Financial crime is one of the greatest challenges the global financial services industry faces. Money laundering, terrorist financing, illegal market manipulation, data theft and bribery scandals have lead the FCA to ramp up its efforts to fight financial crime and protect the integrity of markets.

Huge multi-million pound fines have been issued to organisations, lengthy jail sentences dished out to rogue employees, and serious financial losses incurred. The repercussions of failure to detect financial crime are serious and the whole industry is vulnerable.

The FCA wants to work together to make it harder for criminals to exploit your business and your clients. It’s no longer enough for organisations to say they didn’t know suspicious activity was taking place. The market watchdog expects your company to recognise the red flags as part of your governance framework.

Mitigate the threat of financial crime

Create the right corporate culture – Good culture encourages good behaviour, reducing conduct risk. Make the prevention and detection of financial crime a key part of your business and motivate your staff to play their part in protecting the integrity of your firm.

Respond quickly to criminal behaviour – By introducing alert systems to make sure any red flags are dealt with immediately, you’ll be able to more quickly investigate and escalate suspicious activity, reducing the potential damage to your firm.

Avoid unwelcome attention – High-profile incidents of financial crime have put businesses in the media spotlight. The impact of being named and shamed has led to significant financial losses. By introducing the right controls and procedures you’ll minimise the likelihood of bad PR and damage to your bottom line.

Create a fortress against crime – In an increasingly complex, global industry, a comprehensive approach to financial crime is essential. By developing a solid overview of your firm’s vulnerabilities, and the controls and procedures needed to address them, you’ll make you firm a tougher target for criminals.

The Course Agenda

Understanding money laundering

• What is money laundering?
• What does the international community need to prevent money laundering?
• Identifying the real victims of financial crime
• Predicate offences: who/what creates the money to be laundered?
• An outline of the products and services used by money launderers

What is terrorist financing?

• An overview
• How does the prevention of terrorist financing reduce the potential number of victims of terrorism?

Financial crime: the response of international communities

• The Financial Action Task Force and its 40 recommendations
• Understanding UK legislation (including personal responsibility in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002)
• US foreign policy and the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)
• An introduction to international sanctions

Establishing compliance strategies

• Internal controls, policies and procedures
• The role of the FCA in establishing controls
• Understanding client due diligence requirements including Identify & Verify (ID&V), Know Your Customer (KYC) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

Recognising and reporting suspicious transactions

• ‘Knowledge’ and ‘suspicion’: the official definitions
• How to differentiate between unusual and suspicious activity
• Identifying red flags
• An overview of the escalation and reporting process
• Post reporting: managing the client relationship
• Recognising which of your clients are more likely to be involved in financial crime

Bribery and corruption

• The UK’s Anti-Bribery and Corruption Act 2010
• Understanding the reach, offences and penalties
• The potential protections against bribery and corruption

Identifying other financial crimes

• The different types of fraud: prevention and detection
• Identity theft
• Phishing