AML and Terrorist Financing · CMPS

Certified Money Laundering Prevention Specialist

A comprehensive specialist qualification covering money-laundering risks, risk-based AML programmes, customer due diligence, beneficial ownership, monitoring, escalation and suspicious activity reporting.

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Overview

What This Certification Covers

The Certified Money Laundering Prevention Specialist certificate is designed to develop advanced professional competence in identifying, assessing and mitigating money-laundering and related financial-crime risks in financial and non-financial institutions.

The programme equips participants with the analytical capability, regulatory understanding and operational skills needed to design and manage effective anti-money laundering systems in complex and changing business environments.

Like every ACS credential, the CMPS is awarded only after a formal assessment of defined qualification outcomes — evaluating understanding, application and professional judgement, not attendance alone.

Learning Outcomes

What You Will Be Able to Do

  • Understand the global anti-money laundering landscape
  • Apply the risk-based approach to anti-money laundering
  • Strengthen controls across the customer lifecycle
  • Detect and analyse suspicious activity
  • Conduct investigations and prepare regulatory reports
  • Design and evaluate AML compliance programmes
  • Use modern technology and data analytics to make AML more effective
Curriculum

The CMPS Programme in 8 Modules

01Fundamentals of Anti-Money Laundering (AML)4 topics
  • The concept, stages and typologies of money laundering
  • The relationship between money laundering, terrorist financing and organised crime
  • Global drivers of money laundering and their impact on economic and financial systems
  • International frameworks and regulatory expectations for AML
02The Global AML Regulatory Environment4 topics
  • FATF Recommendations and the mutual evaluation process
  • Basel Committee guidance on AML
  • Wolfsberg Group standards and correspondent banking guidance
  • National AML laws, reporting requirements and supervisory authorities
03The Risk-Based Approach and Money-Laundering Risk Assessment4 topics
  • Identifying and classifying money-laundering risk: customers, products, geographies and delivery channels
  • Customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD)
  • Identifying and verifying beneficial ownership
  • Risk-rating models and customer risk profiling
04KYC, Customer Onboarding and Ongoing Monitoring4 topics
  • Customer documentation and verification standards
  • Account opening and customer identity verification procedures
  • Transaction monitoring and behavioural pattern analysis
  • Periodic review and ongoing monitoring mechanisms
05Red Flags, Typologies and Detection Methods4 topics
  • Behavioural, financial and documentary red flags
  • Sector-specific typologies: banks, money transfer businesses, crypto-assets and trade finance
  • Recognising layering and integration techniques
  • Automated detection versus manual review
06Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR/STR)4 topics
  • When and how to file a suspicious activity report
  • Drafting reports and attaching supporting documentation
  • Internal escalation procedures and confidentiality controls
  • Communicating with financial intelligence units (FIUs) and regulators
07Internal Controls and AML Compliance Programme Design4 topics
  • Core components of an AML compliance programme
  • Roles of the compliance officer, internal audit and senior management
  • Training, awareness, governance and accountability frameworks
  • Independent audits of AML programmes
08Advanced Topics: FinTech, Digital Assets and AML Technology4 topics
  • AML in digital banking and e-payment platforms
  • Crypto-assets, digital wallets and blockchain transaction tracing
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning in transaction monitoring
  • Data governance and regulatory technology (RegTech)
Who Can Apply

Built for These Roles

  • Compliance officers and AML specialists
  • AML/CTF professionals
  • Trade finance specialists
  • Export control and customs managers
  • Legal advisers (regulatory or corporate)
  • Risk, audit and internal control managers
  • Staff of banks and financial institutions
  • Government officials, regulators and policy advisers who draft, implement or oversee sanctions regimes
Assessment

How the CMPS Is Assessed

  1. 01

    The examination is held at an accredited test centre

  2. 02

    Computer-based examination of 100 multiple-choice questions

  3. 03

    Minimum passing score: 70%

  4. 04

    Examination duration: 3 hours

Unless otherwise stated, candidates must achieve a minimum assessment score of 70%. Full entry requirements and the certification process are listed on the Certifications.

Register

Start the CMPS Certification

Registration opens on a rolling basis through ACS or an authorised ACS centre. Reach out and our team will walk you through eligibility, registration and assessment windows.

Get Registration Details