Market Abuse Regulation Global Compliance Training Course
45 Minutes
For all staff
Global
Market abuse is illegal behaviour that undermines the integrity of financial markets, including insider dealing, unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation. It can expose your business to heavy fines, regulatory action and reputational damage.
Reduce your compliance risk with our Market Abuse Regulation Compliance Training. This in-depth CPD UK certified e-learning course helps global staff recognise market abuse, protect inside information and understand their responsibilities.
What you’ll learn in this course
Recognise the types of behaviour classed as market abuse
Take appropriate action to avoid dealing on the basis of inside information and prevent its unlawful disclosure
Act with integrity and honesty to avoid market manipulation
Observe the market rules in relation to insider lists, disclosure of managers' deals, research disclosures and safe harbours
Know when and how to report suspicious transactions and blow the whistle
Hear from our customers
We've been using Skillcast for approx. 1.5 years and have been very happy with the service received and the courses offered. The customer service from the support team is excellent, they always respond quickly and are very helpful. The courses offered cover a broad range and the FCA courses were particularly useful to our business.
Feefo Customer Rating ★★★★★4.9/5
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Build a resilient business with financial crime compliance training
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Senior managers at UK dual-regulated firms answer to both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), with conduct rules underpinning everything. A core pillar of the SM&CR, UK senior managers must adhere to individual conduct rules and senior manager conduct rules, including acting with integrity, due skill and diligence, maintaining effective control (including compliance systems), and ensuring regulatory compliance. This in-depth 60-minute course covers all conduct rules, from paying due regard to customer interests, showing cooperation with regulators, and observing proper market conduct standards to delivering good outcomes for retail customers (Consumer Duty), effectively overseeing delegation of responsibilities, and ensuring appropriate disclosures to regulators. In short, it’s all about accountability and personal responsibility.
Market Abuse Regulation Global Compliance Training Course
In-depth45 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Market abuse is illegal behaviour that undermines the integrity of financial markets, including insider dealing, unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation. It can expose your business to heavy fines, regulatory action and reputational damage. Reduce your compliance risk with our Market Abuse Regulation Compliance Training. This in-depth CPD UK certified e-learning course helps global staff recognise market abuse, protect inside information and understand their responsibilities.
Embargoes and Sanctions Training Course
In-depth45 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Market abuse is illegal behaviour that undermines the integrity of financial markets, including insider dealing, unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation. It can expose your business to heavy fines, regulatory action and reputational damage. Reduce your compliance risk with our Market Abuse Regulation Compliance Training. This in-depth CPD UK certified e-learning course helps global staff recognise market abuse, protect inside information and understand their responsibilities.
Information Barriers
In-depth45 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
Information barriers are essential for managing confidential information and preventing conflicts of interest within financial services firms. This in-depth course helps UK staff understand how information walls separate the private side and public side and restrict the flow of material non-public information (MNPI) and inside information. Learn how the FCA Handbook informs compliance policies, including wall crossing procedures, trading restrictions and the role of the compliance control room. Discover how physical, technological and organisational separation can reduce the risk of insider trading, front running and market manipulation. The course also covers compliance monitoring, control testing, confidentiality, non-disclosure agreements and the responsibilities of proprietary traders, flow traders, syndicate desks and commitment committees in maintaining effective information barriers.
Embargoes and Sanctions
In-depth45 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
First, there’s the legal backdrop. International law, human rights concerns, counter-terrorism and the spread of WMDs drive sanctions, and trade embargoes and trade restrictions apply to particular countries, goods and sectors. Export controls add another layer, with export licences and licence requirements deciding what can be shipped and to whom. Learn how firms put this into practice: screening protocols, ownership and control checks, beneficial ownership, and the handling of target matches. We also look at wire stripping, red flags, record-keeping and whistleblowing, and how a firm’s risk appetite shapes the way it works.
Financial Sanctions Compliance E-Learning Course
In-depth45 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
A payment that looks routine can still breach financial sanctions if a designated person is behind it. This in-depth compliance course helps UK staff understand how financial sanctions work, why they’re imposed and what they must do to stay on the right side of the law. Financial sanctions are used to respond to terrorism financing, human rights violations, counter-proliferation financing and the actions of rogue states. They take different forms, from trade embargoes to targeted asset freezes, and come from different authorities. In the UK, OFSI enforces financial sanctions, while OFAC administers US sanctions that can reach UK firms too. Putting this into practice means knowing who owns and controls a customer, using sanctions screening and automated screening, and recognising tactics such as wire stripping. Firms also need a clear sanctions policy, proper record-keeping and staff who understand their legal obligations.
Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II)
In-depth40 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
MiFID II compliance depends on how your people handle investment products, client information and trading decisions. Our Markets in Financial Instruments Compliance Training ensures your employees have the knoweledge they need on product governance, remuneration, best execution, investor protection, safeguarding client assets and transaction reporting. Give financial services staff the ability to apply the rules consistently and avoid leaving critical compliance duties to chance. This practical, indepth compliance e-learning course acknowledges that MiFID II obligations extend well beyond the front office and helps staff recognise their responsibilities as well as provide appropriate information and advice, maintain accurate records and support better outcomes for investors.
Ethical Standards in Finance and Investment
In-depth40 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
Ethical decisions shape client trust, professional credibility and your firm's reputation, where a poor decision can undermine client relationships, breach professional obligations and expose you to regulatory scrutiny. Our Ethical Standards in Finance and Investment Compliance Training course enables financial services professionals to apply FCA ethical expectations in practice. Help your staff recognise ethical risks and make sound decisions with this in-depth e-learning course, ensuring they have the knowledge to uphold professional standards before a lapse in judgement becomes a wider compliance issue.
MCOB - General Standards
In-depth40 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
FCA MCOB general standards apply to more than mortgage advisers. Our e-learning compliance course helps staff understand what the rules cover, how they apply to mortgage business and what responsible lending requires. Build the knowledge teams need to apply FCA mortgage conduct requirements consistently across the home finance customer journey. Mortgage compliance can break down when teams assume the rules apply to someone else. From financial promotions and administration to lending and servicing, everyone involved in home finance activity needs to understand their responsibilities. This MCOB General Standards Compliance Course helps close those knowledge gaps, giving your people the confidence to recognise their obligations and support fair customer outcomes.
Financial Crime Prevention E-Learning Course for Staff
In-depth40 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Financial crime exposes organisations to regulatory penalties, financial losses and reputational damage. Preventing it takes more than specialist controls: every employee needs to recognise suspicious activity and understand when to act. Our Financial Crime Prevention Compliance Training outlines how financial crime occurs what risks to look out for and what your role requires. Build a stronger first line of defence by helping employees spot suspicious behaviour and report concerns through the right channels. This in-depth compliance e-learning course equips staff to recognise offences including fraud, market abuse and money laundering, supporting your organisation’s financial crime compliance obligations.
Financial Crime Prevention (Commercial Insurance)
In-depth35 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Bribery Act 2010 set out the offences; the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 adds further duties, and FCA regulations shape how firms apply them. Customer identification, sanctions checks and financial sanctions show how firms decide who they can safely deal with, including in high-risk jurisdictions. The course also covers people and behaviour. Social engineering and invoice fraud target ordinary staff, while insider trading and tipping off carry serious consequences. A gifts and hospitality policy, internal controls and clear whistleblowing routes help keep everyone in check.
Give your complaints function the oversight it needs to resolve issues effectively and improve customer outcomes. This in-depth complaints handling compliance e-learning helps managers take ownership of the complaints process, support accurate reporting and strengthen accountability.
FCA whistleblowing requirements place clear responsibilities on financial services firms and their managers. A defensive response can shut down reporting before a concern is properly investigated. Senior managers must do more than know the whistleblowing policy: they need to listen without prejudice, protect confidentiality, understand their responsibilities and ensure concerns reach the right people. Improve FCA compliance with our in-depth whistleblowing compliance e-learning, helping financial services managers respond with confidence, reduce the risk of staff detriment and build trust in reporting channels. Enable managers to gain the practical skills to handle disclosures appropriately and support effective whistleblowing arrangements. This practical Whistleblowing FCA Compliance Course for Managers explains why speaking up matters, the legal protections available to whistleblowers, why employees may stay silent and how managers should respond when concerns are raised.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing
In-depth30 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
The CPD-accredited e-learning outlines how laundering works: placement, layering and integration, and the predicate offence that creates the proceeds in the first place. It also covers the controls firms rely on: risk assessments, customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) when the risk is higher. Politically exposed persons (PEPs) and beneficial ownership need particular care. Learn why tipping off is an offence, and how tools and acts like unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) and the EU Directive on Asset Recovery and Confiscation fit into the wider picture.
MCOB - APRC, Shortfalls and Charges
In-depth30 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
Produce compliant financial promotions, improve transparency for customers and meet FCA and Consumer Duty expectations.
Training and Competence
In-depth30 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
The in-depth course also examines role-specific qualifications for certification staff and retail investment advisers, alongside continuous professional development (CPD) and ongoing competence assessment requirements. Discover how accurate training and competence record-keeping support compliance, and understand the importance of threshold conditions and exemptions from qualifications criteria.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing E-learning Course
In-depth30 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Money laundering offences carry personal criminal liability, and failing to report a suspicion is itself an offence in the UK. Suspicion is usually formed by someone noticing that an explanation does not hold together. Training all staff rather than only the financial crime team gives your firm the detection coverage its systems cannot provide, and supports the training obligation under the Money Laundering Regulations.
Senior Management Arrangements Systems and Controls
Then there are the risks that cut across every firm. Financial crime prevention depends on customer due diligence and money laundering controls, overseen by the MLRO role. Conflict of interest management, remuneration codes and whistleblower protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act keep behaviour in check.
Payment Services Regulations
In-depth25 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
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BCOBS - General Standards
In-depth25 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
Financial promotions and communications with customers must be fair and clear. Post-sale requirements, including advance notice requirements, keep customers informed of changes. Customer rights range from cancellation rights to the bank’s right of set-off. When payments go wrong, the Payment Services Regulations govern unauthorised payments and incorrectly executed payments. Vulnerable customers need extra care, and dormant accounts and account termination bring duties of their own. Record-keeping underpins all of it.
Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks of Virtual Assets
Express20 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Exposure reaches firms that do not deal in crypto at all, arriving through customers whose wealth or transactions originate there. Source of funds questions become considerably harder to answer. Training staff who onboard clients and review transactions gives them the vocabulary to ask the right questions, rather than accepting an explanation nobody in the room can evaluate.
FSCS Deposit Protection
In-depth20 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
This 20-minute course enables teams to gain practical knowledge of compensation limits, customer eligibility, disclosure obligations and where additional protection may apply. Understand key concepts including Temporary High Balances, joint accounts, beneficiary-type accounts, the compensation process and the role of the FSCS protected badge.
COBS - Dealing and Managing
In-depth20 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
COBS dealing and managing rules govern how firms execute client orders and manage investments. A documented policy is not enough if day-to-day practice falls short. Our in-depth FCA COBS compliance training course, focused on dealing and managing, outlines how to apply best execution requirements and handle client orders correctly. Ensure dealing and investment staff understand the rules for order aggregation and allocation and follow execution policies. This COBS Dealing and Managing compliance e-learning helps to remove inconsistent allocation and eliminate unmanaged conflicts of interest, which can undermine client trust and attract regulatory scrutiny. Train staff to apply FCA COBS requirements in practice, protect client interests and keep dealing and managing activities aligned with regulatory expectations.
COBS - Client Categorisation
In-depth20 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
COBS 3 sorts clients into three client categories: retail clients, professional clients and eligible counterparties. Per se professional clients qualify automatically, including local authorities in some cases, while elective professional clients must pass a quantitative test and a qualitative test. Sophisticated clients need particular care, because trading knowledge alone does not remove a firm’s duties. The client take-on process then puts the decision into practice. Firms give client notification, send client agreements and keep proper records, and a change in circumstances can lead to client re-categorisation.
Third-Party Due Diligence
Express15 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Third parties create exposure under bribery, sanctions, modern slavery and fraud legislation, often on a strict basis where intent is irrelevant. Diligence completed at onboarding and never revisited misses everything that changes afterwards. Giving commercial and operational staff the ability to spot a red flag keeps the process alive between formal reviews, where most of the risk actually accumulates.
Counter Terrorist Financing
Express15 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Terrorist financing differs from money laundering in an important way: the sums are often small and the funds may be entirely legitimate in origin, which means transaction monitoring calibrated for laundering will miss it. Human judgement about context matters more here than pattern detection. Training staff to notice what does not fit is the control that actually applies.
Economic Sanctions
Refresher15 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Sanctions lists change without notice and often at short political notice, which means knowledge dates faster here than in almost any other compliance area. Liability frequently attaches regardless of intent. A short annual refresher keeps staff alert to the fact that yesterday's acceptable counterparty may not be today's, and reinforces the habit of escalating rather than assuming.
