Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, which produces anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and sanctions compliance data software, has acquired Cerico, a compliance IT firm, from Pinsent Masons, the law firm, and Campbell Nash, a consultancy owned by the technologist James Armstrong.

The two selling firms set up Cerico in 2013. It provides compliance software for international businesses, supporting anti-corruption efforts around the world. One of its services consists of end-to-end "know your business partner" IT. Its cloud-based platforms help firms to assess risk and check the backgrounds of potential clients, vendors and other third parties, in addition to tracking activity and approval processes. Cerico’s platform already integrates Dow Jones Risk & Compliance data for the purposes of screening and monitoring.

Cerico’s product will now become part of Dow Jones’s workflow app, which is assesses, investigates and monitors "third-party risk" for customers.

Dow Jones Risk & Compliance acquired Risk Averter from an American firm called Compliance Strategies International in February last year; Cerico is its second acquisition in the field.

As part of the transaction, Pinsent Masons will retain a strategic relationship with Dow Jones, providing it with supplementary support, consultancy services and legal content for its compliance IT.