AML Training Services in the UAE
Your AML policy only works if your people know how to use it. The cashier who accepts a large cash payment, the broker who meets an overseas buyer, the accountant who notices an odd invoice and the director who approves a high-risk client all need to recognise red flags and know exactly what to do next.
Our AML/CFT training gives each person in your business the knowledge their role requires. Sessions are built around UAE law, your sector's real risks and your own procedures, and every session produces the records you need to prove to your supervisor that training happened and worked.
What Is AML Training?
AML training is structured instruction that teaches employees, managers and directors how to recognise, escalate and report money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks in their own roles. In the UAE, AML/CFT training is a legal requirement for Financial Institutions, Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) and Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), and it must reflect current UAE law, the business's own risks and its internal procedures. Effective AML training is role-based, assessed and recorded, so the business can show its supervisor who was trained, on what and when. An AML course for employees differs from a professional anti-money laundering course or certification, because it is built around the employer's own obligations, risks and procedures.
Key Points at a Glance
The key points below summarise what UAE law requires for AML training and how our service meets each requirement:
- Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 (CR 134/2025), Article 21(5) requires periodic anti-crime programmes and workshops for those performing the compliance function and other relevant employees.
- The Compliance Officer must develop, implement and document training plans under CR 134/2025, Article 22(4).
- AML training should be tailored by role, from the board to front-line staff and new joiners.
- AML training content should cover your sector's red flags, escalation, goAML reports and tipping off.
- Attendance records, materials and assessment results are the evidence supervisors look for.
- Our AML/CFT training is built on current UAE law and your own procedures.
- AML training fees range from AED 2,200 to AED 18,400 (USD 600 to USD 5,000), depending on duration, mode, coverage, topics and sector.
- Our CAMS-certified trainers have delivered 1,000+ hours of AML training across 10+ sectors, with a 38% average reduction in training gaps.
Why AML/CFT Training Is Required
Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Article 21(5) requires Financial Institutions, DNFBPs and VASPs to prepare periodic anti-crime programmes and workshops to build the capacity of those performing the compliance function and other relevant employees. CR 134/2025, Article 22(4) makes the Compliance Officer responsible for developing, implementing and documenting ongoing programmes and training plans for employees on all matters related to money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
AML training is a practical necessity as well as a legal one. Most suspicious activity is first noticed by front-line staff, not by the Compliance Officer. If staff do not recognise a red flag or do not know how to escalate it, the business cannot meet its duty under Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 to report suspicious transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) without delay.
Supervisors regularly test AML training during inspections. Supervisors may ask for training records, review the materials and interview staff to see whether they understand their responsibilities.
Who Needs AML Training?
Everyone whose role touches customers, transactions or compliance decisions needs AML/CFT training, but not everyone needs the same training. CR 134/2025, Article 21(5) refers to those performing the compliance function and other relevant employees, so the starting point is a training needs assessment by role. Typical audiences are:
Board and senior management
AML training for the board and senior management focuses on oversight and accountability. Directors and senior managers approve the AML/CFT policies, controls and procedures required by CR 134/2025, Article 21, accept high-risk relationships and are accountable for the programme. Board members need to understand the legal framework, the business's risk profile, their oversight responsibilities and the consequences of failure, including fines of AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation and the suspension of responsible directors under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 17.
Compliance Officer and deputy
AML training for the Compliance Officer and deputy goes deeper than for any other role. The people at the centre of the programme need in-depth training on the law, risk assessment, investigations, goAML reporting, targeted financial sanctions and dealing with supervisors. CR 134/2025, Article 22 requires the Compliance Officer to have appropriate competence and experience, so specialist training is also evidence that the appointment is sound.
Front-line staff
AML training for front-line staff is practical and scenario-based. Sales, relationship, counter and onboarding staff need training on customer due diligence (CDD), red flags, screening, escalation and avoiding tipping off. Front-line staff usually meet the customer first, so their ability to spot and escalate a concern decides whether a suspicious transaction is reported at all.
Operations and finance
AML training for operations and finance teams centres on payment behaviour. Staff who process payments, receipts and refunds need to recognise unusual transactions, third-party payments and structuring, where amounts are split to stay below a reporting threshold. Finance teams also need to know how to escalate a concern internally without delaying the process or alerting the customer.