Failing to report a suspicion is a personal criminal offence, which makes this one of the few areas where individual staff carry direct liability. Typologies also change as criminals adapt to new controls. A short annual refresher keeps recognition current and produces the dated training records the Money Laundering Regulations require firms to maintain.
Appropriate Use of Communication Channels
In-depth10 MinutesFinancial CrimeFCA HandbookFor all staff
Communication channels compliance training helps financial services staff use approved messaging apps and meet business communication recording requirements. Using the wrong channel can expose firms to regulatory penalties even when the underlying business is legitimate. Our in-depth course explains which business activities must be recorded, which communication channels are permitted, and the risks of using unapproved or ephemeral messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Snapchat and Telegram. Equip your workforce with practical communication channels e-learning to reinforce approved channel use, meet recordkeeping obligations and reduce avoidable regulatory risk. Without retrievable records of business conversations, firms may struggle to demonstrate compliance when the regulators comes asking.
Counter-Proliferation Financing
Express10 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Proliferation financing became an explicit risk assessment requirement rather than something absorbed into general AML work, and firms are expected to show they have considered it specifically. The indicators differ from laundering typologies, often involving dual-use goods and complex shipping routes. Training staff on what makes PF distinct is what allows your risk assessment to describe something real.
Tipping Off
Express10 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
This is one of the few compliance situations where the natural, helpful response is the illegal one. An employee explaining a delay to an irritated customer can commit an offence with a single sentence. Training staff on what they can and cannot say protects them personally and preserves an investigation that would otherwise be compromised at the counter.
Customer Due Diligence
Express10 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
CDD failures usually happen at the edges: an incomplete file accepted under time pressure, an explanation taken at face value, a change in circumstances never revisited. Staff outside the onboarding team often hold the piece of context that would have raised a question. Making the standard visible across the business is what turns CDD into a control rather than a form.
Suspicious Activity Reporting
Express10 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Suspicion is a low threshold and the offence is personal, which surprises most people. Reports fail to happen because staff wait for certainty they will never have, or assume someone senior already knows. A short, direct module on the threshold and the route is the most efficient way to correct both assumptions across a whole workforce.
Unexplained Wealth Orders
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Unexplained wealth orders allow law enforcement to seize assets if their owners cannot justify their wealth as coming from a legitimate source. This training explores how unexplained wealth orders work, their role in tackling financial crime and the importance of reporting suspicious activity.
Suspicious Activity Reporting
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Employees must report any knowledge or suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing to the Money Laundering Reporting Officer. This training explains reporting obligations, the consequences of failing to report and how to handle suspicious activity appropriately.
Politically Exposed Persons
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Politically exposed persons present a high risk of money laundering due to their influence and access to state resources. This training explains how to identify politically exposed persons, assess their risk and apply enhanced due diligence when dealing with them.
Enhanced Customer Due Diligence
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Enhanced customer due diligence is required for high-risk customers, including politically exposed persons, high-value transactions and clients from high-risk jurisdictions. This training helps you identify when enhanced customer due diligence is necessary, conduct deeper checks and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Customer Due Diligence
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Customer due diligence helps protect us against financial crime by verifying customer identities and understanding their business activities. This training explains initial and ongoing customer due diligence requirements, the importance of knowing your customer and when to report suspicious activity.
Understanding Terrorist Financing
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Terrorist groups rely on financial support from various sources, both intentional and unintentional. This training helps employees understand how terrorists secure funds, recognise red flags of terrorist financing and take action to prevent financial crime.
Terrorist Financing Red Flags
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Terrorist groups use legal and illegal methods to raise and move funds, often exploiting financial systems to conceal their activities. This training helps you recognise suspicious transactions, high-risk individuals and locations and unusual behaviours that could indicate terrorist financing.
Preventing Tipping Off
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Tipping off is a criminal offence that occurs when someone under investigation for financial crime is made aware of the suspicion against them. This training helps employees understand what constitutes tipping off, how to handle customer inquiries without breaching legal obligations and the correct way to respond in these situations.
The Three Stages of Money Laundering
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Money laundering is the process criminals use to disguise illicit funds as legitimate income through placement, layering and integration. This training helps employees recognise the stages of money laundering, identify suspicious financial activities and take appropriate action to prevent financial crime.
Money Laundering Red Flags
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Detecting and reporting money laundering red flags is essential for maintaining anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. This training helps employees recognise suspicious transactions, assess potential risks and report concerns to the appropriate authorities.
