New open-source intelligence platform helps GFIU build clearer risk profiles 

The Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) has adopted a new open-source investigations platform to strengthen its capacity to detect and assess financial crime. 

The platform draws on publicly available information including corporate registers and commercially available datasets around the world. 

It also uses public social media to further help analysts map out human networks around companies and pinpoint less obvious risk. 

The platform, called Videris, is supplied by Blackdot Solutions, a leading provider of advanced intelligence and investigations software using open-source intelligence (OSINT). 

Gibraltar’s commitment to complying with international regulatory requirements defined by the Financial Action Task Force means the GFIU must maintain the highest standards of data governance and information security. 

Blackdot’s Videris provides a structured, auditable OSINT capability that ensures intelligence is gathered in a secure, policy-compliant and accountable manner, supporting the GFIU’s strategic priorities of embracing innovation and technology, strengthening data quality and meeting regulatory obligations.  

Following a review of available technologies, the GFIU selected Blackdot based on four key criteria, namely usability, adaptability, integration and efficiency.  

Videris offers an intuitive interface that suits analysts of all levels, reducing the burden of manual work while providing structured outputs for operational and strategic reporting.  

The GFIU will use the platform to assess suspicious activity reports and determine the nature and scale of any associated risks.  

The product includes access to global datasets, with strong coverage across Europe and North America, and partnerships extending into Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. 

“Our role is really to bring together a broad collection of open-source information so that organisations like the Gibraltar FIU can understand risk,” Stuart Clarke, chief executive of Blackdot Solutions, told the Chronicle. 

Mr Clarke said the company, which works with other financial intelligence units in different countries as well as businesses in the private sector, prioritises ethical use and proportionality.  

“We are not replacing investigators. There is always a human in the loop,” he said.  

“Our technology is designed to augment and support investigative work.” 

The platform uses solely publicly available sources of information such as company registers and other existing databases, as well as public social media. 

But bringing all of that together into one platform allows investigators to swiftly join dots they might otherwise not see. 

“Videris is an open-source investigations platform, so what that effectively means is we specialise in collecting and searching across publicly available and commercially available data sets,” Mr Clarke said. 

“We specialise in effectively building out networks of people and companies, helping you understand the ownership structures of a company, helping you understand the people behind a company and their relationships and networks.” 

Connections outside of a professional network often tell “a slightly different story”, Mr Clarke added.  

“We try where possible to surface that information up so that people get a much more complete picture about who's connected to who.” 

“Often one step removed there could be risk that you didn't know about and sometimes that surfaces itself up by who you follow on X or who you follow on LinkedIn.” 

“We may find a corporate registry that says a particular individual owns a company, but then their LinkedIn profile may say something very, very different and you start to then see discrepancies which again may be an indicator of risk.” 

GFIU analysts have highlighted Videris’ ease of use and faster workflows, which has already enabled the GFIU to streamline its Suspicious Activity Reports process and to deliver specialist projects.  

The GFIU has also been able to share relevant intelligence reports more widely across government, expanding the reach and impact of its work without compromising sensitive law enforcement data. 

“Blackdot stood out not only for its technology, but also for its dedicated public service experience, which understands the unique needs of FIUs compared with the private sector,” said Carl Ramagge, the Head of Operations at Gibraltar FIU.  

“Videris enables us to enhance both operational and strategic intelligence outputs while ensuring compliance with our OSINT policy and ethical standards.” 

“It empowers our team to focus on what matters most, generating insights that protect Gibraltar from financial crime, while reflecting our commitment to ethical OSINT use.”