Good compliance has always been shaped by good processes, and individual KYC onboarding remained one of the most important areas to approach with structure and precision. 

To support the UAE AML compliance community, AMLUAE and NIYEAHMA introduced the free, web-based Individual KYC Compliance Tool through a live webinar session that explored the tool in detail through a guided walkthrough and demonstration. 

Built in line with the UAE’s current KYC and CDD requirements, the tool was designed to help make individual onboarding more structured, consistent, and audit-ready in practice. 

What the Session Covered: 

• Common pain points in individual onboarding and the reasons they continued to persist
• The regulatory framework underpinning the tool, including Federal Decree Law No. 10 of 2025, Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, and theMoET CDD Implementation Guide 
• The complete 5-Step Wizard covering Personal Identity, Identity Documents, Address and Employment, Business Relationship, and Summary and Risk Rating 
• How the tool separated data collection from risk assessment to support a more deliberate onboarding process 
• A live demonstration of the tool in action 
• Practical applications across inspection preparation, staff training, process benchmarking, and active onboarding workflows 

About the Tool: 

• Free and web-based, with no sign-in requirement
• Built in line with applicable UAE AML/CFT regulations
• Designed with step-by-step guidance, built-in compliance reasoning, and red flag indicators 
• Applicable across DNFBPs and regulated entities operating in the UAE 

The session brought together professionals from across the compliance community, creating a practical discussion around structured onboarding and regulatory alignment within the UAE’s evolving AML/CFT landscape. 

Understanding who an organisation is doing business with remains one of the central objectives of an effective AML/CFT framework. For corporate customers, this extends beyond verifying registration details and reviewing documentation. It requires developing a clear understanding of ownership, control, business purpose, and the risks associated with the relationship. 

During our recent webinar, The Complete Corporate KYC Journey: Information, Verification & Risk Assessment, participants explored the practical considerations that underpin Corporate KYC within the UAE AML/CFT framework. The session examined how organisations can approach customer due diligence in a manner that balances regulatory expectations with operational practicality, particularly as ownership structures become increasingly layered and complex. 

Key areas discussed during the webinar included: 

• The role of Corporate KYC within the UAE AML/CFT framework 

• Important considerations when assessing corporate entities and business relationships 

• Ownership structures and beneficial ownership identification 

• Risk assessment considerations and indicators of elevated risk 

• Circumstances that may warrant Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) 

• A live demonstration of the Corporate KYC Compliance Tool and its guided methodology 

• Practical applications for onboarding, quality assurance, staff development, and inspection readiness 

In conclusion, the discussion reinforced a simple but important principle: while documents establish identity, understanding ownership, control, and risk is what enables meaningful due diligence. It is this understanding that transforms Corporate KYC from a regulatory obligation into a foundation for primed decision-making. 

Confused about what the process of Customer Risk Assessment (CRA) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) entail? Look no further!

Strengthen your business’s defences against Money Laundering (ML), Financing Terrorist (FT), and Proliferation Financing (PF) risks posed by prospective customers and existing low-risk customers whose risk rating may shift to high-risk due to any fluctuation in their customer profile by taking appropriate ML/FT and PF risk mitigation measures.

Through this Webinar, our Anti-Money Laundering expert Dipali Vora has explained the nitty-gritties of the Customer Risk Assessment (CRA) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) requirements under the Anti-Money Laundering/ Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws in the UAE.

Watch this Webinar and gain insights into:

• The meaning and importance of the CRA as an essential element of the Customer Due Diligence (CDD) process.
• Carrying out and implementing the CRA exercise through Customer Risk Profiling and deciding on the corresponding measures to be taken
• Red flags to look out for while conducting CRA
• Best Practices for conducting CRA
• When and how to conduct Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) on High-Risk customers

Enhanced due diligence for higher-risk customers and relationships is required by Article 5(c) of Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, under the core obligation in Article 19(1)(b) of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025. The risk-based approach and the enterprise-wide risk assessment are required under Article 19(1)(a) of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 and Article 5 of Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025.

So, don’t let ML/FT and PF risks hold you back! Watch the webinar recording now and empower your business through effective AML/CFT compliance.

Want to explore the screening requirements in the UAE?

Want your business to stay safe in today’s challenging business environment and compliant with Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) regulations, and Targeted Financial Sanctions (TFS) Compliance?

Then, you should watch our recent webinar video on YouTube!

The webinar endeavoured to dive deep into the concepts such as:

• How to screen the customers?
• When to screen the customers?
• What is Targeted Financial Sanctions (TFS)?
• What are sanction screening requirements in UAE?
• How to manage the TFS risk?
• What is PEP (Politically Exposed Person) Screening?
• What is Adverse and Social Media Screening?

The webinar also addressed the critical role played by the screening process for carrying out Sanctions Screening, Adverse Media Checks, and PEPs (Politically Exposed Persons) Screening to safeguard against the ML/FT and PF risks.

Check out the recorded session of the webinar, in case you missed the live session or you simply want to revisit any concept that grabbed your interest, using the on YouTube link given below.

Identity verification is a crucial aspect of the Customer Due Diligence Process to ensure the authenticity of the identity presented. Identity Verification is the process of confirming the prospect’s claimed identity by cross-referencing the given information with official government-issued documents such as an Emirates ID in the UAE.

Various methods of identity verification:

• Document verification
• Biometric verification
• Credit Bureau-Based Authentication
• Database Identification Methods
• Knowledge-Based Authentication
• Online Verification
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
• Device Verification

The regulated entities must identify the suspicions related to money laundering or terrorism financing and report the same to FIU. It is very important to determine when the report is to be filed on the goAML Portal.

A Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) is to be filed when the regulated entities have reasonable grounds to believe any activity or transaction of the customer is related to any financial crime or money laundering/terrorist activities.

It is very important to understand the source of funds and the source of wealth of a customer to bring transparency to the transactions, as businesses deal with high-risk customers regularly, posing an increased risk of financial crimes. It is important to determine the financial position of the customer to identify the origin of the customer’s funds and get information about the possible connection with financial crime or any other criminal activities.

When the means of funds and wealth, as disclosed by the customer, do not align with the customer’s declared wealth, it indicates suspicious activity. It helps you identify whether the transaction proposed is aligned with the customer’s source of funds and wealth.