As payment ecosystems evolve with the growth of real-time rails, increasing transaction volumes, and heightened regulatory expectations, financial institutions are facing a critical challenge: scaling AML and sanctions compliance without adding inefficiency or risk. This session explores the value of fintech integration in transforming fragmented compliance environments into unified, scalable operations that enable consistent decisioning across all payment rails, reduce false positives, improve processing speed, and strengthen regulatory alignment. Beginning with an industry perspective on the operational and architectural challenges facing banks today, the discussion will be complemented by a real-world case study from Columbia Bank, where BSA leadership will share their experience, outcomes, and key lessons learned from adopting a more integrated approach to AML and payments.