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AGRC Certificate in Sanctions Compliance

AGRC Certificate in Sanctions Compliance

Dates

  • October 2026
      to   (2 sessions)
    Delivered Online
    €650 - €850
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Highlights

  • Live Online

  • 10 CPD Units | 10 Hours

  • HRDA Subsidised

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

Internal Sanctions have become the new norm in the financial services, as they have now been established as the chosen foreign policy tool instead of military action. Events in Ukraine since 2014 have initiated a series of sanctions against Russia that have intensified after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The extent by which financial sanctions have been used in recent years has raised the alarm for all financial institutions and has necessitated a good understanding of how this foreign policy functions and the resulting effects.

This certification programme aims to provide individuals with the relevant background, tools and information required to hone their skills as AML or compliance professional working for a bank, investment company, financial services provider, or law firm. This programme will provide participants with a solid and practical understanding of the motives and rationale behind sanctions decisions, the resulting effects, and the consequences experienced by targeted individuals and entities and those doing business with them, either directly or indirectly. Moreover, by undertaking this programme, participants will be better prepared for the AGRC Certificate in Sanctions Compliance examination.

Training Objectives

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the various types of sanctions

  • Describe the differences between main sanctions categories

  • Identity the institutional and legal framework within which sanctions are decided

  • Convey the sanctions related challenges corporations are expected to face

  • Identify the requirements stemming from the existing regulatory framework and the applicable sanctions

  • Perform evaluations on the adequacy of sanctions compliance programmes

  • Develop a sanctions risk management framework

  • Develop and structure the administrations of sanctions

  • Apply key international guidelines in relation to sanctions risk

  • Substantiate the need for corporations to be adequately prepared for the increased compliance needs regarding sanctions

  • Analyse ongoing developments and regulatory repercussions in relation to sanctions

  • Evaluate the risks relevant to sanctions

  • Appraise the relevant systems in monitoring and screening sanctions and identifying sanctions evasion

  • Justify the need for a solid sanctions compliance programme

  • Justify the need for adequate resources to be allocated for sanctions-related requirements, compliance and monitoring

  • Appraise possible future developments in a highly unstable political environment

  • Constructively participate in a corporation's efforts to secure sanctions risks are adequately handled and compliance is achieved

Training Outline

International Economic Sanctions

  • Definition of international economic sanctions

  • Review of key categories, terms, and concepts

  • Understand when, how and if sanctions can be successful.

The International Framework: Multilateral Sanctions

The United Nations

  • The two relevant decision-making bodies within the UN

  • Key characteristics of UN sanctions and how effective they can be

  • The UN's past record of sanctions

The European Union

  • Assessing the EU's sanctions policy

  • EU sanctions in response to Russian involvement in the Ukrainian Crisis

  • The EU's new sanction policy

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

Unilateral Sanctions: Key Sovereign States

  • The legal and institutional framework

  • Administration of sanctions

  • OFAC's 50% rule for entities and revising the guidelines

  • Key recent legal developments

Managing Sanctions Risk

  • Sanctions Risk Assessments

  • Sanctions Compliance Programmes

  • Mitigating Sanctions Risk

Processes and Systems to Handle Sanctions

  • Sanctions Screening

  • Name Screening vs. Transaction/Payment Screening

  • Sanctions Evasion

Who Should Attend

The programme is ideal for:

  • 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 when dealing with customers and/or transactions

  • Regulators

  • Consultants

  • AML, compliance, and risk professionals

  • Anyone working in financial services who is interested in attaining a better understanding of how sanctions work

Training Style

The programme is designed to deliver knowledge and enhance participants' skills via the delivery of essential material, case-studies, practical examples, discussions and learning activities. Most of the training will focus on delivering the syllabus using an interactive approach, encouraging participants to engage in the learning process. Participants will also benefit from feedback through the learning activities and take away the knowledge gained to be transferred to their workplace.

CPD Recognition

This programme may be approved for up to 10 CPD units in Financial Regulation and AML. 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 10 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.

