Financial Crime Prevention - Online

At a glance

There has been a significant increase in the complexity and volume of regulation underpinning compliance in the area of financial crime prevention. Consequently, practitioners operating in this complex environment have to fulfil their fiduciary responsibilities of ensuring ethical and legal compliance within this regulatory environment while contributing to wider organisational objectives.



Who is it for?

• The role of the Head of Compliance PCF-15 and the new role introduced in 2022 by the Central Bank of Ireland PCF-52 (Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terroist Financing Compliance), often the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) in a regulated firm, are both pre-approval control functions under the Central Bank Fitness and Probity regime. MLROs within firms carry serious legal responsibilities and those who fill the roles must know and understand what these responsibilities are.

• Relevant law and standards apply both at a domestic and international level and material breaches can result in personal accountability for MLROs as well as significant reputational damage and fines for financial services firms. The wider damage caused by financial or white collar crime to individuals, communities and the public at large is immeasurable. Effective prevention of fraud and financial crime, combined with thorough investigation if and when it does arise, yields very positive outcomes.

• The certificate has been designed in consultation with the Garda Bureau of Fraud investigation and the Suspicious Transactions Unit in the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.



Continuous Professional Development

If you hold an IOB designation or a designation managed by IOB, CPD hours may be awarded on successful completion of this programme.



Award

• Professional Certificate in Financial Crime Prevention from UCD.

• This is a special purpose award and a level 9 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications.



Awarding Body: University College Dublin

Financial/White Collar Crime Prevention (NFQ level 9, 10 ECTS)

This module considers the offense of financial/white collar crime which is committed by or against an individual or corporation and results in a financial loss. The various forms this type of crime can take are examined and best practice techniques to manage and control the risks are discussed. The module will introduce you to a number of topics and suggested methodologies, but also requires input from your professional experience to develop a best-practice approach in order to counteract, hinder and ultimately safeguard individuals and corporations from crime in the financial system.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirements to the Professional Certificate in Financial Crime Prevention are as follows:

• An honours degree (min. 2.2 L8 NFQ) in a business, IT or relevant cognate discipline.

or

• Those who do not hold a degree, but have exceptional professional experience in the areas of fraud, risk or compliance are eligible to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

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Professional body membership

You must be a current member of the Compliance Institute, or become a member, to undertake this programme.

To become a member, or renew your membership of the Compliance Institute click here. When applying for the programme you will be asked to upload a receipt of your Compliance membership payment.

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English Language Requirements

Teaching in IOB is through the medium of English; therefore, applicants must demonstrate a high level of competence in the English language to be admitted to study. Students whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate their proficiency in the language and must provide verifiable evidence of that proficiency. Further information on these requirements is provided in the IOB English Language Policy.

1 trimester. Lectures are delivered online across five Saturdays in the trimester.

Next intake: Autumn 2025-2026 academic year - (Assessment in January 2026).

Progression

The Professional Education Framework is a flexible education pathway that provides learning and development opportunities wherever you are in your career. You can access the framework at any step to take specialist qualifications depending on your career and learning need.