programme, and the MLRO running the SAR pipeline. Certivus separates the role-views without separating the data.
Six product capabilities mid-market firms actually need
Multi-user with role-based access
Fee earners see their own client portfolios. Paralegals and admin see the verification and evidence-collection workflow. The MLCO sees the firm-wide programme. The MLRO sees the SAR pipeline. Each role gets the right slice of the data without the firm needing to maintain separate tools per function.
Multi-office views
Firm-wide risk assessment at the firm level. Office-by-office and team-by-team rollout views below it. One programme, scaled to the actual operating reality, not a single-office tool stretched across a multi-office firm.
Bulk operations
Onboard a 500-client cohort from an acquired practice. Run a portfolio-wide remediation project. Refresh CDD for an entire risk-rated tier. Mid-market firms need bulk workflows, not one-by-one verification flows designed for solo practitioners.
Audit-ready evidence at portfolio scale
When HMRC, the SRA, ICAEW, or the FCA inspects, they sample 10-30 random files. The evidence pack needs to be consistent across every file in the portfolio, not just the ones the partner remembered to update. Certivus produces consistent evidence at the file, the office, and the firm level.
Structured SAR pipeline
The internal MLRO disclosure path, the DAML workflow, and the post-SAR tipping-off-safe client communication template are structured so the firm's SAR pipeline runs cleanly at volume. Single-partner SAR workflows don't scale to mid-market firms.
Reporting and dashboards
Mid-market firms run quarterly compliance committee reviews. Certivus produces the reports the committee needs: firm-wide risk rating distribution, monitoring cadence completion, SAR volume and outcome, and training-completion rates by office. Boardroom-grade reporting without the data-warehouse build.
Where mid-market firms sit on the ladder
There are no plans. You commit to a monthly top-up for 12 months, and the more you commit the less each check costs. These are the three retainers mid-market firms usually land on:
£100 a month
Multi-partner firms · 500-2,000 active clients · structured AML governance
Entry into the mid-market range. Suits firms beginning to scale beyond a single-office, single-partner model.
£300 a month
Mid-market firms · 1,000-10,000 active clients · multi-office or multi-team
Primary fit for the mid-market ICP. A £300 commitment lands £500 of credit, so cost per check stays predictable as the practice grows.
£1,000 a month
Larger firms · 10,000+ active clients · network practices · high onboarding volume
The best rate on the ladder. Firms needing more than this can top up more than once a month, or talk to us about a bespoke retainer.
See every top-up pack, including pay as you go, on the pricing page.
Founding 50: open to mid-market firms
The Founding 50 program is open to any UK firm regardless of size. Mid-market firms joining the Founding 50 as design partners get £1.13 per full check for life on any retainer commitment, with a direct WhatsApp line to Mehmood, case-study permission, and quarterly feedback calls alongside the standard product. Hard cap: 50 firms.
“Certivus replaced our spreadsheet-and-folder AML workflow with a single system. Evidence is consistent across the team and the audit trail is ready when HMRC ask.”
“Onboarding new clients is faster and our compliance evidence is consistent across the team. That's the win — we trust the records.”
“Certivus is built for how a UK practice actually runs AML — not how a generic compliance tool thinks it should. That difference shows.”
The first 50 UK firms get £1.13 per full check for life on any retainer commitment, with a direct WhatsApp line to the founder. See the Founding 50 offer →
Mid-market FAQ
Answer-first summary
What size of firm is Certivus designed for?
Certivus is primarily designed for mid-market UK accountancy practices and law firms, typically with 5-50 partners or fee earners, 1,000-10,000 active clients, and often multiple offices. A £300 to £500/month retainer (£500 to £1,000 of credit, 200 to 400 checks a month) is calibrated for this segment. Smaller firms are welcome on exactly the same product and simply top up less, starting from £10 of free credit. Firms above the largest listed pack can talk to us about a bespoke retainer.
Answer-first summary
How does Certivus handle multi-office firms?
Firm-wide risk assessment sits at the firm level. Office-by-office and team-by-team rollout views allow the MLCO and managing partners to see how the AML programme runs across the network. One programme, multiple operating contexts. Role-based access ensures fee earners in Office A don't see Office B's portfolio, but compliance and governance see the consolidated view they need.
Answer-first summary
Can Certivus support layered AML governance?
Yes. The role architecture separates the views without separating the data. Fee earners trigger CDD and own their client portfolios. Paralegals and admin handle verification and evidence collection. The MLCO owns the firm-wide programme under MLR 2017. The MLRO owns the SAR pipeline under POCA. Each role gets the right slice; the data sits in one workflow underneath.
Answer-first summary
What about cost? Per-check tools seem cheaper.
At low volume, per-check pricing looks attractive. At mid-market volume, it punishes growth. A firm running 3,000 active clients with annual CDD review is paying £75,600 a year on a £2.10/check tool. The same firm on a £500/month Certivus retainer is paying £6,000 a year for 4,800 checks, at £1.25 each, with the same compliance coverage, structured workflows, role-based access, and audit-ready evidence. The cost difference compounds every year.
Answer-first summary
Does Certivus integrate with our existing systems?
Certivus is designed to be the AML system of record: risk assessment, CDD, EDD, monitoring, training, SAR pipeline, and sanctions screening in one workflow rather than fragmented across practice-management, client-onboarding, and AML-screening tools. Integration with accounting and practice-management software is on the roadmap; for now, Certivus exports inspection-ready evidence packs that integrate cleanly with existing audit and compliance reporting flows.
Answer-first summary
What's the onboarding process for a mid-market firm?
Four phases. Phase 1, scope: who needs access, which offices, which client cohorts in the first wave. Phase 2, configuration: firm-wide risk assessment, MLCO/MLRO appointment, and role architecture. Phase 3, bulk import: the existing client base loaded with their current risk ratings and CDD evidence. Phase 4, go-live: production use with the existing client base running monitoring and refresh on the new workflow. Typical mid-market onboarding completes in 4-8 weeks depending on portfolio complexity.
Answer-first summary
What if we want to talk before signing up?
Book a 30-minute demo via /book-a-demo. Mid-market firms generally do because the questions are different from a solo practitioner evaluation. Mehmood or a team member will walk through how Certivus handles the specific multi-office, multi-team realities of your firm. For Founding 50 firms, the WhatsApp line stays open after onboarding too.
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