Diploma Course on Financial Investigations

Together with Hochschule Neu-Ulm, we are building what we believe will become the reference standard for financial investigations training in Europe — practical, simulator-based, and accredited at master’s level.

AML Certification Centre has been selected by CEPOL — the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training — through a competitive procurement procedure to design, develop, and deliver the agency’s Diploma Course on Financial Investigations, a blended, accredited training programme for law enforcement officials from EU Member States and partner countries. The framework contract runs for up to 36 months. The programme is delivered together with Hochschule Neu-Ulm — Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), Germany, which acts as the academic awarding body.

Our tender received a final evaluation score of 95.80 out of 100, including maximum scores on the two highest-weighted criteria: course design and micro-credentials methodology.

A programme built for how investigators actually work

The CEPOL Diploma Course will combine a structured online phase with an intensive face-to-face training element, designed for police, customs, tax, and FIU experts who follow the money in criminal investigations fighting against organized crime, terrorism.

The curriculum covers the full investigative cycle: financial intelligence and early detection, OSINT and financial forensics, money laundering typologies, the role of professional gatekeepers, asset tracing and confiscation, EU and international cooperation instruments, fundamental rights and data protection, and the presentation of financial evidence in court.

At its core are six interactive investigation simulators. Participants will work through realistic cases — from suspicious transaction analysis to crypto-asset tracing and a multi-jurisdictional capstone investigation — making scored operational decisions with immediate feedback. Graduates will earn micro-credentials issued by Hochschule Neu-Ulm at EQF Level 7 (master’s level), aligned with the EU Council Recommendation on micro-credentials, and portable across Europe.

Taught by people who have done the work

The programme will be delivered by practitioners with decades of operational experience in financial investigations, alongside university faculty, including:

Geert Delrue — retired Detective Commissioner of the Belgian Federal Criminal Police with over 30 years in financial investigations, money laundering, and tax fraud cases, and author of more than 15 books on financial investigation.
Igoris Krzeckovskis — retired Colonel of the Interior of Lithuania, former Head of Lithuania’s Financial Intelligence and Money Laundering Prevention Department, who chaired the Working Party on Combating Fraud (GAF) of the Council of the EU and has advised UNODC, EU institutions, OSCE, and the Council of Europe in more than 18 countries.
Uwe Heim — forensic investigations specialist with over 25 years of experience, former leader of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) audit team for international organised crime, money laundering, and financial investigations, and subsequently Partner and Managing Director at leading international forensic practices.
Wolfram von Koeller — attorney at law and forensic investigations, specialist with over 18 years leading cross-border financial investigations, university lecturer in forensic accounting, and expert witness in financial proceedings.

The programme’s academic lead is Prof. Dr. Erik Rederer, Professor at Hochschule Neu-Ulm and founder of HNU’s Bachelor degree programme in Financial Crime. He will be overseeing curriculum design and quality assurance as Learning Curator.

Why this matters now

According to Europol, less than two percent of criminal proceeds in the EU is ever confiscated. At the same time, online fraud — from investment scams to AI-enabled schemes — is among the fastest-growing crime areas in Europe, increasingly affecting ordinary citizens.

Banks, payment institutions, and technology companies invest billions in fraud prevention. But once the money has moved, recovery depends on the investigative capability of law enforcement — and that is where the gap is widest, especially in cross-border and crypto-related cases. The 2024 EU Directive on asset recovery and confiscation now obliges Member States to strengthen exactly these capabilities.

“Everyone is building fraud prevention systems — banks, fintechs, platforms. But when a case finally reaches the police, investigators often lack the tools and training to follow the money, especially across borders or into crypto-assets. Fraudsters move in seconds; investigations take years. This programme exists to close that gap,” said Andrei Sribny, CEO of AML Certification Centre.

Towards a new standard in financial investigations certification

Accredited, university-backed educational standards dedicated specifically to financial investigations appear to be limited across Europe. Existing certifications are compliance-oriented, jurisdiction-specific, or focused on fraud examination alone. The CEPOL Diploma Course changes that: it combines operational investigative training, applied simulator-based assessment, and formal academic accreditation at master’s level.

“Certification in this field is moving from attendance-based certificates to accredited, applied, verifiable credentials. Our goal, together with Hochschule Neu-Ulm, is to set the reference standard for how financial investigators are trained and certified — in Europe and beyond,” added Sribny.

Prof. Rederer: “Economic crime threatens the integrity of every national economy. It is of great importance that an academic-level continuing education program for police officers is offered in this field.“

What comes next

The CEPOL course development begins in 2026, with the first cohort expected to start in 2027. Progress updates will be published in this newsroom.

Law enforcement agencies, FIUs, regulators, judicial authorities, prosecutors, AROs and financial institutions interested in simulator-based financial investigations training can explore the FIAR programme or contact us about institutional programmes.

About AML Certification Centre

AML Certification Centre is a professional anti-financial crime education, training and certification provider based in Tallinn, Estonia. It serves banks, payment institutions, crypto-asset service providers, regulators, FIUs, law enforcement, international organisations and compliance teams with practical, expert-led training programmes, including FIAR (Financial Investigation & Asset Recovery) — simulator- and skill-based programme covering the full investigative cycle from financial intelligence to asset recovery.

About Hochschule Neu-Ulm

Hochschule Neu-Ulm — Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) is a Bavarian state university of applied sciences. HNU issues the programme’s micro-credentials under its accredited framework at DQR/EQF Level 7, in line with the EU Council Recommendation on micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability.