Accreditation and MQF level
A CPD Award accredited with 4 ECTS credits (MQF Level 5) by the Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) in Financial Services & MLRO will be presented to delegates who obtain a minimum pass in the relative assignment.
Course Duration and Examination Date
This course is made up of 8 evening sessions.
Entry requirements
The entry requirements for this course are a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent MQF Level 4 qualifications OR minimum of 3 years working within business administration as compliance officer.
Course Delivery Mode – Live Webinars
This course will be delivered via live online webinars. The course trainers will be visible on screen via a professional webinar platform through which students can follow the trainer presenting live whilst also using a powerpoint presentation and sharing other resources as necessary. Students will be able to interact with the trainer by sending questions or comments through the same webinar platform. Our student support team will assist all students with simple instructions on how to access the webinar online. A support line will also be made available to communicate with a student support officer in case of technical difficulties encountered during the live webinar.
All webinars will also be recorded and uploaded on the student online resources portal for future reference during home study. Trainers will also dedicate very regular Q & A times during the webinar to ensure all students can have the chance to ask questions and reach the intended learning objectives. The email and contact details of the trainer will also be made available in case students would wish to get in touch with the trainer throughout the course period.
Short 10 minute breaks will be given during the webinar.
Course Dates
Modules |
Dates |
Time |
Module 1 : The Regulatory Framework within Financial Services |
13/05, 20/05 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 2 : The High Level Regulatory Requirements |
27/05, 03/06 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 3 : Sectoral Requirements & Regulations |
10/06, 17/06 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 4 : Corporate Governance System & the Role of Governance |
24/06, 01/07 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Please note that as per terms and conditions, LEAD Training Services reserves the right to alter course dates, times and venue in exceptional circumstances beyond its control.
Course Outline
Module 1 - The Regulatory Framework within Financial Services
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Dr Stefan-John Berry
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:
- Advise on the purpose of regulations within financial services
- Carry out the duties that are required by a Money Laundering Reporting Officer
- Prepare Company’s Policies that are required by regulations
- Gain awareness of the purpose of the regulations and protections for savers and investors
- Gain a general understanding of the regulatory framework for the various sectors within financial services
- Gain a general understanding of the financial services regulations and European Union and the role of new players such as ESMA, EIOPA and the European Banking Regulator
- Understand the role of the Money Laundering Reporting Officer vis-à-vis the role of the Compliance Officer
- Apply the financial services requirements as part of his/her company’s policies
- Assess the roles of different players and regulators and identify the role of his/her Company within such sphere
- Prepare Company’s policies addressing the functions of regulators and different roles the various players in financial services
- The evolution of European integration
- The European Treaties
- European Institutions
- European System of Financial Supervision
- Post-Lisbon supervisory and legislative framework
- EU Capital Markets Union
- EU Common Market
- Evolving Financial Services
- EU Consumer Protection
- An Intro to the Digital Single Market
Module 2 – The High Level Regulatory Requirements
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Dr Rakele Cini
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:
- Advise on high level regulations
- Prepare policies and procedures on anti-money laundering and financial markets abuse
- Identify scenarios of conflicts of interest and manage such situations effectively
- Understanding of the financial markets abuse requirements
- Appreciate the importance of the management of conflicts of interest and prepare policies and procedures in this respect
- Appreciate the requirements for ‘fitness and properness’ of key individuals and the process by the MFSA in terms of regulations
- Appreciate the importance of promoting a good compliance culture and the methodologies for achieving this objective
- Prepare policies and procedures as required in terms of the anti-money laundering and counter funding of terrorism regulations and financial markets abuse
- Apply proper compliance as the integral part of the Company’s culture
- The Local Set-up
- Company Law and Registry of Companies
- Role of Directors
- Role of Company Secretary
- The MLRO
- MFSA Codes of Conduct
Module 3 – Sectoral Requirements and Regulations
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Dr Stefan-John Berry
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module/unit the learner would have gained a general understanding of the purpose of the following legislations and applicable regulations:
- Investment Services Act and Investment Services
- Banking Act and the role of the European Banking Regulator
- Financial Institutions Act and applicable regulations
- Investor and Depositor Compensation Schemes and applicable regulations
- Insurance Intermediaries Act and Insurance Intermediaries Rules
- Insurance Business Act and Insurance Rules
- An Intro on FinTech
- Understand anti-money laundering and counter funding of terrorism requirements in terms of the local requirements
- New AML/CFT Regulations
- Regulations on the UBO registers
- 4AMLD and subsequent Developments
- Terrorism and Terrorist Financing
At the end of the module the learner will also be able to:
- Prepare policies and procedures as required in terms of different regulations
- Manage compliance risk in line with financial services regulations
- Assess the level of applicability of regulations in line with the functions performance and licenses of the Company
Module 4 - Corporate Governance System and the Role of Compliance
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: James Grech, Dr Rakele Cini
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:
- Advise on the role of the compliance officer as part of the internal governance;
- Carry out the duties that are required for a compliance officer in financial services and in line with the expectations of the MFSA
- Understand the importance of good corporate governance and the role of the directors in particular non-executive directives and executive directors
- Gain awareness of the internal governance system and the role of the internal auditor, risk officer and the compliance officer as part of this system
- Understand the compliance officer’s roles and responsibilities
- Describe the methodologies for managing and mitigating compliance risk
- Understand what is meant by hand-on compliance tasks
- Apply the knowledge gained in the module as part of his/her day-to-day compliance functions
- Implement effective compliance duties
- Manage compliance risk
- Compliance Officer
- Risk Officer
- Internal Auditor
- Financial Controller
Trainers
James Grech

