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Anti-Money Laundering [Financial services version]

  • 15 Minutes
  • For all staff
  • jurisdiction UK

Most countries operate tough laws to stop the proceeds of crime entering the formal economy, alongside measures against terrorist financing through trade payments, investments and remittances. This 15-minute refresher helps staff recall the three stages of the money laundering cycle, stay aware of the offences and penalties under AML legislation, and fulfil their own reporting obligations.

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.
objectives

What you’ll learn in
this course

  • Recognise the three stages of the money laundering cycle
  • Be aware of the offences and penalties under anti-money laundering legislation
  • Fulfil your obligations in relation to customer due diligence and suspicious activity reporting

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Build a resilient business with financial crime compliance training

Anti-money laundering failures cost UK firms an average of £186.5 million a year. Our training helps your people detect suspicious behaviour and uphold your company’s integrity.
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Counter Terrorist Financing

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Economic Sanctions

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Anti-Money Laundering [Financial services version]

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Appropriate Use of Communication Channels

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Counter-Proliferation Financing

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Tipping Off

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Customer Due Diligence

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Suspicious Activity Reporting

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Unexplained Wealth Orders

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Suspicious Activity Reporting

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Politically Exposed Persons

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Enhanced Customer Due Diligence

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Customer Due Diligence

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Understanding Terrorist Financing

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Terrorist Financing Red Flags

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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.

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Preventing Tipping Off

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime For all staff

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The Three Stages of Money Laundering

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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.

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Money Laundering Red Flags

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.

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Understanding Sanctions

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime For 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.
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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.