ACAMS, in partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) company ElephantThink, has successfully conceptualized and delivered its first fully online web-based compliance training program for Dutch banking group ING. The training partnership is for a multi-lingual SaaS solution offering mobile and web-based access to equip recipients with core competencies required to perform analysis, onboarding and anti-money laundering prevention roles and considered pioneering in the world of financial crime prevention training.
ING, which has a presence in over 40 countries serving over 38 million customers, places great emphasis on compliance, know your customer (KYC) / customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD), which is reflected in the 4-year training agreement with ACAMS and ElephantThink.
Under the terms of the partnership, training is delivered digitally via e-learning on the ElephantThink Smart Learning Platform, and accessible in nine languages – English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish and Polish. Learners will have the ability to access the web-based learning curriculum supported by a companion mobile application which includes gamification elements to drive engagement and information retention. Qualifying ING employees will receive a verifiable digital certificate upon completion of their training.
Commenting on the training partnership, Roel Louwhoff, chief operations officer and chief transformation officer of ING, said: “As a gatekeeper to the financial system, ING has a responsibility to protect it, our customers and society against financial and economic crimes. Partnering with ACAMS to introduce their internationally recognized and certified digital training enables us to further enhance the KYC knowledge, skills and expertise of our employees in an innovative and engaging manner. This helps to fight financial economic crime, ensuring our customers can continue banking safely and securely as we empower them to stay a step ahead in life and in business.’’
Angela Salter, Interim President of ACAMS, said, “This is our first foray into delivering global web-based training to the KYC / CDD and transaction monitoring (TM) teams, and the promise of accelerated reach and efficacy is especially significant in the current environment. The commitment of ING to support a revolutionary training approach for a highly regulated and constantly evolving operating landscape cemented the success of our ground-breaking partnership with ElephantThink.”
Jack Smies, CEO of ElephantThink, said, “The mix of very high quality content from our partner ACAMS combined with our capabilities on AI, gamification and digital claims can really turbo charge people’s learning, which is reflected in the initial response and results of the training.”
Under the terms of the partnership ACAMS will make available AML, Sanctions, KYC and Transaction Monitoring programmes as well as ACAMS Certified Know Your Customer Associate (CKYCA) training at foundational and intermediate levels. These trainings are available in English, Dutch and multiple other languages, providing front-line and operations teams with the tools to perform KYC, CDD and EDD duties. ING’s sanctions, AML compliance and audit team learners will also have access to the full suite of ACAMS courses for the 2nd and 3rd lines of defence, underpinned by ACAMS’ comprehensive continuous education and alerts programme.
In a separate development, ACAMS has been granted approval by the Netherlands training registry body CRKBO to provide anti-financial crime training on a VAT free basis in the country, representing a savings of 21% on every ACAMS training course procured direct from ACAMS including its gold-standard CAMSTM Certified AML Specialist and recently launched Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS) qualifications.