Support functions
AML awareness training for support functions explains how HR, IT and administration teams contribute to compliance. HR teams support employee screening, which CR 134/2025, Article 21(4) requires to ensure high standards of fitness and propriety when appointing employees. IT and administration teams need to understand record-keeping, data security and the confidentiality of internal suspicion reports.
New joiners
AML induction training for new joiners should take place before or shortly after an employee starts work in a relevant role. Induction covers the business's AML/CFT policy, the red flags for the role, how to raise an internal suspicion report and the rules on tipping off. Recording the induction date for each new joiner gives the business clear evidence that no one in a relevant role works without training.
What Our AML/CFT Training Covers
Our AML/CFT training content is tailored to each audience, but programmes typically draw on the topics below. Each topic is linked to the relevant UAE law, so staff understand both what to do and why. The core topics are:
The UAE legal framework
The UAE legal framework module explains the laws and authorities behind every AML/CFT obligation. Participants learn how Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, its Executive Regulations in Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution No. 74 of 2020 on targeted financial sanctions (TFS) fit together. The module also explains the roles of the FIU, the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN) and your supervisory authority.
Money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing
The money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing module explains how each crime works and how they differ. Participants learn the three stages of money laundering (placement, layering and integration), how terrorist financing can involve small and legitimate-looking amounts, and why proliferation financing matters to UAE businesses with international trade links. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 covers all three crimes, so staff need to recognise each one.
Your business risks
The business risks module explains the money laundering and terrorist financing risks your own business faces. Findings from the National Risk Assessment and your own business risk assessment are explained in plain terms, so staff understand why certain customers, products or payment methods need closer attention. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 19(1)(b) requires customer due diligence to take the outcomes of the national risk assessment into account, which is why training links the two.
Customer due diligence
The customer due diligence module covers how to identify and verify customers and beneficial owners and understand the purpose of the relationship. Participants learn when enhanced due diligence (EDD) applies and how to handle politically exposed persons (PEPs), including the Senior Management approval required for foreign PEPs and higher-risk domestic PEPs under CR 134/2025, Article 16(1). The module also explains that CR 134/2025, Article 14(1) prohibits establishing or continuing a relationship where CDD cannot be completed.
Sanctions screening
The sanctions screening module explains how to screen customers and transactions against the UAE Local Terrorist List and the UN Security Council Consolidated List. Participants practise handling partial and confirmed matches, freezing without delay and filing Confirmed Name Match Reports (CNMR) and Partial Name Match Reports (PNMR) through goAML. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 19(1)(e) requires businesses to implement TFS instructions from the Executive Office forthwith, so speed and accuracy matter.
Red flags for your sector
The red flags module uses real examples of suspicious behaviour from your sector, such as gold trading, real estate, company formation, professional services or virtual assets. Staff learn to recognise red flags in customer behaviour, payment methods and transaction patterns. CR 134/2025, Article 17 requires businesses to set indicators of suspicion and keep them updated, and training is how those indicators reach the people who use them.
Internal escalation
The internal escalation module explains how and when to raise an internal suspicion report, what to include and what happens next. Staff learn that the Compliance Officer reviews each report and decides whether to notify the FIU, as set out in CR 134/2025, Article 22(2). Clear escalation steps help the business meet its duty under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 18 to report suspicious transactions without delay.
goAML reporting
The goAML reporting module explains each report type that UAE reporting entities file through the FIU's goAML system and when it applies. Report types covered include the Suspicious Transaction Report (STR), Postponement Suspicious Transaction Report (PSTR), Suspicious Activity Report (SAR), Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Report (DPMSR), Real Estate Activity Report (REAR), High Risk Country Transaction Report (HRC), High Risk Country Activity Report (HRCA), CNMR and PNMR. Participants also learn what makes a good report, including a clear narrative and complete supporting information.
Tipping off and confidentiality
The tipping off and confidentiality module explains what staff must never say to a customer about a suspicion or report. CR 134/2025, Article 19(1) prohibits a business and its directors, officers and employees from disclosing, directly or indirectly, that a Suspicious Transaction Report has been or is about to be submitted, or that an investigation is under way. Participants practise handling difficult customer conversations without alerting the customer.
