LAB Group, Australia's leading RegTech provider, is pleased to announce that Escala, a long-established Australian private wealth management and investment advisory firm, has gone live with LAB Portal and LAB Verify as the foundation for its digital client verification and compliance program.

Escala serves high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations, and institutional investors across its Melbourne and Sydney offices. With a focus on delivering personalised investment solutions and a commitment to excellence in client experience, Escala selected LAB Group's technology to modernise how it manages identity verification and client lifecycle compliance, replacing manual, paper-based processes with a streamlined, audit-ready digital workflow. This innovative solution is set to deliver enhanced due diligence and greater on-boarding efficiencies for both advisors and investors.

Going Live Ahead of the Reform Transition Period

The timing of this deployment is significant. From 31 March 2026, updated AML/CTF obligations take effect for current reporting entities across Australia's financial services sector, bringing with them strengthened Customer Due Diligence (CDD) requirements, updated AML/CTF program obligations, and a greater expectation from AUSTRAC that regulated businesses have the systems in place to meet their compliance duties at scale.

For wealth managers and investment advisory firms like Escala, the reforms represent a step change in what is required operationally. CDD obligations now require more rigorous initial verification, risk-based ongoing due diligence, and a clear audit trail across the client lifecycle. Doing this manually, or through fragmented and disconnected systems, creates both compliance risk and a poor client experience.

By going live on LAB Portal and LAB Verify ahead of the transition date, Escala has positioned itself with a proven, AUSTRAC-aligned verification infrastructure already embedded in its operations before the reformed obligations take effect.

What Has Been Deployed

Escala has initially deployed:

• LAB Portal: a centralised case management hub enabling Escala's compliance and client service teams to initiate, monitor, and manage verification cases across its client base, with a complete audit trail, exception resolution workflows, and reporting-ready records
• LAB Verify: LAB Group's identity verification engine, orchestrating electronic identity verification (eIDV), document checks, PEP and sanctions screening, and beneficial ownership checks through a single, unified workflow

Together, these components give Escala a robust operational backbone for meeting its CDD obligations under the reformed AML/CTF framework, with the depth of verification capability to address both standard and enhanced due diligence requirements across its diverse investor base.

Scaling to Digital Investor Onboarding with LAB Engage

With the verification foundation in place, Escala has configured LAB Engage, LAB Group's multi-channel digital investor onboarding platform, in readiness for future rollout. LAB Engage will enable Escala to engage investors directly through a branded, end-to-end digital experience, capturing Know Your Client (KYC) data, conducting risk-based due diligence, and completing onboarding workflows without manual intervention.

The phased rollout approach illustrates the power of LAB Group's modular platform architecture. Rather than requiring a single, all-or-nothing implementation, firms can deploy the components most relevant to their immediate priorities and scale out progressively as their digital programs mature. As Escala's program grows, LAB's platform can be connected directly into wealth management and portfolio administration systems, enabling seamless data flow between client onboarding, compliance, and platform operations without duplication or manual re-keying.

Quotes

"With tighter regulatory compliance on its way, advisors and investors are increasingly required to meet new and greater due diligence obligations, and Escala is dedicated to making that process easier. We believe the wealth management sector is facing a genuine step change in what's expected of it under the AML/CTF reforms. Escala wanted a verification and compliance solution that was purpose-built for financial services and our clients, which could also be deployed quickly, and would grow with us as our digital program evolves. LAB Group offered exactly that: a proven platform that addressed our immediate compliance requirements and a clear roadmap for how we expand from verification through to fully digital investor onboarding."

Cherie Feher, Head of Compliance & Strategic Projects, Escala

"Escala is exactly the kind of firm that gets the most out of LAB's modular approach. By going live on LAB Portal and LAB Verify ahead of the March reform deadline, they've made a smart investment in their compliance infrastructure that also lays the foundation for a genuinely differentiated investor onboarding experience. As they scale out LAB Engage and eventually connect into their wealth management platforms, their clients will feel the difference from the very first interaction."

Nick Boudrie, CEO, LAB Group

About Escala

Escala is a wealth management advisory business providing personalised investment solutions to high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations, and institutional investors. With offices in Melbourne and Sydney, Escala delivers relationship-driven advisory across high-net-worth, family office, not-for-profit, and direct investment services. Escala is part of the global Focus Financial Partners network. escalapartners.com.au

About LAB Group

LAB Group is a leading Australian RegTech company powering digital onboarding, KYC automation, identity verification, and AML/CTF compliance for regulated businesses across financial services. Founded in 2010, LAB Group's modular platform, comprising LAB Engage, LAB Verify, LAB Portal, and LAB Service, enables institutions, wealth managers, and corporates to onboard clients efficiently, orchestrate multi-jurisdictional verifications, and maintain seamless compliance across evolving regulatory requirements. Trusted by major Australian and international financial institutions, LAB Group operates across Australia, Asia, the UK, and EMEA. labgroup.com.au