Interview with Mariya George, CEO & Co-Founder, Cleareye.ai
Editor: Deepesh Patel, Trade Treasury Payments (TTP)

Introduction

Deepesh Patel (TTP): Welcome to Trade Treasury Payments. I’m delighted to be joined by Mariya George, CEO and Co-Founder of Cleareye.ai. Mariya, welcome to TTP.

Mariya George: Thank you, Deepesh. Great to be here.

Quick-Fire Round

Deepesh: Let’s start with a quick-fire. One-word answers only.

1. Most underrated data source in trade finance?
   Mariya: Insurance and claims data.
2. One standard you would push into production tomorrow?
   Mariya: Interoperability.
3. A book or podcast you’d gift to someone new joining your company?
   Mariya: It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff.

AI Adoption in Trade Finance

Deepesh: Banks keep saying they’re drowning in paper and red flags. What’s the biggest misconception they have about AI in trade finance?

Mariya: Many assume AI is a “magic button” where everything instantly works. In reality, AI requires contextual training, patience, and strong change management, especially in a sector like trade finance that has been paper-driven for decades.
Banks often underestimate the importance of this transition.

The Core Problem ClearTrade® Solves

Deepesh: Instead of asking what ClearTrade® does, tell me the core problem you’re solving.

Mariya: The biggest problem in trade finance is data.
Global trade is accelerating, regulations are tightening, but banks are still operating with yesterday’s systems.

ClearTrade® solves this by:

• Digitizing and structuring unstructured documents
• Enabling end-to-end digital operations
• Supporting compliance workflows
• Powering TBML, sanctions, and risk checks

Once the underlying data problem is solved, every downstream process, including compliance, risk detection, and document checking, can be transformed.

Case Study: RAKBANK (UAE)

Deepesh: Your recent launch with RAKBANK caught my eye. How did ClearTrade® solve its data and compliance challenges?

Mariya: The timing was ideal. In 2024, the Central Bank of the UAE issued directives requiring banks to demonstrate strict trade-based money laundering (TBML) controls.

For RAKBANK, we enhanced ClearTrade® to align with these regulatory mandates, including:

• Comprehensive vessel tracking
• Port and country screening (sanctions, FATF lists)
• Vessel ownership checks
• Ship-to-ship and dock shipment detection
• Adverse media screening
• Line of business checks
• Price-fairness analysis
• Duplicate invoice detection
• Landlocked country checks
• Credit exposure insights

These capabilities not only digitized RAKBANK’s trade documents but also strengthened compliance and accelerated decision-making.

Human + AI: Where Do People Fit?

Deepesh: There’s a debate about AI taking jobs versus preserving expertise. How does ClearTrade® position humans in the loop?

Mariya: Our core principle: AI recommends; humans decide.
Especially in financial institutions, no bank wants AI to make final compliance decisions. That introduces liability.

ClearTrade® uses:

• Traditional ML
• GenAI
• Large language models (LLMs)

…to enhance human decision-making, not replace it.

For example:

• We generate human-readable document instructions from LC conditions
• We auto-check documents against these instructions
• We interpret clauses in guarantees and standbys, work that used to require paralegal specialists
• We summarize suspicious patterns for TBML
• We enrich risk assessment with external data, such as pricing indices

Training, Change Management & Adoption

Deepesh: Is training doc checkers a challenge?

Mariya: Training is important, but change management is critical.
Trade finance is complex, and people have long-established workflows.

ClearTrade® isn’t plug-and-play.
We review the bank’s existing processes, redesign workflows where needed, and ensure the system reduces, not increases, their workload.
The first few months after implementation are vital, and we work closely with customer teams to ensure smooth adoption.

Interoperability & Standards (ICC, MLETR, ETDA, LEI, DSI)

Deepesh: Interoperability was a major theme at WTO and Cybos. How does Cleareye align with emerging standards like MLETR, ICC DSI, LEI, and others?

Mariya: We monitor all major standards, MLETR, ICC DSI, ETDA, LEI, and more.
We’ve analyzed the full set of structured data elements required across trade documents.

Because we serve both global and regional banks, the requirements differ.
So our Common Data Model acts as a super-set aligned with global standards but customizable to each bank’s needs.

Interoperability remains our long-term vision, and it’s built into our 2026–2027 roadmap.

Product & Market Roadmap for 2026

Deepesh: What’s ahead for Cleareye in 2026?

Mariya:

1. Geographic Expansion

• MENA remains a priority due to regulatory momentum
• South America expansion
• Exploration into Africa

2. Product Focus

• Deepening capabilities in guarantees and standbys, powered by LLMs
• Enhancing TBML risk intelligence

3. Agentic AI

We aim to introduce autonomous AI agents to automate complex workflows and improve customer engagement.

Founding Cleareye: Personal Reflections

Deepesh: You moved from global IT leadership to founding Cleareye.ai. What conviction kept you going?

Mariya: I once told a customer, “Trade is messy, and that’s why we chose it.”
The messiness comes from the data.
If we can fix the data, we can fix trade finance.

The advancements in GenAI over the past two years validated that belief.
Trade is the backbone of the global economy. Solving this problem is meaningful.

What Changed Your Mind in 2024–2025?

Deepesh: What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the past year?

Mariya: The U.S. tariff changes and government shutdown were scenarios we’d never experienced.
Banks paused decision-making in Q2.

It reminded me to stay calm and recognize that pauses don’t signal the end, just a temporary slowdown.
By Q3, activity surged again with global RFPs.
It confirmed that trade is resilient and essential.

Closing

Deepesh: Mariya, thank you for your honesty, reflections, and insights. Trade is resilient, counter-cyclical, and essential. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.

Mariya: Thank you, Deepesh. Happy to be here.