ANTI-money laundering pioneers SmartSearch have won Britain’s most coveted business award.

The Ilkley-based firm has joined an elite group of companies after being awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The award recognises businesses which have excelled in international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting opportunity and is the highest award for British businesses.

SmartSearch has been recognised in the innovation category for developing a world-leading Anti-Money Laundering (AML) verification platform.

SmartSearch’s unique AML solution brings together individual and business searches for the UK and International Markets with automatic Worldwide Sanction and PEP screening. It is already used by more than 3,000 businesses across the world with around 50 new clients coming on board each month.

SmartSearch has already won five awards for its innovative technology, and last month was named one of Yorkshire's fastest growing businesses following a 1,450 per cent increase in turnover in just five years.

As a result of its success, the company has also seen staff numbers grow from seven to 90 and it has recently located to a new office in Ilkley.

SmartSearch MD Martin Cheek, said: “We are extremely proud to have been given The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation; it is such a prestigious honour.

“SmartSearch has grown so fast over the past two years; this award really recognises that commercial achievement and is testimony to the hard work and dedication of our staff.”