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DFSA Regulatory Compliance CPD Programme

DFSA Regulatory Compliance CPD Programme

Dates

  • November 2026
      to   (3 sessions)
    Delivered Online
    €1,050+ VAT
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Highlights

  • Live Online

  • 15 CPD Units | 15 Hours

The EIMF Live Online Learning Experience

Participants will receive access to the recorded sessions of the course.

EIMF subject-matter experts deliver engaging and interactive courses across a broad spectrum of areas, that can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own chosen environment. Read more

Course Overview

Financial services rules and regulations apply to all firms regulated by the DFSA. These rules and guidelines are intended to safeguard customers when they transact with an authorized firm and purchase a financial good or service, to stop the potential threats to financial stability from materializing and hurting the real economy, and to protect the integrity of the financial markets.

Prudential and conduct of business, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism legislations are all part of the DFSA financial services regulations.

To fulfill their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations, the DFSA mandates that all Senior Executive Officers, Compliance Officers, and MLROs of Authorized Firms complete a least 15 hours of obligatory training every 12 months.

The purpose of this 15 CPD hours course is to provide an understanding about all the regulatory subjects imposed by the DFSA, and it was specifically developed for Authorized Individuals of DFSA-regulated enterprises.

Training Objectives

By the end of the programme, participants will:

  • Understand the Key concepts about AML rules imposed on DFSA regulated firms.

  • Learn the fundamentals of data protection.

  • Take a look at the DFSA enforcement actions.

  • Explain the DFSA's conduct rules.

  • Understand the DFSA's expectations in outsourcing and operational resilience

  • Apprehend the concept of corporate governance

  • Identify the Board's responsibility for compliance

Training Outline

AML Awareness for DFSA Regulated Firms

Introduction

  • Definition of Money Laundering

  • Stages of Money Laundering

  • The various red flags of money laundering

  • AML Programs

  • Customers using personal accounts to run businesses

  • Assessing and Controlling AML Risks

  • The criteria that constitutes a high-risk person, product or service, and geographic location

  • High Risk Persons and Entities

  • High Risk Products and Services

  • High Risk Geographic Locations

  • Recognizing and Reporting Unusual / Suspicious Activity

  • Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

  • Global Sanctions

  • Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

  • The role of OFAC and how an OFAC program should be implemented at the institution

UAE National Committee

UAE'S List Of Terrorist Individuals & Entities

UAE AML Executive Office

Applying a Risk-Based Approach

  • The Risk-Based Approach

Business Risk Assessment

  • Assessing Business AML Risks

  • AML Systems and Controls

Customer Risk Assessment

  • Guidance

  • Assessing Customer AML Risks

Customer Due Diligence

  • Requirement to Undertake Customer Due Diligence

  • Timing of Customer Due Diligence

  • Customer Due Diligence Requirements

  • Enhance Customer Due Diligence

  • Simplified Customer Due Diligence

  • Ongoing Customer Due Diligence

  • Failure to Conduct or Complete Customer Due Diligence

Reliance and Outsourcing

  • Reliance on a Third Party

  • Outsourcing

  • Money Service Providers

Correspondence Banking, Electronic Fund Transfers and Audit

  • Application

  • Correspondent Banking

  • Electronic fund transfers

  • Audit

Sanctions and Other International Obligations

  • Relevant United Nations Resolutions and Sanctions

  • Government, Regulatory and International Findings

Money Laundering Reporting Office

  • Appointment of a MLRO

  • Qualities of a MLRO

  • Responsibilities of a MLRO

AML Training Awareness

Suspicious Activity Reports

  • Application and Definitions

  • Internal Reporting Requirements

  • Suspicious Activity Report

  • Tipping-Off

  • Freezing assets

General Requirements

  • Groups, Branches and Subsidiaries

  • Group Policies

  • Notifications

  • Record Keeping

  • Annual AML Return

  • Communication with the DFSA

  • Employee Disclosures

  • Decision Making Procedures

Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) Registration and Supervision

  • Guidance

  • Registration and Notifications

  • Request to Withdraw Registration

  • Disclosure of Regulatory Status

  • Whistleblowing

Transitional Rules

  • Application

  • General

  • Specific Relief - Ancillary Service Provider and DNFBPs

Data Protection - DIFC

Introduction And Scope Enforcement

  • Title and Repeal

  • Legislative Authority

  • Date of Enactment

  • Commencement

  • Purpose of the Law

  • Application of The Law

  • Schedules

  • Administration of The Law

General Requirements

  • Requirements for Legitimate and Lawful Processing

  • Lawfulness of Processing

  • Processing of Special Categories of Personal Data

  • Consent

  • Conditions of consent and reliance on legitimate interests

  • Legitimate interests

  • Accountability and notification

  • Records of Processing activities

  • Designation of the Data Protection Officer (DPO)

  • The DPO: Competencies and Status

  • Role and Tasks of the DPO

  • DPO Controller Assessment

  • Data Protection Impact Assessment

  • Prior Consultation

  • Cessation of Processing

Joint Controllers and Processors

  • Cessation of Processing

  • Processors

  • Processors and Sub-Processors

  • Confidentiality

Data Export and Sharing

  • Transfers Out of the DIFC: Adequate Level of Protection

  • Transfers out of the DIFC in the Absence of an Adequate Level of Protection

  • Data Sharing

Information Provision

  • Providing Information where Personal Data Has Been Obtained from the Data Subject

  • Providing Information Where Personal Data Has Not Been Obtained From the Data Subject