James Grech graduated with a Bachelor of Business and Commerce Degree in 2001 and later on obtained the Accountancy (Honours) degree from the University of Malta in 2003. James is Certified Public Accountant and holds a Practising Certificate in Auditing issued by the Ministry of Finance in Malta. He is also qualified as Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and member of ISACA. James is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditing (US), and is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). The CIA is the only internationally accepted certification designation for internal auditors and is the standard by which individuals demonstrate their competence and professionalism in the internal auditing and Management Consultancy field.
James is a renowned Business Consultant and Management/Business trainer and conference speaker in Malta and is also founder and Managing Director of LEAD Training Services, one of Malta’s largest professional training Institute licensed by the Malta Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (MFHEA).
Dr. Rakele Cini

Dr Rakele Cini is an independent legal consultant with many years of experience in AML/CFT, regulatory and compliance advisory. She primarily advises local & international firms / practitioners operating within the regulated industries on matters relating to the prevention of money laundering & funding of terrorism, due diligence, risk management, good governance, and other compliance areas. She is invited to lecture regularly by private institutions and regulatory bodies on these topics. She was previously head of Risk & Compliance at BDO Malta and, prior to that, formed part of the practice protection group at Deloitte Malta for numerous years.
Dr Stefan-John Berry

By profession, Stefan is a lawyer with a specialisation in EU Commercial Law and over 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry. He commenced his professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and later joined Lombard Bank Malta plc, a well-established and highly reputable local retail credit institution, where he helped set upand consolidate the Compliance, Risk Management and MLRO functions. He then moved on to Middlesea Insurance plc (part of the MAPFRE Group, Spain), where he has provided Compliance and Company Secretarial services to Maltese insurance and reinsurance companies that passport their products in the European Union. Thereafter, Stefan served as Company Secretary, in-house Legal Counsel, Compliance Officer and MLRO with a number of MFSA-licenced institutions, authorised to passport their products and services to other EU Member States. Stefan is currently very involved in providing advisory services on Internal Controls for FinServ and FinTech licenced entities.
Testimonials
- I attended the above course and was very pleased with the level of knowledge of the lecturers and the fact that we were provided with a lot of reading information in addition to the course material. This was very helpful and very much appreciated. Since the course was held online, the fact that there was a number available for any IT issues was very important and also all queries relating to the course were handled quickly and efficiently.
Angelita Delicata (February 2021)
- I highly recomment this course. Lecturers were very organised and were very easy to follow. Although all lectures were held on line, it was still very well organised and material was always provided in a timely manner. I look forward to attending more courses in the near future.
Erica Zammit (October 2020)
- I would like to thank Lead training services, that is the staff and the lecturers for their professional work. It was a very positive experience and I recommend your service to whoever is interested. I would suggest that you continue to offer online courses because it offers more flexibility. Thank you once again.
Karen Decelis, (September 2020)
- A very professional and well organised course, with it tutors and LEAD going out of their way during the pandemic to provide us with not only alternative modes of learning but also completing the assessment. I will definitely take up more courses offered by LEAD.
Nicholas Warren (August 2020)
- The course was very informative and well structured. Information was delivered in an excellent professional and inspiring manner. I would highly recommend Lead Training Services. Will certainly rely on these professionals for further development of my skills attending new courses.
Yasenka Ivanova (August 2020)
- The Course in Compliance in Financial Services & MLRO Professional Certificate was very interesting; it helped me to improve due diligence knowledge and in particular it helped to understand what procedures to follow for preventing money laundering.
Ilaria Maglio (August 2020)
- A short course, but very professional and useful for people working in compliance and AML sector.
Adrian Attard (February 2020)
- The course was well structured and provided useful legislative and practical insights. I would say the best part of the course was lecturers and their ability to deliver interesting lectures.
Stevie Aquilina (February 2020)
- Short course but very informative. Lecturers well informed and providing substantial reading content. Would recommend this course to anyone interested in regulatory compliance as it provides a good overview of the various financial sectors.
Joseph Mallia (June 2019)
- Very informative course. Lecturers are knowledgeable and professional. Cannot fault any of it.
Consiglia De Bono (June 2019)
- Well organised, subject intensive and ideal for anyone who either wants a career in compliance or is looking to famiarise themselves with local financial law. Lecturers very approachable and helpful. The tax rebate is also a nice plus.
Sharon Micallef (October 2018)
- A very well organized course with friendly and excellent tutors. I loved the flexibility that is offered with regards to attending to lectures and even the exam. Will definitely recommend and look at subscribing for other courses.
Luke Vella Clark (October 2018)
- The course was professionally conducted and was very detailed. I found it very useful in order for me to perform my duties in a professional manner. I, therefore, recommend those interested to take this course with Lead Training.
Maria Camilleri (May 2018)
Course Funding Options
For Individuals
-
GET QUALIFIED SCHEME
Candidates can benefit from a 70% rebate of the course fee via tax credit. Get Qualified is an initiative that supports the personal development of individuals for the achievement of qualifications and certifications required by industry.
Learn more about this scheme »
-
TRAINING PAYS SCHEME (TPS)
Eligible candidates satisyfing a list of criteria can benefit from a 75% rebate on direct training cost.
Learn more about this scheme »