Bretton Raises $75M to Use AI for Financial Crime Compliance
A startup founded by a former Meta product leader has successfully raised $75 million to leverage artificial intelligence in addressing financial compliance and preventing financial crimes.
Funding and Growth
The funding round, led by Sapphire Ventures, is part of a Series B investment aimed at evolving Bretton AI from simple sanctions reviews to complex anti-money laundering investigations. Co-founder and CEO Will Lawrence expressed ambitions to capitalize on a unique market opportunity, stating, “There’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the leaders in financial compliance.”
Founded in 2023, Bretton AI has rebranded from Greenlite AI and has raised a total of $95 million, following a $15 million Series A round in May 2025.
The Role of AI in Financial Investigations
Bretton AI has transitioned from initial triage tasks to focusing on more complex investigations that require in-depth analysis across fragmented systems. AI agents will automate processes such as data collection, document parsing, and transaction analysis, allowing human investigators to concentrate on critical judgment and decision-making.
Lawrence likens AI’s role to that of a paralegal, summarizing key information to assist human decision-making. This allows investigators to navigate complex cases more efficiently compared to traditional methods.
Advanced AI Capabilities
Traditional supervised machine learning excels at identifying suspicious patterns in large datasets but falls short in contextual reasoning necessary for deeper investigations. Lawrence noted that modern AI agents have improved capabilities, allowing for self-prompting and iterative reasoning, thus mirroring the investigative workflow.
For instance, investigations that once took a human five minutes can now be handled by AI in a fraction of that time, showcasing the advancements in AI technology.
Transitioning to Highly-Regulated Banks
Bretton AI is shifting focus from serving fintech startups to partnering with large, highly-regulated banks. This transition necessitates connecting with hundreds of fragmented legacy systems. To meet regulatory standards, Bretton AI has developed a trust infrastructure that includes model validation systems and audit traceability.
Lawrence highlighted the complexity of operations in larger banks, which often involve multiple lines of business requiring distinct investigation procedures.
Branding and Market Positioning
The rebranding from Greenlite AI to Bretton AI was a strategic move to align with the institutional culture of their new clientele. Lawrence drew parallels to the historical Bretton Woods Conference, emphasizing the company’s goal to foster stability in compliance processes that enable institutional growth.
Competitive Landscape
Bretton AI faces competition from traditional compliance management systems, robotic process automation tools, and outsourced managed services. While legacy systems serve as case management repositories, they lack the advanced reasoning capabilities that Bretton AI offers. In contrast, robotic process automation can automate repetitive tasks but lacks adaptability, and BPO providers offer human scalability without automation speed.
Lawrence’s vision for Bretton AI is to become a clear leader in the financial compliance sector, focusing on market coverage and the trust of large institutions to scale up their compliance programs.
