Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing (Combat Financial Crime)
CPD-accredited AML training for UK financial services. Sector-tailored scenarios mapped to MLR 2017 and JMLSG help staff spot and report financial crime.
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Generic combatting financial crime (CFC) training rarely reflects a firm’s actual risk profile, and the FCA expects training to do exactly that. This course closes that gap. It’s tailored to the industries CityLearning serves: payments, insurance, Lloyd’s, banking and asset management, so training maps to the risks, transactions and red flags relevant to that sector, helping firms evidence training that meets FCA expectations rather than a one-size-fits-all script.
Each version includes sector-specific information, real-world case studies and scenario-based testing relevant to the firm completing it, and is created by people who have worked in the industry, not generic content adapted after the fact.
What is anti-money laundering (AML) and why does it matter?
Anti-money laundering refers to the controls firms use to detect and prevent criminals disguising the origins of illicit funds. In the UK, the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017) and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002) set the framework, supported by JMLSG guidance. Weak controls expose firms to FCA enforcement, penalties and reputational harm.
Who needs AML training in a regulated firm?
Because laundering moves through everyday transactions, the people best placed to spot it are often front-line staff rather than specialists. Under Regulation 24 of the MLR 2017, every employee whose work is relevant to the firm’s AML obligations must be trained: client-facing teams, onboarding, operations, compliance, the MLRO and senior management. Firm-wide awareness is a core part of your defence.
What does AML training cover?
This course gives your team a clear, practical understanding of money laundering and terrorist financing. Learners define money laundering, work through its three stages, and see how terrorist financing differs.
The course then covers your legal obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations, customer due diligence and risk profiling, and how to recognise and report suspicious activity to the MLRO without tipping off the customer.
Grounded in real enforcement cases, learners finish knowing how to spot the red flags of financial crime and report them correctly.
What does the FCA expect from AML training?
The FCA expects firms to maintain effective systems and controls, and to give relevant staff training that suits their role and risk exposure. Under the MLR 2017, training must build genuine understanding rather than simply log attendance, and firms must evidence it. Scenario-based content tailored by sector (banking, insurance, asset management and payments) helps demonstrate that effectiveness.
Available in multiple sector-specific versions and kept current with the latest JMLSG guidance and regulatory expectations. This course suits all staff in regulated firms, with deeper modules for compliance teams and the MLRO.
Learning Objectives
Hover over or tap a module to see its learning objectives.
Module 1
Why Combat Money Laundering?
Learning objectives
- Identifies the impact of financial crime on society and on you, personally.
- Defines money laundering.
- Identifies the three stages of money laundering.
- Defines terrorist financing.
- Defines proliferation financing.
Module 2
Your Legal Obligations
Learning objectives
- Understands your legal obligations to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.
- Identifies the potential consequences you and your firm face if you don't carry out your legal obligations.
Module 3
CDD and Risk
Learning objectives
- Understands Customer Due Diligence (CDD).
- Understands the ongoing nature of CDD.
- Identifies the four main risk categories to consider when assessing a customer's risk profile.
Module 4
Different Levels of CDD
Learning objectives
- Understands the different levels of CDD.
- Describes the essential steps in identifying and verifying a customer.
Module 5
Identifying and Verifying the Customer
Learning objectives
- Lists the three types of information needed to verify the identity of a natural person.
- Defines beneficial owner.
- Identifies the documentation required to verify a corporate customer.
- Identifies which corporate entities require additional checks.
- Understands our responsibilities when using a third party to verify a customer.
Module 6
Records and Reporting
Learning objectives
- Understands record-keeping obligations and your role in them.
- Recognises the characteristics of potential money laundering transactions.
- Identifies the signs of potential terrorist financing transactions.
- Lists the steps involved in reporting your suspicions.
- Recognises situations which could lead to tipping off a customer.
What's included
- Up to 1 hour of focused, scenario-based learning
- CII CPD accredited
- Built-in quiz with a configurable pass mark
- Reviewed and kept current with UK regulation
- Time-stamped completion records for your audit trail
How it works
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Assign it in seconds
Enrol a team, a role or your whole firm from the CityREPORTS dashboard, with automated reminders that chase completion for you.
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Your team completes it
Learners work through the course at their own pace on any device, finishing with a short assessment that demonstrates understanding.
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Evidence it to the regulator
Every completion is time-stamped and retained, so you can prove the right people did the right training at any moment.
Frequently asked questions
- Who needs AML training in a UK regulated firm?
- Under Regulation 24 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, every employee whose work is relevant to the firm's AML obligations must be trained. In practice that is broad: client-facing staff, onboarding teams, compliance and risk functions, the MLRO, and senior management.
- How often is AML training required in the UK?
- The MLR 2017 sets no fixed interval; it requires appropriate, ongoing training for relevant staff. The industry standard is at least an annual refresher, with higher-risk roles trained more often and additional training triggered by regulatory change, internal incidents, or a change of role.
- What must AML training cover?
- JMLSG guidance indicates training should cover the three stages of money laundering, customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD), politically exposed persons (PEPs), suspicious activity reports (SARs), the tipping-off prohibition, and the firm's own policies. Content must suit the employee's role and risk exposure.
- What AML training records must firms keep?
- Firms should keep records showing who completed AML training, when, and on which version of the course. Time-stamped completion records, not simply attendance logs, are what the FCA expects to see during financial crime supervision, and records should be retained for at least five years.
- Does a new joiner need AML training straight away?
- JMLSG guidance states that relevant employees should be trained before they begin work, or as soon as reasonably practicable after joining. Firms should not wait until a full induction period is complete for roles that carry immediate money-laundering exposure.
- What are the consequences of inadequate AML training?
- Failing to train relevant staff is a breach of Regulation 24 of the MLR 2017 and can form part of a wider systems-and-controls failing. The FCA and HMRC can impose substantial financial penalties, and individuals may face personal liability. Several multi-million-pound enforcement actions have cited weak staff awareness and training.
- Is online AML training acceptable to the FCA?
- Yes. Neither the MLR 2017 nor JMLSG guidance prescribes a delivery method, so e-learning is acceptable provided it suits the employee's role, builds genuine understanding, and is assessed and recorded. The FCA cares about effectiveness and evidence rather than format, so completion data and knowledge checks matter.
- How does AML training relate to the MLRO's responsibilities?
- The Money Laundering Reporting Officer oversees the firm's AML regime, including ensuring relevant staff are adequately trained under the MLR 2017. The MLRO typically owns the training programme, monitors completion and reports on it to senior management. Effective front-line training ensures suspicions actually reach the MLRO through internal suspicious activity reports.
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