Certified Financial- and Cybercrime Specialist

New technologies, innovative business models and an increasingly interconnected financial sector are opening up exciting opportunities, while at the same time driving demand for strong expertise in managing financial and cybercrime risks. If you work in Compliance, AML, Risk Management or Internal Audit, or at the intersection of IT and regulatory functions, the Certified Financial and Cybercrime Specialist certificate programme offers you a focused way to future-proof your skill set.

You will deepen your understanding of modern fraud schemes and cyber-enabled risks, and learn how to identify, assess and manage them in a structured and effective way. Through practical case studies and exchange with experienced experts, you gain not only up-to-date knowledge but also actionable tools you can apply directly in your day-to-day work.Target group

The programme is designed for practitioners responsible for identifying, managing and overseeing cyber-enabled financial crime risks from a governance, control and investigative perspective, senior professionals in Compliance, AML, Risk Management and Internal Audit, as well as experts working at the intersection of IT and regulatory functions in financial institutions.

The programme is offered in a hybrid format, allowing participants to choose between attending in person on campus or joining live online via Zoom (microphone and camera required). The content is delivered through interactive expert lectures, group work and case studies, with ample opportunity for questions and discussion throughout the programme.Module 1

Build a shared conceptual foundation on how cyber threats translate into financial crime risks affecting institutions, transactions and customerThe Digital Financial Crime Landscape

• Evolution of cyber-enabled financial crime

• Convergence of cybercrime, fraud and AML

• How cyber attacks translate into financial losses and customer impact

• Organised crime & digital ecosystems / Key attack vectors targeting financial institutions and clients

Cybersecurity & AI Fundamentals for Compliance Professionals

• CIA Triad in financial institutions

• Zero Trust, Defense in Depth & AI system security (conceptual level)

• Attack surfaces in banking, payment systems and customer interfaces

Threat Typologies in Financial Services

• Phishing & social engineering

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)

• Ransomware, automated attack tools & extortion

• Account takeover, identity manipulation and customer-target attacks

Mapping Cyber & AI Risks to Financial Crime Controls

• Control Overlaps (AML, IT Security and AI governance)

• AI risk management within compliance frameworks

• Gaps in protecting financial flows and customers

Module 2

Understand how criminals exploit digital infrastructures, payment systems and customer interactions.Cybercrime Ecosystem

• Dark web markets

• Crime-as-a-Service

• Ransomware-as-a-Service

• Crypto-assets & laundering techniques

• Digital infrastructures and platforms as enablers of financial crime

Digital Payment Fraud & Transaction Risks

• SWIFT & cross-border payments

• SEPA / Faster Payments

• Account takeover & mule accounts

• End-to-end attack scenarios affecting customer transactions

• Sanctions evasion risks in cross-border payment flows

• Use of complex payment chains and intermediaries to obscure sanctioned entities

Case Study: CEO Fraud and Payment Manipulation 

• Attack scenario and control failures

• Weaknesses in payment processes and escalation

• Financialcrime risks and transaction implications

• Lessons learned for prevention and detection

Module 3

Strengthen detection and investigation capabilities across cyber and financial crime functions. Monitoring Systems & Red Flags

• Transaction monitoring vs cyber monitoring

• SIEM, SOAR, UEBA (conceptual overview)

• Integrating AML & SOC insights for financial crime detection

Data Analytics & AI in Financial Crime Detection

• Machine learning in AML

• AI-driven fraud detection

• Deepfakes & synthetic identities

Digital Forensics for Compliance & Audit

• Evidence preservation

• Chain of custody

• Tracing financial flows in cyber-enabled crime scenarios

• Cooperation with law enforcement

Module 4

Align cyber-enabled financial crime risks with regulatory expectations and governance frameworks Regulatory Frameworks

• GDPR & data breach obligations

• DORA & operational resilience

• Operational resilience and impact tolerances for critical financial services

• AMLD / FATF standards

• Supervisory expectations on managing cyber-enabled financial crime

Reporting Obligations & Cooperation with Authorities

• Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)

• Data breach notifications

• Cross-border investigations

Governance & Control Frameworks

• Three Lines Model

• Roles & responsibilities

• Internal audit interface / ongoing monitoring

• cross-functional collaboration between Compliance, IT and Risk

• Limitation of siloed governance structures

• Integration of AML and cybersecurity controls

• Cybersecurity Culture, tone from the top & leadership KPIs

Module 5

Manage incidents where cyber attacks lead to financial crime, customer impact and regulatory consequencesIncident Response Governance

• Integration of Compliance, IT & Legal

• Escalation frameworks

• Personal liability risks

• Business continuity & disaster recovery

Financial, Legal & Reputational Impact

• Cost implications

• Insurance & liability

• Impact on customers, transactions and financial integrity

• Stakeholder communication

Strategic Lessons & Integration Roadmap

• Aligning cyber & AML framework

• Maturity assessment

• Next steps for institutions

Certified Financial- and Cybercrime Specialist (CFaCS)