Hawk

AI-native anti-money laundering and fraud prevention for banks and payment firms

Aikido Security

Belgian AI-powered application security platform for development teams

Hawk

Excellent

22/25

Aikido Security

Strong

21/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionHawkAikido Security

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Hawk: European company offering SaaS or private-cloud deployment and GDPR compliance, but no publicly published EU-only data-residency commitment or named region. EU customers should confirm EU hosting via the DPA. Scored conservatively pending explicit residency disclosure.

Aikido Security: Hosted on AWS infrastructure. Source code is not retained after scanning. Belgian company but AWS hosting means data may traverse US infrastructure. Code non-retention is a strong architectural decision.

3/5

European company offering SaaS or private-cloud deployment and GDPR compliance, but no publicly published EU-only data-residency commitment or named region. EU customers should confirm EU hosting via the DPA. Scored conservatively pending explicit residency disclosure.

3/5

Hosted on AWS infrastructure. Source code is not retained after scanning. Belgian company but AWS hosting means data may traverse US infrastructure. Code non-retention is a strong architectural decision.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Hawk: Incorporated as Hawk AI GmbH in Munich, Germany (EU/EEA), with no US parent. Falls fully under EU/GDPR jurisdiction — ideal for EU regulated institutions.

Aikido Security: Belgian NV incorporation under EU law. Full GDPR coverage. No US parent company. AWS hosting introduces some considerations but code non-retention mitigates risks.

5/5

Incorporated as Hawk AI GmbH in Munich, Germany (EU/EEA), with no US parent. Falls fully under EU/GDPR jurisdiction — ideal for EU regulated institutions.

4/5

Belgian NV incorporation under EU law. Full GDPR coverage. No US parent company. AWS hosting introduces some considerations but code non-retention mitigates risks.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Hawk: Offers DPAs, encryption, GDPR-aligned PII handling and private-cloud isolation; AI learns from analyst feedback within the customer tenant. No public explicit shared-model no-training clause, so scored 4 pending DPA confirmation of retention and training terms.

Aikido Security: Source code is explicitly not retained after scanning—only results are stored. This is a best-in-class approach for security scanning tools. No training on customer code.

4/5

Offers DPAs, encryption, GDPR-aligned PII handling and private-cloud isolation; AI learns from analyst feedback within the customer tenant. No public explicit shared-model no-training clause, so scored 4 pending DPA confirmation of retention and training terms.

5/5

Source code is explicitly not retained after scanning—only results are stored. This is a best-in-class approach for security scanning tools. No training on customer code.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Hawk: Holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, with ISO 22301 alignment and GDPR audits — a strong stack including sector-relevant resilience certification for a financial-crime vendor.

Aikido Security: ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II certified. Exceptional for a security company. FedRAMP certification in progress. Strong independent verification of security controls.

5/5

Holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, with ISO 22301 alignment and GDPR audits — a strong stack including sector-relevant resilience certification for a financial-crime vendor.

5/5

ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II certified. Exceptional for a security company. FedRAMP certification in progress. Strong independent verification of security controls.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Hawk: Purpose-built for regulated EU financial institutions (AML/CFT, fraud), used by Tier-1 banks and payment firms; directly relevant to BaFin and other EU financial supervisors. Forrester Strong Performer, Q2 2025.

Aikido Security: Strong certifications and EU jurisdiction. Code non-retention architecture is highly suitable for regulated industries. Belgian incorporation and ISO/SOC certifications support enterprise procurement.

5/5

Purpose-built for regulated EU financial institutions (AML/CFT, fraud), used by Tier-1 banks and payment firms; directly relevant to BaFin and other EU financial supervisors. Forrester Strong Performer, Q2 2025.

4/5

Strong certifications and EU jurisdiction. Code non-retention architecture is highly suitable for regulated industries. Belgian incorporation and ISO/SOC certifications support enterprise procurement.

Total Score

22/25

21/25

Best For

Hawk

Best for teams prioritising European legal jurisdiction; privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; teams on a tight budget.

Aikido Security

Best for teams prioritising European legal jurisdiction; organisations requiring broad certification coverage (ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 22301 (alignment)); regulated industries (BaFin, BfDI); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment.

Detailed Comparison

Aikido Security vs Hawk: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Aikido Security (Aikido Security, BE) scores 21/25 overall with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. Belgian AI-powered application security platform for development teams. Hawk (Hawk, DE) scores 22/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. AI-native anti-money laundering and fraud prevention for banks and payment firms.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 3/5.

●Aikido Security (3/5): Hosted on AWS infrastructure. Source code is not retained after scanning. Belgian company but AWS hosting means data may traverse US infrastructure. Code non-retention is a strong architectural decision.

●Hawk (3/5): European company offering SaaS or private-cloud deployment and GDPR compliance, but no publicly published EU-only data-residency commitment or named region. EU customers should confirm EU hosting via the DPA. Scored conservatively pending explicit residency disclosure.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Hawk leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●Aikido Security (4/5): Belgian NV incorporation under EU law. Full GDPR coverage. No US parent company. AWS hosting introduces some considerations but code non-retention mitigates risks.

●Hawk (5/5): Incorporated as Hawk AI GmbH in Munich, Germany (EU/EEA), with no US parent. Falls fully under EU/GDPR jurisdiction — ideal for EU regulated institutions.

#### Data Retention & Training

Aikido Security leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●Aikido Security (5/5): Source code is explicitly not retained after scanning—only results are stored. This is a best-in-class approach for security scanning tools. No training on customer code.

●Hawk (4/5): Offers DPAs, encryption, GDPR-aligned PII handling and private-cloud isolation; AI learns from analyst feedback within the customer tenant. No public explicit shared-model no-training clause, so scored 4 pending DPA confirmation of retention and training terms.

#### Certifications

Both score equally at 5/5.

●Aikido Security (5/5): ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II certified. Exceptional for a security company. FedRAMP certification in progress. Strong independent verification of security controls.

●Hawk (5/5): Holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, with ISO 22301 alignment and GDPR audits — a strong stack including sector-relevant resilience certification for a financial-crime vendor.

#### Regulatory Fit

Hawk leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●Aikido Security (4/5): Strong certifications and EU jurisdiction. Code non-retention architecture is highly suitable for regulated industries. Belgian incorporation and ISO/SOC certifications support enterprise procurement.

●Hawk (5/5): Purpose-built for regulated EU financial institutions (AML/CFT, fraud), used by Tier-1 banks and payment firms; directly relevant to BaFin and other EU financial supervisors. Forrester Strong Performer, Q2 2025.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Aikido Security	Hawk
GDPR	No	Yes
ISO 22301 (alignment)	No	Yes
ISO 27001	Yes	No
ISO/IEC 27001:2022	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type 2	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

Aikido Security and Hawk are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 21/25 and 22/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Hawk or Aikido Security?

Hawk has a TrustKit score of 22/25 while Aikido Security scores 21/25. Hawk currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Hawk and Aikido Security compare on data residency?

Hawk scores 3/5 for data residency (European company offering SaaS or private-cloud deployment and GDPR compliance, but no publicly published EU-only data-residency commitment or named region. EU customers should confirm EU hosting via the DPA. Scored conservatively pending explicit residency disclosure.), while Aikido Security scores 3/5 (Hosted on AWS infrastructure. Source code is not retained after scanning. Belgian company but AWS hosting means data may traverse US infrastructure. Code non-retention is a strong architectural decision.).

Are Hawk and Aikido Security GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Hawk has a regulatory fit score of 5/5 and Aikido Security scores 4/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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