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Runtime vs Bretton AI

Runtime is one agent harness for every payment team, from compliance to payment ops, finance, and support. Bretton AI builds AI agents and managed services for financial crime compliance.

Updated October 7, 20264 min read

TL;DR: Runtime is the stronger choice when you want software your own team runs across every team that touches a transaction, with shared memory and your own cloud and models. Bretton AI is a good fit when financial crime compliance is the only scope, or when you want a vendor to run it for you.

Feature
RuntimeRuntime
Bretton AIBretton AI
What it isAgent harness for every payment teamAI agents for financial crime compliance
Teams coveredCompliance, risk, payment ops, finance, support, onboardingAML, KYC, sanctions, and fraud
Financial crime depthYou build agents from your SOPsPurpose-built agents and regulatory guidance
Model risk managementEvals on your own resolved casesBuilt-in trust infrastructure and evaluation
Managed operations optionSoftware your team runs, with FDE supportManaged services that run compliance ops for you
Shared memory across teamsOne governed memory for every teamWithin financial crime operations
Runs in your cloudYes, or fully self-hostedVendor platform
Bring your own modelsAny model, including local open modelsVendor-managed
Approvals on money movementBuilt in, from Slack, Teams, or the dashboardNot the focus

Bretton AI and Runtime at a glance

Bretton AI (formerly Greenlite) builds AI agents for financial crime operations. Its agents handle KYC and KYB reviews, AML and sanctions investigations, and ongoing monitoring, built on what it calls Trust Infrastructure: regulatory guidance, model risk management, and continuous evaluation. Banks regulated by the OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve use it, along with platforms like Robinhood, Mercury, and Gusto. In 2026 it raised a $75M Series B and launched managed services, where its own team runs compliance operations for customers.

Runtime is the AI agent harness for payment teams. From payment ops to risk, compliance, and support, anyone on the team can build agents that work their queues on their own computers inside your cloud, called from Slack, Teams, email, SMS, or voice, with approvals and a full audit trail.

The biggest difference is scope and ownership. Bretton goes deep on financial crime and can run that work for you. Runtime is software your own team uses across every operational team, with a forward-deployed engineer helping you roll it out.

How they differ

Compliance is one stop on the transaction

A sanctions hit or an AML alert rarely stays inside compliance. A single stuck payment touches support, payment ops, finance, and risk or compliance, and today each team works it in its own tool. Bretton covers the financial crime part deeply. Runtime gives every team one investigation and one record.

Software your team runs, not a service

Bretton offers managed services where its team runs compliance operations. Runtime is harness plus FDE, not a service disguised as software: a forward-deployed engineer with a payments and risk background maps your processes, builds the first agents with your team, and trains your admins. Your people use it every day and keep using it after the FDE leaves.

Start with one team, then expand

Runtime can land exactly where Bretton does, on one sharp compliance use case like KYB reviews. Because every agent shares one harness and one governed memory, the next agent for onboarding, payment ops, or finance starts with that context. Rain replaced $250k in vendor spend with Runtime.

Your cloud, your models, your record

Runtime agent computers run in your AWS, GCP, or Azure account, or fully self-hosted, with any model you choose. Card numbers and SSNs are stripped from prompts and logs, and every run is recorded end to end, so the record your sponsor bank or examiner asks for stays with you.

Where Bretton AI is stronger

  • Financial crime depth. Purpose-built agents for KYC, KYB, AML, sanctions, and monitoring.
  • Model risk management included. Regulatory guidance and continuous evaluation as part of its Trust Infrastructure.
  • Bank-grade references. Used by banks regulated by the OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve.
  • Managed services. Its team can run compliance operations for you.

Which should you choose

Choose Bretton AI if

  • Financial crime compliance (AML, KYC, sanctions) is the only scope
  • You want purpose-built compliance agents with model risk management included
  • You'd rather have a vendor run compliance operations for you
  • Your regulator relationship benefits from a specialist compliance vendor

Choose Runtime if

  • You want compliance, risk, payment ops, finance, and support on one platform
  • Your own team should own and run the agents
  • Data and models have to stay in your cloud
  • You need approvals on money movement and an audit trail you keep

See Runtime on your busiest queue

Bring one SOP. A forward-deployed AI engineer builds the first agent with your team, inside your cloud.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bretton AI?

Bretton AI, formerly Greenlite, builds AI agents for financial crime operations: KYC and KYB reviews, AML and sanctions investigations, and ongoing monitoring. In 2026 it raised a $75M Series B and launched managed services that run compliance operations for customers.

Is Bretton AI or Runtime better for a fintech compliance team?

If financial crime compliance is the only scope, or you want a vendor to run it for you, Bretton AI is a strong fit. If you want your own team running agents across compliance, risk, payment ops, finance, and support, in your own cloud, Runtime is the better fit.

Can Bretton AI run in my own cloud?

Bretton AI runs as a vendor platform with vendor-managed models. Runtime runs agent computers in your AWS, GCP, or Azure account, or fully self-hosted, and lets you bring any model, including open-weight models in your cloud.

What is the best Bretton AI alternative for payment companies?

Payment companies that want one platform for every team that touches a transaction, with approvals on money movement and an audit trail they own, choose Runtime. Runtime can start with a compliance use case and expand from there.

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