We spoke with several compliance officers about AML transaction monitoring, and a few clear themes came up repeatedly. Manual processes are still surprisingly common, even at institutions that have modernized nearly everything else. Spreadsheet-based KYC tracking and manual document review create bottlenecks that slow down customer onboarding and increase the chance of human error slipping through. Automated screening against sanctions and watchlists has become table stakes rather than a differentiator, and institutions still relying on periodic batch checks instead of real-time screening are taking on risk they may not fully appreciate. Documentation matters just as much as the underlying controls. Regulators increasingly expect institutions to demonstrate not just that a control exists, but that it was consistently applied and reviewed, which means audit trails need to be a first-class feature of any system, not an afterthought. Cross-border operations add another layer of complexity, since requirements vary significantly by jurisdiction and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely holds up under scrutiny. The institutions that handle this well tend to treat compliance technology as an investment rather than a cost center, since the alternative -- fines, remediation projects, and reputational damage -- is almost always more expensive in the long run.