UNICORN PRIVATE What is a politically exposed person (PEP) and how do you check your contacts?
In short
A PEP is a person with an important public role, such as a minister, judge or head of a state company, or a relative or close associate.
Anti money laundering rules ask for enhanced due diligence on PEPs, not for a ban.
You check whether your clients, their owners or directors are PEPs, and then look more carefully.
What the list contains
There is no single official PEP list. Unicorn Intelligence uses open public sources, which are incomplete.
For this reason a PEP result is always shown as possible, never as a certainty, and needs a human check.
Who must check it
PEP checks matter for:
- Banks, insurers, payment providers and crypto businesses.
- Lawyers, accountants, real estate agents and other obliged entities under anti money laundering rules.
- Companies that want to know who is behind a customer or supplier.
Fines and penalties
We do not show an amount for this list because we have not verified one. The penalties are set by the national law that applies to your company: read the official source and ask your legal advisor.
Live data from our copy of the list
- Possible politically exposed persons (Wikidata): Entries in the copy we check: 12,531. Last update: November 3, 2026
Official source
How Unicorn Intelligence checks it
Every name you upload or connect is compared with Politically exposed persons (PEP) together with all the other lists, every day. You see the source, the date and how similar the name is, so you can decide quickly.
- Upload a list, connect your CRM or type a name.
- We compare each name with the list, also with spelling variants and transliterations.
- Possible matches show the list, the source, the date and the similarity, and you decide.
Check your clients for free
Upload your contacts and see in a few minutes how many names need a closer look. When you sign up you get a gift of $50 in credit.
Frequently asked questions
Is it forbidden to work with a PEP?
No. Rules ask for more care, such as checking the source of funds and getting senior approval, not for refusing the client.
Is there an official PEP list?
No single official list exists. That is why results from open sources are shown as possible matches.
Are there fines for PEP checks?
We do not show an amount because we have not verified one. Penalties come from national anti money laundering laws: read the official source.
The program can make mistakes. The final responsibility for compliance stays with your company. Unicorn Intelligence is an information tool. Decisions and legal obligations, including sanctions compliance, due diligence and tender participation, remain with the customer.