Understanding Sanctions
Microlearning5 MinutesFinancial CrimeFor all staff
Sanctions lists change without notice and often at short political notice, which means knowledge dates faster here than in almost any other compliance area. Liability frequently attaches regardless of intent. A short annual refresher keeps staff alert to the fact that yesterday's acceptable counterparty may not be today's, and reinforces the habit of escalating rather than assuming.
Your questions, answered
Financial Crime
How can I log and track incidents of financial crime in my organisation?
Our Compliance Breach Register allows you to securely log and monitor incidents of financial crime, such as bribery or money laundering. The tool enables you to track resolution progress and maintain a clear audit trail, ensuring accountability and compliance with regulatory requirements.
How can I ensure my employees understand and comply with our internal policies in relation to financial crime?
Our Policy Hub enables you to distribute policies such as your Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policy to employees, track acknowledgements, and send automated reminders. This ensures everyone understands their obligations and helps you maintain compliance with financial crime regulations. .
Can small businesses be held accountable under competition law?
Yes. Competition law applies to businesses of all sizes. Even small companies can face investigations and serious penalties for engaging in anti-competitive conduct.
Are informal conversations with competitors risky?
Absolutely. Informal chats, especially those involving prices, market plans, or customers, can constitute unlawful agreements and should be avoided.
What are the consequences of breaking competition law?
Violations can lead to heavy fines for companies, director disqualification, criminal prosecution, and reputational damage.
How can companies prevent anti-competitive behaviour?
By implementing regular compliance training, setting clear internal policies, encouraging reporting of concerns, and ensuring employees understand the legal risks.
Does the Criminal Finances Act 2017 apply to non-UK companies?
Yes. The Act can apply to overseas entities if any part of the tax evasion facilitation occurs within the UK or involves UK tax liabilities. Multinational firms with UK operations should take note.
What industries are most at risk under the Criminal Finances Act?
Industries with complex financial transactions, high-value assets, or extensive third-party relationships such as banking, legal services, real estate, and professional consulting are particularly exposed to conduct and facilitation risks.
How often should businesses review their tax evasion prevention procedures?
Best practice is to conduct reviews annually or whenever there are significant changes in business operations, regulatory guidance, or risk exposure. Regular audits help ensure ongoing compliance.
Can small businesses be prosecuted under the Criminal Finances Act 2017?
Yes. The Act applies to all organisations, regardless of size. However, the HMRC’s guiding principles allow for proportionality, meaning smaller firms are expected to implement controls that match their risk level and operational complexity.
What industries are most vulnerable to proliferation financing risks?
Industries dealing with dual-use goods, advanced technologies, chemicals, and logistics are particularly exposed. Financial institutions supporting international trade also face elevated risks.
How can small businesses ensure compliance with proliferation financing regulations?
Even SMEs should implement basic risk assessments, maintain up-to-date sanctions screening tools, and train staff on red flags related to trade-based money laundering and dual-use items.
Are there international standards for combating proliferation financing?
Yes. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) provides global guidelines, including Recommendation 7, which focuses on targeted financial sanctions related to proliferation.
What are “dual-use goods” and why are they significant?
Dual-use goods are items that can serve both civilian and military purposes. Their trade is tightly regulated due to the potential for misuse in weapons development.
How often should proliferation financing risk assessments be updated?
Best practice suggests reviewing risk assessments annually or whenever there are significant changes in business operations, customer profiles, or geopolitical developments.
What is an anti-money laundering check?
As per Experian, AML checks “help prevent money laundering by confirming potential customers and businesses are who they say they are, and assessing how likely it is they’re involved in financial crime. For entities regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), this due diligence is considered essential and is a legal requirement”.
What is anti-money laundering compliance?
Following AML laws, regulations and procedures to detect and stop suspicious and illicit money flows, including fraud and terrorist financing.
What’s the most common punishment for financial crime?
Monetary fines: they’re a powerful tool for encouraging 100% compliance. However, financial crime still happens worldwide. For example, cryptocurrency exchange Binance paid a $4.3 billion fine after admitting it engaged in money laundering, among other things. Brazilian engineering giant Odebrecht was fined $2.6 billion for bribery to the tune of £553 million; luxury car and aero-engine manufacturing business Rolls-Royce paid £671 million to settle corruption cases; and global financial services group Barclays received a £284 million fine for failing to control business practices – to name a few.