Record-keeping
The record-keeping module explains what must be kept, for how long and why. CR 134/2025, Article 25 requires transaction and customer due diligence records to be kept for at least five years and organised so that individual transactions can be reconstructed. Staff learn where records are stored and how to make them available promptly when a supervisor or the FIU asks.
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Sector-Specific AML Training Modules
AML training in the UAE works best when it reflects the risks of your sector. We adapt each programme to the sector your business operates in, using typologies and red flags that your staff will recognise. Our sector modules include:
Dealers in precious metals and stones
AML training for dealers in precious metals and stones typically covers cash handling, the AED 55,000 DPMSR threshold and linked transactions. Sessions also address buy-backs, scrap gold and cross-border supply chains, which are common routes for laundering through the gold sector. Staff practise identifying cash or linked payments that require a DPMSR through goAML.
Real estate agents and brokers
AML training for real estate agents and brokers typically covers buyer and seller due diligence, cash and virtual asset payments and REAR reporting. Sessions also address corporate buyers, rapid resales and payments from unrelated third parties. Brokers learn when a property transaction must be reported and how to check the source of funds behind a purchase.
Trust and company service providers
AML training for trust and company service providers typically covers complex structures, nominees and beneficial ownership tracing. Sessions also address shelf companies and introducer risk, where a client is referred by a third party. Staff learn how to identify the natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company or legal arrangement.
Accountants, auditors and lawyers
AML training for accountants, auditors and lawyers typically covers client acceptance, client money and red flags in financial records. Sessions explain the limits of professional privilege, because Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 18(2) exempts lawyers, notaries, other legal professionals and independent legal auditors from reporting only where the information was obtained in circumstances subject to professional secrecy. The tipping off rules, including the exception in CR 134/2025, Article 19(2) for dissuading a client from an unlawful act, are also covered.
Virtual asset service providers
AML training for virtual asset service providers typically covers wallet risk, mixers and privacy tools and peer-to-peer activity. Sessions also address travel rule information and fraud-linked laundering. Staff learn to recognise on-chain red flags and when to escalate a transfer for review.
Financial institutions
AML training for financial institutions typically covers transaction monitoring, wire transfers and correspondent banking risks. Sessions also address trade-based money laundering and sanctions evasion. Content is aligned to the obligations specific to financial institutions, such as the correspondent banking controls in CR 134/2025, Article 26.
How We Deliver AML Training
Our AML/CFT training is delivered in the format that suits your team, locations and roles. Every format uses materials tailored to your business and produces the same attendance records, assessments and certificates. All formats can be delivered in English, with Arabic support available on request. Delivery options include:
In-person workshops
In-person AML workshops are interactive sessions held at your office, built around case studies and discussion. Participants work through realistic scenarios drawn from your sector and your own procedures. In-person delivery suits teams that benefit from group discussion and practice.
Live online sessions
Live online AML training sessions suit teams across several emirates or with remote staff. Sessions run in real time, so participants can ask questions and work through case studies with the trainer. Online sessions use the same materials, assessments and records as in-person training.
Board and management briefings
Board and management AML briefings are short, focused sessions for directors and senior managers on oversight and accountability. Briefings cover the business risk assessment, the Compliance Officer's periodic reports to senior management and the decisions the board must take. Briefings also explain the consequences for directors when AML/CFT controls fail.
Compliance Officer coaching
Compliance Officer coaching is one-to-one or small-group training on investigations, reporting decisions and goAML. Coaching works through real decisions the Compliance Officer faces, such as whether an internal suspicion report should be filed with the FIU. The format suits new Compliance Officers and deputies building confidence in the role.
Refresher training
Refresher AML training keeps staff current on legal changes, new typologies and lessons from your own cases and audits. Refresher sessions focus on what has changed since the last session and on any gaps found in assessments. Regular refreshers support the ongoing training plan the Compliance Officer must develop under CR 134/2025, Article 22(4).