What is Included

  • Live Online Training

  • 1-year free AGRC Membership

  • Online Examination

  • AGRC Certificate

Attain the Certification

Success in the final test of 40 MCQs for the completion and award of the Certificate in Sanctions Compliance, issued by the Association of Governance, Risk and Compliance (AGRC). The pass mark is 70% and two attempts are permitted. The final test is 60 minutes.

Book the AGRC Examination

You have three (3) months from the date of completion of your live online training programme to book your exam. If you fail to do so, you will have to pay £150 to take the exam via the third-party exam centre.

Assessment Test Information

  • Type: Multiple choice, closed book online exam

  • Duration: one hour

  • Pass mark: 70%

  • Attempts: 2

  • Number of questions: 40

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

  • Adonis Pegasiou

    Adonis Pegasiou

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    Adonis Pegasiou is the Academic Director of EIMF since May 2019. He holds a PhD in Politics (University of Manchester), an MSc in European Policy Studies (University of Bristol) and a BSc in Economics (London School of Economics (LSE)). Furthermore, he holds the ‘Certified Global Sanctions Specialist’ (CGSS) Certification offered by the Association of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) and a Diploma in ‘Governance, Risk and Compliance’ (Merit) offered by the International Compliance Association (ICA). Following his doctoral studies, he held positions in the public and private sectors including Cyprus Airways (Head of Chairman’s Office and Non-Executive Board Member), the Secretariat of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of EU, the Embassy of Kuwait in Cyprus (Consultant to the Ambassador) and the Cyprus Cooperative Bank (Non-Executive Board Member – appointed by the Government approved by the Parliament and European Central Bank). In between his professional appointments, Adonis Pegasiou was awarded post-doctoral research funding by the Research Promotion Foundation of the Republic of Cyprus to examine the ‘Europeanisation of Cyprus’s economy’. For the duration of the post-doctoral project, he was based at the EUC Research Centre (Cyprus) and was also a Visiting Fellow at the Hellenic Observatory of the LSE. In addition, he has been involved in numerous research projects, published his work in various peer-reviewed journals and participated in numerous international conferences. Moreover, he has taught at the European University Cyprus (EUC) (2014-2016) and has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Cyprus since 2015.

  • Anna Damaskou

    Anna Damaskou

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    Dr Damaskou Anna has worked with national and EU supervisors of the banking and financial sectors, as well as with banking institutions in Greece and abroad. She was the Chair of the Board of Transparency International Greece from October 2017 to July 2021, after having served as a researcher for the organization for a number of years. Dr Damaskou has carried out post-doctoral research at the University of Luxembourg in the fields of European financial criminal law and European Banking Law. She holds a PhD from Queen Mary University of London in the field of European financial criminal law, as well as an LLM from the London School of Economics & Political Science specializing in (criminal) banking and financial law. She has published extensively in the areas of good governance and anti-corruption. She is certified as CAMS, CFE, CGSS, CIPP/E, CIPM. She speaks English, French, German and Serbian.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When will I receive my invoice?

    The invoice is issued on the day the course starts.

  • What payment methods are accepted?

    Payments can be made by bank transfer, cheque, or credit card.

  • When will my certificate be issued?

    Certificates are issued within 7–10 days after the course has been completed, provided that the invoice has been paid.

  • How can I access my certificate?

    Once your certificate has been issued, you will receive an automated email from Cademy notifying you that it is available.

    Click the Get Your Certificate button in the email to download your certificate.

    You can also access it from your Cademy account:

    1. Log in to your Cademy account from https://cademy.io
    2. Click on My Account from the top-right corner.
    3. From the drop-down menu select My Courses and Bookings.
    4. Choose the relevant course.
    5. Under Participants, click the three dots located next to your name. 
    6. Select Get Certificate.
  • Where can I access the course material?

    To access the course materials, such as presentations and recordings:

    1. Log in to your Cademy account from https://cademy.io
    2. Click on My Account from the top-right corner.
    3. From the drop-down menu select My Courses and Bookings.
    4. Choose the relevant course.
    5. Under Extra Details, you will find all the available course materials.
  • What is the HRDA?

