Certificate in Sanctions Compliance

In this day and age, it’s crucial to know everything there is to know about international economic sanctions.

With AGRC’s Certificate in Sanctions Compliance, you will acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to comply with any sanction imposed and protect your business from penalties and reputational damage.

Over the past several decades, international economic sanctions have become a central instrument in global governance, being employed by both sovereign states and international organisations.

More recently, there has been a shift towards ‘smart’ or targeted sanctions that aim at the political and economic elites of targeted countries (e.g., through asset freezes and travel bans) rather than a more comprehensive sanctions approach (e.g., large-scale trade or oil embargoes) that has a detrimental effect on civilian populations.

In the era of financial globalisation, such ‘smart’ sanctions entail increased compliance obligations for state institutions and private organisations which, if not met, carry significant fines, penalties, and other adverse consequences.

This certificate provides a thorough understanding of sanctions and an opportunity to explore the recent global trends in economic sanctioning, while tracing the roles of the relevant actors within this complex framework.

You will examine the motives and rationale behind such decisions, the effects and consequences experienced not only by the targeted parties but also those doing business with them, either directly or indirectly.

The certificate is structured to offer the relevant knowledge with reference to practical examples that will enable for a sanctions compliance strategy to be conducted in an effective manner, essential to mitigating the sanctions risk.

Topics Covered

• Definition of sanctions
• Framework and legal basis
• The international framework
• Multilateral sanctions
• Unilateral sanctions and key sovereign states
• The legal and institutional framework
• Categories of restrictive measures
• Administration of sanctions
• Managing and mitigating sanctions risk
• Sanctions compliance programmes
• Processes and systems
• Sanctions screening and evasion

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this certification, you will be able to:

• Understand sanctions and the importance of compliance
• Understand why it’s important to comply
• Review and understand the global sanctions framework
• Define a sanctions compliance programme and governance framework
• Define sanctions lists and screening
• Manage alert investigations
• Understand sanctions risk
• Determine how much your institution is vulnerable to sanctions risks
• Apply modern methodologies that will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your programme
• Protect your institution from dealing with embargoed individuals or entities
• Understand the best practices for sanctions compliance controls

• Financial crime and regulatory compliance professionals
• Professionals working within the sanctions environment who wish to certify their knowledge
• Operational staff who need to understand the importance of sanctions compliance
• Regulators
• Consultants
• AML, compliance, and risk professionals
• Anyone working in financial services interested in attaining a better understanding of how sanctions work

No previous knowledge or experience is required, although it is assumed that participants have good knowledge of English and sound educational background.