About This Course
Financial institutions and regulated entities face mounting regulatory pressure to know their customers thoroughly and to apply heightened scrutiny to high-risk relationships. Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) are the cornerstones of any effective Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (CFT) programme. Regulators worldwide — from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to the European Banking Authority and national financial intelligence units — expect organisations to demonstrate a risk-based, proportionate, and evidence-led approach to understanding who their customers are, what they do, and why they transact.
This five-day TrainingComplex programme provides a structured, practical grounding in the full CDD and EDD lifecycle. Beginning with the regulatory and policy landscape, the course progressively builds participants' ability to assess customer risk, collect and verify identity documentation, conduct beneficial ownership analysis, and apply EDD measures to politically exposed persons (PEPs), correspondent banking relationships, high-risk jurisdictions, and complex corporate structures. Delegates will work through realistic case studies drawn from banking, insurance, fintech, and non-financial sectors to consolidate their understanding.
Beyond technical knowledge, the programme develops the investigative mindset required for effective due diligence practice — understanding how to probe inconsistencies, interpret adverse media, assess the plausibility of customer narratives, and escalate concerns through appropriate channels. Participants leave equipped with actionable frameworks, templates, and decision tools that can be tailored to their organisation's risk appetite and regulatory environment.
Who Should Attend
- Compliance officers and AML analysts in banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions
- Risk managers responsible for financial crime and regulatory risk
- Know Your Customer (KYC) officers and onboarding teams
- Internal auditors reviewing CDD and EDD programme effectiveness
- Legal and regulatory affairs professionals in regulated industries
- Financial intelligence unit staff and financial crime investigators
- Fintech and payment services compliance professionals
- Senior managers with oversight responsibility for AML/CFT programmes
Learning Objectives
- Explain the regulatory foundations of CDD and EDD under FATF Recommendations, relevant national legislation, and international standards
- Apply a risk-based approach to customer classification, segmentation, and ongoing due diligence review
- Conduct accurate customer identification and verification (CIV) for individuals, corporates, trusts, and other legal arrangements
- Identify and document ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) through complex and layered structures
- Assess the risk profile of politically exposed persons (PEPs) and apply appropriate EDD controls
- Conduct EDD for high-risk customers including correspondent banking relationships, high-risk jurisdictions, and non-face-to-face customers
- Interpret adverse media, sanctions screening results, and negative information to support CDD conclusions
- Manage the CDD and EDD lifecycle including trigger events, periodic review, and customer exit decisions
- Document due diligence findings in a manner that satisfies regulatory expectations and audit scrutiny
- Recognise and escalate suspicious activity arising from CDD and EDD processes through proper channels
Course Modules
Module 1: Regulatory Landscape and the Risk-Based Approach
- Overview of FATF Recommendations 10, 12, and 22 and their CDD implications
- National AML/CFT legislation and the role of financial intelligence units
- The risk-based approach: principles, rationale, and regulatory expectations
- Customer, product, geographic, and channel risk factors
- Regulatory consequences of CDD failures: enforcement actions and case examples
- Building a compliance culture that supports effective due diligence
Module 2: Customer Identification and Verification (CIV) for Individuals
- Legal and regulatory requirements for identifying individual customers
- Acceptable identification documents: primary, secondary, and electronic sources
- Verifying identity for non-face-to-face and digital onboarding scenarios
- Dealing with customers who cannot provide standard identification
- Reliance on third parties for CIV: conditions, risks, and liability
- Documentation standards and record-keeping obligations
Module 3: CDD for Corporate Entities and Legal Arrangements
- Understanding corporate structures: companies, partnerships, and joint ventures
- Identifying and verifying the existence and legal status of corporate customers
- Obtaining and assessing constitutional documents, ownership records, and financial information
- CDD for trusts, foundations, and other complex legal arrangements
- High-risk indicators in corporate customer profiles
- Common methods used to obscure beneficial ownership through corporate vehicles
Module 4: Beneficial Ownership Identification and Verification
- Definition of beneficial ownership under FATF Recommendation 24 and national law
- Thresholds for beneficial ownership and their limitations
- Tracing ownership through multi-layered and cross-border structures
- Verifying beneficial ownership: documentary and non-documentary approaches
- Handling situations where beneficial ownership cannot be confirmed
- Central beneficial ownership registers: availability, reliability, and use in due diligence
Module 5: Customer Risk Assessment and Segmentation
- Designing a customer risk assessment methodology
- Risk scoring models: quantitative and qualitative approaches
- Segmenting customers into simplified, standard, and enhanced due diligence categories
- Risk appetite, risk tolerance, and setting risk thresholds
- Documenting and justifying risk assessment decisions
- Common errors in customer risk assessment and how to avoid them
Module 6: Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs): Identification and EDD
- Definition of PEPs under international standards: domestic, foreign, and international organisations
- Identifying PEPs and their associates and close family members
- Sources and tools for PEP screening: databases, adverse media, and open-source intelligence
- Risk-based EDD measures applicable to PEP relationships
