Insight : MOST POPULAR

The growing demand for investigations skills

As the compliance world continues to evolve and the number of internal investigations increases, the skillsets needed by compliance staff are changing. This article discusses some of the reasons behind the growth in investigations, how compliance skills are evolving as a response, and the rising importance of technology-based investigation knowledge.....More

The new moral urgency of the UN’s corruption rhetoric

Absorbing bribery and corruption statistics provided by the UN is, even during gentler times, a sobering experience. This year’s figures were as bold and quietly unsettling as ever, in a neat symmetry of the year itself. But the accompanying comments by UN Secretary-General did offer something new.

BIG Compliance Festival 2020 – Part 2 highlights

A summary of part two of the Big Compliance Festival with highlights and key points from the sessions.....More

Working together to stop money laundering

FATF President, Dr Marcus Pleyer, shared a vision for the future of AML at ICA’s BIG Compliance Festival

BIGCompFest2020 | Part one highlights

ICA's BIG Compliance Festival 2020, the BIGGEST online event for regulatory and financial crime compliance professionals in 2020.....More

[EBOOK] Five ways to create effective, engaging virtual learning

COVID-19 elevated virtual learning from a useful option to a crucial function, enabling employees to continue learning in challenging circumstances. Now more than ever it requires virtual learning to be effective, with a clear structure and definitive outcomes. But it needs more than these for it to flourish, and leave a lasting impression on learners.

Shifting sands: The Changing Landscape in Compliance Training

Today, more than ever before, compliance professionals must contend with myriad challenges including rapid digitisation, technological disruption, fast-moving regulatory change, and new forms of risk. As a result, their capabilities are coming under increased scrutiny, with many asking the question: how does the skillset of the modern compliance professional need to evolve for the function to be successful?....More

Analysis: Cyber-attacks spike in Italy linked to coronavirus

Italy, a region in quarantine, is experiencing a spike in attempted cyber-attacks to capture the login credentials of employees working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. But not all the attacks have been successful, and that’s where the lessons lie.

5 tips for working at home

5 tips for being more productive and getting the most out of working from home....More

[ICA Podcast Series] How to cope during challenging times?

Anyone with Compliance responsibilities will know you need a wide range of interpersonal skills to be resilient, successful and effective. The secret is to improve your emotional intelligence. Two sample podcasts are available here and provide small bursts of practical advice of relevance in the current climate.

How brain science helps us to understand key influences on ethical behaviour [Podcast]

ICA's regular webinar series presenter and author of the ICA Specialist Certificate in Anti-Corruption, Penny Milner-Smyth, is the featured guest on the Great Women in Compliance (GWIC) podcast.....More

Women in compliance

On International Women’s Day, we caught up with Angelia Lee, Sandra Horma and Alice Chen, who were on a 'women in compliance' panel at the 2nd Annual APAC Conference last year. They share their great insights, experiences and advice for other women in the compliance industry.

Training? Five things that work

If you work in a large organisation, say a bank, insurance provider or oil and gas company, you are going to be deluged with training. When you join and at regular periods you will experience “death by CBT” (Computer Based Training).....More

“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” - Interview tips

Before attending an interview, go through the job description in more detail. This will give you an understanding of what the hiring manager is looking for.

Will AI replace compliance professionals?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is today being adopted across all sectors which will require us to adapt and obtain new skills. People will continue to be needed, but the types of jobs that they do will change.....More

United Arab Emirates: the rapid pace of regulatory change

It is often said that the only constant in life is change, and that certainly rings true for the current regulatory climate. The global nature of financial crime means that all regulators, and firms operating in the regulated sector, must be quick to respond to threats.

Financial crime: a 360-degree view (Podcast)

Broadgate Search sat down with Pekka Dare, Director of Training Education and Development at ICA, to uncover various case studies in the financial sector.....More

Human trafficking – how technology and collaboration can help combat the issue

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and most widespread criminal activities in the world.

Learning at Work Week 2019

Knowledge has a beginning but no end....More

[Infographic] 6 tips to help you on your study journey

'An investment in knowledge pays the best interest' - Benjamin Franklin

Compliance culture – What is the challenge?

Compliance culture, especially in financial services, is a really important element that can impact on the wider cultural challenges that a firm could face.....More

Standard Chartered $1.1 billion enforcement action: what lessons can we learn?

It was announced that Standard Chartered has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to US regulators and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). What lessons can we learn from this?

How many languages does a financial crime professional need to speak?

Virtual currencies, cybercrime and Trumponomics, to name just a few, present interesting dilemmas: to what extent should we be conversant in these areas in order to fully understand the financial crime risks associated with them?....More

10 year challenge – Middle East and North Africa

Ten years ago, the Middle East was a different place to the one that we see today. You only have to look at a picture of the Dubai skyline in 2008 and compare it to the current one to appreciate the aesthetic changes that have taken place. But it has not only changed aesthetically: the regulatory progress in the region’s financial sector has been equally discernable.

5 ways to help establish a fraud-averse environment

When correctly motivated, employees remain honest and become the most effective frontline defence against the fraudster. Employees become motivated when they believe that:....More

[Infographic] Skills and Attributes of a Compliance Officer

Have you ever wondered which skills and attributes are useful when working in anti money laundering (AML)? If you currently work in AML, have you considered how your own skills measure up? Here’s a quick look at some of the skills and attributes that a compliance professional may need

Corruption Perceptions Index – do movements in the middle also reflect the regulatory environment?