    The Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA) of Cyprus is a semi-government governmental organisation that supports the development of workforce skills through training and development initiatives. Eligible training programmes approved by the HRDA may qualify for a subsidy, reducing the participation cost for eligible organisations and individuals, subject to the HRDA's terms and conditions.

  • Who is eligible for the HRDA subsidy?

    The HRDA subsidy is available to:

    • Companies registered in Cyprus that are applying for their employees.
    • Unemployed individuals who meet the eligibility requirements (see the FAQ below for required documents).
    • Self-employed individuals registered as self-employed in their ERMIS profile.

    To receive the subsidy, eligible persons must attend at least 75% of the course. 

  • What is ERMIS?

    ERMIS is the online platform of the Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA) of Cyprus, used for managing training programme registrations, participant details, subsidy applications, and attendance records. All participants attending HRDA-approved courses must have an ERMIS profile and use the platform’s attendance register to check in and check out during each course session. https://ermis.anad.org.cy/

  • What is the process for attending an HRDA-approved course?

    To attend an HRDA-approved course, you must:

    1. Register for the course through the EIMF website.
    2. Create the necessary ERMIS profile(s).
    3. Register for the course through ERMIS.
    4. Complete any additional HRDA requirements if you are applying for the subsidy as an unemployed or self-employed individual.
    5. Log onto ERMIS and check in through the relevant attendance register when you join the course session and check out when you leave each course session.

    See the FAQs below for detailed instructions.

  • Is an ERMIS profile required?

    Yes. ALL participants attending HRDA-approved courses must have an ERMIS profile, whether applying for the subsidy or not.

    • Companies applying for the HRDA subsidy for their employees:
    1. The company must have an ERMIS profile as a Legal Entity.
    2. The company must have their Employer role approved on the ERMIS system.
    3. Each participating employee, as well as a company authorised person and the company’s director, must have an ERMIS profile as a Natural Person
    4. The employees' and representatives’ profiles must be linked to the company's ERMIS profile.
    • All Individuals: 
    1. Must have an ERMIS profile as a Natural Person.

    You can create or access your ERMIS profile here: https://ermis.anad.org.cy/

  • How do I register for an HRDA-approved course through ERMIS?

    After booking your course through the EIMF website, you must also register through ERMIS, provided that the required profile(s) have already been created.

    • If you are registering as an individual:

    You must register through your personal ERMIS profile.

    • If a company is applying for the HRDA subsidy for its employees:
    1. Registration must be completed through the company’s ERMIS profile.
    2. The company profile used for registration must match the payroll company where each participant is employed.

    For example: If your organisation includes multiple companies, make sure each participant is registered under the correct company profile.

    Around one week before the course starts (or immediately after booking if you register less than one week before the course), we will email you the HRDA course details and instructions on how to complete your ERMIS registration.

  • What documents do unemployed individuals need to apply for the HRDA subsidy?

    When registering for the course through ERMIS, you must upload both of the following documents obtained from the Public Employment Service:

    1. A referral for participation in HRDA Multicompany courses (Παραπεμπτικό για Πολυεπιχειρησιακά Προγράμματα της ΑνΑΔ).
    2. An ES19 form confirming that you were unemployed from at least the course start date.
  • What do self-employed individuals need to do to apply for the HRDA subsidy?

    You must update your ERMIS profile:

    1. Log in to your ERMIS profile and select the Self-employed role from the available roles.
    2. Complete and submit the request.
    3. Once your request has been approved, you can register for courses and apply for the HRDA subsidy as a self-employed individual.

    When submitting your request, you must upload one of the following:

    1. A confirmation letter from the Social Insurance Services confirming acceptance of your registration as a self-employed person.
    2. A Confirmation letter from the Social Insurance Services confirming your self-employed status.
    3. Proof of payment of Social Insurance contributions for the most recent quarter (available through SISnet). 
  • Is the check-in and check-out process in ERMIS mandatory?

    Yes. All participants must log onto the ERMIS system and check onto the attendance register when they join a course session and check out when they leave a course session, as HRDA records attendance.

    To receive the subsidy, eligible persons must attend at least 75% of the course. Check-ins and check-outs reflect actual attendance.