A Politically Exposed Person is an individual who holds or has held a prominent public function — for example, a head of state, senior government official, or diplomat. PEPs are not necessarily sanctioned or prohibited from using your service, but they present an elevated risk of involvement in bribery or corruption.
When Monitor detects a potential PEP match, the screening moves to pending_review status. A PEP hit shown in orange in the dashboard indicates a potential match against a PEP list — your team must review the hit to determine whether it is a true match and decide how to proceed based on your organization's risk policies.
📌 Note: Whether to screen for PEPs, and at what risk level, is a compliance decision for your organization. Plaid recommends consulting your compliance or risk team to determine the appropriate PEP risk level for your Monitor program.