The new Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been released and you can see the results here. The Index is used in many financial crime models and is a highly regarded tool for geographic risk insight.....More

Skills and Attributes of an AML Professional - Infographic

Have you ever wondered which skills and attributes are useful when working in anti money laundering (AML)? If you currently work in AML, have you considered how your own skills measure up? Here’s a quick look at some of the skills and attributes that an AML professional may need

10 ways to instil a culture of compliance

Despite significant investment in compliance, we still see incidents where things go wrong. In many cases the root cause is the wrong culture and values. How do you drive the right culture across your organisation? How do you ensure everyone is accountable for compliance matters? Below we provide some tips to help support a successful compliance ‘change programme’.....More

[Infographic] FATF Reports in Brief: Human Trafficking Infographic

In August this year, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published a new report that aims to raise awareness and provide an updated and more precise understanding of the financial flows related to human trafficking.

A look at the illicit financial flows from wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade

When asked to consider IWT, many people would think of ivory and tiger skins; but it is so much more than that. IWT can be broadly defined as ‘any action which contravenes current legislation (nationally or internationally) governing the protection of animals and plants’ (NPCC).....More

5 ways to become a better influencer

As compliance professionals are becoming increasingly integral advisors to the business, to be competent and impactful in your role ‘influencing’ is a must have skill. But where do you start?

Getting the measure: the SMCR challenge

David Jackman highlights the challenges associated with efforts to measure whether the SMCR is working....More

Pakistan added to FATF Grey List

The FATF’s International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) identified four key areas of concern in respect of Pakistan; can these be resolved?

The World Cup of Corruption: Part 1

Football itself – and in particular FIFA – has been beset by corruption problems over the last decade. In light of this we thought we would consider each fixture of the tournament through the lens of corruption.....More

The changing face of compliance

In this article, Keeley Fitzsimmons, Training & Development Manager at Broadgate Search, provides an insightful overview of what employers are looking for from Compliance teams.

Is the sun setting on BOTs tax haven status?

An amendment to the Sanctions and Anti Money Laundering Bill was approved by the British government in May. The headline news from the amendment was that from 2020 British Overseas Territories (BOT) will be obliged to publish the beneficial owner(s) of all registered companies.....More

What does being a member of ICA do for you as a compliance professional?

The RegTech and FinTech Revolution

RegTech is now one of the most talked about innovations in the financial services sector. The added influx of FinTech that has caused the incumbent population of the financial services industry to sit up and take notice. Disruption is a clear and present threat to this community. The revolution is here.....More

5 reasons to recertify your ICA Diploma

For the first time, we are delighted to offer our Diploma graduates the opportunity to recertify their qualification in either AML, governance risk and compliance or financial crime prevention.

Five things you need to know about Bitcoin

Bitcoin has taken the world by storm; Simone Jones shares what she has learnt about cryptocurrency over the course of the last year.....More

International Anti Corruption Day: the ICA's top 5 blogs of 2017

In the lead up to the UN’s International Anti-Corruption Day on 09 December, we have collated a collection of articles and blogs, written over the last 12 months, to aid your learning journey on this all-important subject. The information that you take away should help stimulate discussion and support you in making sound decisions in your role.

Skills and attributes of a compliance officer

Have you ever wondered which skills and attributes are useful when working in compliance? If you currently work in compliance, have you considered how your own skills measure up?....More

Is your client a money launderer?

Googled it? We offer insight to firms who vet their customers for ‘negative news’ or ‘adverse information’ through various methods of screening.

Skills and Attributes of an Anti Money Laundering Professional

Have you ever wondered which skills and attributes are useful when working in anti money laundering? If you currently work in AML, have you considered how your own skills measure up?....More

Do you really know your customer?

Do you know your customer? Do you? Really? If someone asked you to “sum up the financial crime risks posed by the relationship”, would you be able to do it?

Our top seven Switzerland blogs on money laundering, terrorist financing and beneficial ownership

A round-up of our insight about money laundering, terrorist financing and beneficial ownership in Switzerland.....More

My top 10 quotes on learning

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin. At ICT, we are passionate about learning and development and tens of thousands of individuals and firms all over the world have realised their training ambitions through us.

The BCCI Scandal

After reading the comments on my previous blog on some of the biggest money laundering cases of the last 30 years, I have been inspired to look into one of those cases in more detail. The case involved the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, or BCCI, and it has made for very interesting reading.....More

Top 5 Money Laundering Cases of the Last 30 Years

Money laundering and, conversely, anti money laundering (AML), continues to be a hot topic, especially within businesses and large corporations, as government agencies – particularly in the US (where an estimated £231 billion is laundered annually) – continue to crack down on money laundering and sanctions violations.

Will an ICA qualification help me get a job?

When I go to briefing sessions about ICA qualifications and speak to delegates about their career aspirations , one of the more frequent questions I get asked is “will the qualification get me a job in the area I am interested in?” Indeed in the last two or three years this question has increased significantly in popularity due to the rise in recruitment opportunities in compliance and related roles.....More

What is the difference between compliance and audit?

One question that I have often been asked during my compliance career, and that comes up quite regularly in workshops is “what exactly is the difference between compliance and audit?”