  • Nature of Processing Information

Rights of Data Subjects

  • Right to Withdraw Consent

  • Rights to Access, Rectification and Erasure of Personal Data

  • Right to Object to Processing

  • Right to Restriction of Processing

  • Controller's Obligation to Notify

  • Right to Data Portability

  • Automated Individual Decision-Making, Including Profiling

  • Non-Discrimination

  • Methods of Exercising Data Subject Rights

Personal Data Breaches

  • Notification of Personal Data Breaches to the Commissioner

  • Notification of Personal Data Breaches to a Data Subject

The Commissioner

  • Appointment of the Commissioner

  • Removal of the Commissioner

  • Resignation of the Commissioner

  • Powers, Functions and Objectives of the Commissioner

  • Delegation of Powers and Establishment of Advisory Committee

  • Codes of Conduct

  • Monitoring of Approved Codes of Conduct

  • Certification Schemes

  • Certification and Accreditation

  • Production of Information

  • Regulations

  • Funding

  • Annual Budget of the Commissioner

  • Accounts

  • Audit of Commissioner

  • Annual Report

Remedies, Liability, and Sanctions

  • Directions

  • Lodging Complaints and mediation

  • General Contravention

  • Imposition of Fines

  • Application to the Court

  • Compensation

General Exemptions

DFSA Enforcement Actions

About Enforcement

  • Stopping and Fixing

  • Punishing and Deterring

  • Protecting and confidence-building

Decision Notices and Regulatory Actions

Case Studies

DFSA's and Conduct Rules

  • DFSA Core Values and Ethics

  • Anti-Bribery & Corruption Awareness

  • Conflicts of Interest

  • Ethics in Business

  • Receipt of Payments Gifts and Benefits

  • Client Protection

  • Market Abuse and How to Prevent it

DFSA's Expectations in Outsourcing and Operational Resilience

  • Operational Resilience & Third Party Providers

  • Definition of Outsourcing & Third Party Service Supply

  • Existing Expectations on Outsourcing & Third Party Provision

  • Material, Critical or Important Outsourcing Notifications

  • Intra-Group Outsourcing

  • Outsourcing and Data Security

  • Cloud Outsourcing

  • Risk Management of Outsourcing

  • Potential Measures to Oversee Critical Third Parties

Corporate Governance update/Board Responsibility for Compliance

Definition of Reporting Entities

Obligations of Reporting Entities

Governance of Reporting Entities

Corporate Governance

  • Corporate Governance Principles & Standards Applicable to Reporting Entities

  • Requirements Relating to Fair Treatment of Shareholders

  • Provisions to Address Conflicts of Interests

Market Disclosures

  • Database

  • Continuous Disclosures

  • Disclosures by Connected Persons

  • Disclosure of Material Interests

Financial Reports

  • Annual financial report

  • Interim financial report

  • Auditor's report

  • Supply of financial statements

  • Public Listed Companies

Sponsors and Compliance Advisers

  • Appointment and Sponsors or Compliance Advisers

Miscellaneous

  • DFSA Powers

Who Should Attend

This course is beneficial to all:

  • Senior Executive Officers

  • Compliance Officers

  • MLROs

  • DFSA Regulated Firms

Training Style 

The programme is designed to provide participants with a better understanding of the various DFSA rules and regulations. The use of interactive case studies will help participants to think critically about scenarios that will be relevant to their respective roles and organisations.

By the end of the course, participants will have developed the confidence to comprehend what are the rules and regulations applicable to them in their day-to-day transacting.

CPD Recognition

This programme may be approved for up to 15 CPD units in Financial Regulation. Eligibility criteria and CPD Units are verified directly by your association, regulator or other bodies which you hold membership.

This training course may be approved as an external activity under the new ACAMS recertification category ”non-ACAMS credits” for up to 15 CPD units. Eligibility criteria and CPD Units are verified directly by the Association of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS). To read more about the non-ACAMS credits policies and eligibility criteria please click here.

In-house Training

For groups within the same organisation, this course may be customized to meet any specific needs and delivered in-house.

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Facilitators

  • Nadine Ghosn

    Nadine Ghosn

    Nadine Ghosn is the Founder and CEO of BeyondComply, a compliance consultancy and training firm established to help financial services companies understand and overcome the challenges arising from compliance, regulation, and market developments. Nadine is a Member of the Advisory Council of AGRC (Association of Governance, Risk, and Compliance). She is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) based in Beirut who’s been a Speaker in various Global Compliance and Financial Crime Prevention Conferences, and has more than 29 years of Banking Experience with a focus on Compliance, Treasury, Capital Markets and Private Banking, in addition to 19 years of concentration in the Cards and Payments Industry. Nadine serves as a Professional Consultant in Anti-Money Laundering, Governance Risk & Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Data Protection, Virtual Assets Regulation, and Cards Industry Rules and Regulations. She delivers sessions with the Executive Education Programs at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) of the American University of Beirut (AUB). She is also certified as a Trainer by the European Institute of Management and Finance (EIMF), an EU GDPR Foundation and Practitioner by The Knowledge Academy UK, and also certified in Financial Derivatives, Securities, and FSA Regulations by the UK’s Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (CISI). Nadine was also holding, from May 2019 to December 2024, the position of Director of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs at areeba, a Leading Regional Financial Technology company specialized in the payment cards and electronic services. Prior to areeba, Nadine worked for 14 years with CSCBank sal, a regional leader in the card and electronic payment processing industry, of which the last three years have been also as Head of Compliance. Nadine holds a Master’s Degree in Money and Banking from The American University of Beirut, and is fluent in English, French and Arabic. She has an extended financial experience in the Middle Eastern, African, American, and European markets, having worked for multiple banks that do business in these markets.