Proving AML Training Happened: Records and Assessment
Supervisors generally treat AML training that cannot be evidenced as training that did not happen. Evidence shows who was trained, on what, when and how well each person understood the content. Our AML/CFT training includes:
- Attendance records with names, roles, dates and duration
- A copy of the training materials used for each session
- Short assessments to check understanding, with results recorded
- Certificates of completion for participants
- A training log summarising who has been trained and when the next session is due
Training records should be kept alongside your other compliance records. CR 134/2025, Article 25 requires transaction and customer due diligence records to be kept for at least five years, and applying the same period to training records keeps your evidence complete for any inspection.
How Often Should Staff Receive AML Training?
UAE law requires AML training to be periodic and ongoing under CR 134/2025, Articles 21(5) and 22(4), but it does not set a fixed frequency. A common and defensible approach is:
- Induction training for new joiners in relevant roles
- Annual refresher training for all relevant staff
- Additional training when laws, regulations or procedures change
- Targeted sessions after audit findings, inspection findings or significant incidents
- Enhanced, more frequent training for higher-risk roles and the Compliance Officer
We help you build an annual training plan that fits your risk profile and your Compliance Officer's duty under CR 134/2025, Article 22(4).
Measuring AML Training Effectiveness
Supervisors increasingly ask not only whether staff attended training but whether it worked. We help you measure AML training effectiveness by:
- Comparing assessment scores before and after training
- Reviewing the number and quality of internal suspicion reports raised by staff
- Testing staff understanding through short scenario questions
- Linking training to findings from health checks and audits
Evidence of AML training effectiveness supports your periodic compliance reporting to senior management and strengthens your position during inspections. Across our engagements, comparing pre-training and post-training assessments has shown a 38% average reduction in training gaps.
Common AML Training Gaps Found in Inspections
Supervisors often find the same AML training gaps when they inspect UAE businesses. Each gap weakens the evidence that staff can recognise and escalate suspicion. The most common gaps are:
- Training materials still refer to the repealed Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018
- Generic online courses with no link to the business's own risks or procedures
- Front-line staff unable to explain how to escalate a concern
- No training for directors and senior managers
- New joiners starting work without any AML training
- No attendance records, assessments or training plan
- The Compliance Officer has received no specialist training on goAML or sanctions
Our AML/CFT training programmes are designed to close each of these gaps, with materials based on current law and records that stand up to review.
Example AML Training Plan for a DNFBP
An AML training plan for a mid-sized DNFBP spreads sessions across the compliance year, so every audience is trained and refreshed at the right time. The example plan below shows how this works in practice:
- January: refresher session for all staff on legal updates and lessons from the previous year
- Ongoing: induction training for every new joiner in a relevant role within their first weeks
- Quarterly: short red-flag briefings for front-line teams using recent cases and typologies
- Mid-year: board and senior management briefing on the risk assessment and compliance report
- As needed: Compliance Officer workshops on goAML reporting, sanctions and investigations
- After any audit or inspection finding: targeted training on the affected area
A documented training plan that is followed in practice gives your supervisor clear evidence that AML/CFT training is ongoing, risk-based and effective, and that the Compliance Officer is meeting the duty in CR 134/2025, Article 22(4).
Specialist AML Training for Compliance Officers
Specialist AML training for Compliance Officers goes deeper than training for any other employee. Our specialist sessions cover the law in detail, assessing internal suspicion reports, writing STR narratives, handling partial and confirmed sanctions matches, responding to FIU requests, preparing reports for senior management and preparing for inspections. Compliance Officer sessions are practical, using anonymised cases and real goAML report structures.
What You Receive
Every AML/CFT training engagement produces deliverables that you can keep on file and show your supervisor. Each item supports your evidence that training is planned, delivered and effective. You receive:
- A training needs assessment by role
- Tailored training materials based on UAE law and your procedures
- Delivery of sessions in your preferred format
- Assessments, attendance records and certificates
- A training log and recommended annual plan
- A summary report for senior management
Train your team, protect your business and keep the evidence.
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How Much Does AML Training Cost?
AML training fees at goAML Registration range from AED 2,200 to AED 18,400 (USD 600 to USD 5,000). The fee for each programme depends on:
- Duration of the sessions and the number of sessions
- Mode of delivery, whether in person or live online
- Coverage, meaning the number of audiences and participants trained
- Topics, from a core awareness session to specialist Compliance Officer workshops
- Sector, because sector modules use their own typologies and red flags
We confirm the fee in a written quote after the training needs assessment, so you know the full cost before any session is scheduled.