- Ongoing monitoring requirements for PEP customers
- Case studies of money laundering through PEP relationships
Module 7: Enhanced Due Diligence for High-Risk Customers and Scenarios
- Triggers for EDD: high-risk jurisdictions, complex structures, and unusual transactions
- Correspondent banking relationships: FATF requirements and best practice
- Non-face-to-face customers and digital channel risks
- High-net-worth individuals, private banking, and wealth management EDD
- EDD for non-profit organisations and cash-intensive businesses
- Documenting EDD rationale and proportionality for regulatory review
Module 8: Adverse Media, Sanctions Screening, and Negative Information
- The role of adverse media in CDD and EDD decision-making
- Categories of adverse media: financial crime, regulatory action, reputational risk
- Sanctions regimes: UN, OFAC, EU, and national lists — scope and application
- Screening methodologies, match rates, and managing false positives
- Integrating screening results into the overall customer risk assessment
- Escalation and decisioning when negative information is identified
Module 9: Ongoing Monitoring, Trigger Events, and Periodic Review
- Regulatory requirements for ongoing CDD and transaction monitoring
- Defining trigger events that prompt CDD refresh or upgrade to EDD
- Periodic review cycles: risk-based scheduling and prioritisation
- Monitoring customer behaviour and transaction patterns for consistency with profile
- Managing CDD for dormant accounts and long-standing customer relationships
- Customer exit decisions: when and how to terminate a relationship
Module 10: CDD Documentation, Audit Readiness, and SAR Escalation
- Standards for CDD and EDD file documentation and evidence quality
- Common documentation deficiencies identified in regulatory inspections
- Preparing CDD files for internal audit and external regulatory review
- Recognising suspicious activity arising from CDD processes
- The Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing process: thresholds, content, and tipping-off rules
- Building a continuous improvement culture in CDD and EDD operations
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have a basic familiarity with financial services operations or a compliance-related role within a regulated organisation. Some prior exposure to AML, KYC, or regulatory compliance concepts is recommended, though not strictly required. This course is not designed for complete newcomers to financial services; delegates who have worked in banking, insurance, legal, or similar regulated environments will gain the most value.
Training Methodology
- Regulatory mapping exercises in which participants compare FATF Recommendations against their own national AML/CFT legislation to identify gaps and obligations
- Structured case study analysis of real-world CDD failures drawn from published regulatory enforcement actions and FATF mutual evaluation reports
- Beneficial ownership tracing exercises using layered corporate structure diagrams to practise UBO identification
- Adverse media and sanctions screening simulations using sample profiles and fictitious but realistic customer scenarios
- Small-group risk-rating workshops where delegates apply a standardised risk scoring methodology to a portfolio of customer profiles
- Role-play escalation scenarios in which participants practise raising suspicious activity concerns through internal channels
- Review and critique of sample CDD and EDD documentation to identify weaknesses and apply corrective improvements
- Peer-led discussion of jurisdiction-specific challenges drawn from participants' own organisational contexts
Organisational Benefits
- Reduced regulatory and reputational risk through stronger, evidence-based CDD and EDD practices
- Improved consistency and quality of customer risk assessments across business lines and geographies
- Stronger ability to withstand regulatory inspections, audits, and enforcement reviews
- More effective identification and management of high-risk customer relationships
- Reduced exposure to financial crime, money laundering, and sanctions violations
- A compliance workforce with practical investigative and analytical skills, not just theoretical knowledge
- Better alignment with FATF standards and international best practices, supporting cross-border business relationships
- Enhanced internal audit and assurance capabilities relating to KYC and CDD programme design
Where Is Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Arusha, Dubai, Pretoria, Abuja, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Riyadh, Kigali, Accra, Mombasa, Kampala, Naivasha, Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
+229 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a formal compliance qualification to attend this course?
No formal qualification is required. The course is designed for professionals already working in compliance, risk, banking, or related regulated industries. A working familiarity with financial services or compliance operations is sufficient preparation.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes. Delegates who complete the full five-day programme will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Customer Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence. This certificate can be used to support CPD records and professional development portfolios.
Is this course relevant outside the banking sector?
Absolutely. While many examples are drawn from banking and financial services, the CDD and EDD principles covered are equally applicable to insurance, fintech, legal firms, real estate, accountancy, and any other sector subject to AML/CFT obligations.
Can this training be delivered in-house for our compliance team?
Yes. TrainingComplex offers bespoke in-house delivery of this programme, which can be tailored to your organisation's specific regulatory jurisdiction, risk appetite framework, and customer portfolio. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
How current is the regulatory content covered in this course?
The course content is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect the latest FATF guidance, mutual evaluation outcomes, and national regulatory developments. Trainers draw on current enforcement actions and recent regulatory publications to ensure the material remains directly applicable.