How to Get Started with AML Training
Getting started with AML/CFT training takes a few simple steps. Each step builds on the information you share, so the programme reflects your business from the first session. The steps are:
- Contact our team through the contact page to tell us about your business, sector and the staff you need trained.
- We carry out a training needs assessment by role, from the board to front-line staff and new joiners.
- We agree the format, audiences and schedule, confirm the fee in a written quote and recommend an annual training plan.
- You share your AML/CFT policy, procedures and risk assessment so we can tailor the materials and examples.
- We deliver the sessions, run assessments and record attendance.
- You receive certificates, a training log and a summary report for senior management.
Our AML Training Track Record
Our AML training track record shows the scale and results of our programmes for UAE businesses. The figures below come from our own engagements:
1,000+
hours of AML training delivered
10+
sectors served
38%
average reduction in training gaps, measured by comparing pre-training and post-training assessment results
Every programme is built for the client's own sector, risks and procedures, not reused from a generic template.
What our clients say about our AML training
Clients describe our AML training as practical and specific to their sector:
"goAML Registration provided us with AML training for our accounting firm. They helped us identify red flags and bifurcate our activities into covered and non-covered activities. It was practical training."
"goAML Registration provided training to our CMA-regulated CFD broking company. They helped us understand transaction monitoring rules and best practices, and how to identify and report SARs and STRs."
Why Choose Our AML/CFT Training
Our CAMS-certified trainers work on real UAE compliance matters, from goAML registration and reporting to risk assessments and health checks. Hands-on case experience shapes every session: examples come from the situations your staff actually face, and guidance reflects how supervisors and the FIU view common mistakes. We keep training practical and interactive, use plain language rather than legal jargon, and leave you with complete records so your AML/CFT training can be evidenced at any time.
FAQs About AML Training
Is AML training mandatory in the UAE?
Yes. CR 134/2025, Article 21(5) requires periodic training programmes and workshops for the compliance function and other relevant employees, and CR 134/2025, Article 22(4) makes the Compliance Officer responsible for developing, implementing and documenting ongoing training plans.
Who should attend AML/CFT training?
AML/CFT training should be attended by board members, senior management, the Compliance Officer, front-line staff, operations and finance teams and any employee whose role involves customers, transactions or compliance decisions.
How often should AML training be conducted?
AML training in the UAE must be periodic and ongoing under CR 134/2025, but the law does not fix a frequency. Most businesses provide induction training for new staff, annual refreshers for everyone and extra sessions when laws or procedures change.
How much does AML training cost?
AML training costs AED 2,200 to AED 18,400 (USD 600 to USD 5,000) at goAML Registration. The fee depends on the duration, mode of delivery, coverage, topics and sector, and is confirmed in a written quote after the training needs assessment.
Do you provide AML training certificates?
Yes. Participants receive certificates of completion, and the business receives attendance records and assessment results for its compliance files.
Is your training an AML certification course?
No. Our AML/CFT training is a regulatory training programme that helps businesses and their staff meet UAE obligations, not a professional certification exam. Participants receive a certificate of completion, and the training can complement professional AML certifications.
Can AML training be customised for our business?
Yes. Every AML training programme is based on your sector, risk assessment and procedures, using examples your staff will recognise.
Can we use a generic online AML course instead?
A generic online AML course can support basic awareness, but on its own it is unlikely to satisfy a UAE supervisor. CR 134/2025, Article 21(5) calls for programmes that build the capacity of those performing the compliance function and other relevant employees, and CR 134/2025, Article 22(4) requires the Compliance Officer to document ongoing training plans. Supervisors look for training linked to the business's own risks, procedures and roles, with records to prove it.
Can AML/CFT training be delivered online?
Yes. We deliver live online sessions for teams in different locations, with the same materials, assessments and records as in-person training.
How long is a typical AML training session?
A typical AML training session for front-line staff lasts two to three hours. Board briefings are shorter, and Compliance Officer workshops can run for a full day, depending on the topics covered.
Does AML training cover proliferation financing?
Yes. Our AML/CFT training covers money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, including targeted financial sanctions and the related goAML reports.