MiCA compliant
Latest Update: July 2026
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- Advanced
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48
Advanced
EnglishCAPS Certification for German CASPs
Regulations: MiCAR, BaFin AML rules & German MLTFPA
CPD-Certified Activity
What you will learn on the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Principal Specialist for German CASPs course:
- Compliance Programs: Master the development and implementation of comprehensive compliance frameworks, including KYC, CDD, EDD, and transaction monitoring.
- Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies: Gain a thorough understanding of blockchain technology, its core principles, and the various types of cryptocurrencies, including tokens, stablecoins, NFTs, and CBDCs.
- Regulatory Mastery: Understand the German AML/CTF+ regulatory approach, focusing on CASP-specific obligations under MLTFPA.
- Cybersecurity in AML/CTF+: Master cybersecurity unique to CASPs, including incident response, penetration testing, and managing IT vulnerabilities in crypto environments.
- Crypto Industry Focus: Explore risks unique to the cryptocurrency sector, such as honeypot, tokenisation, and other CASP-specific risk areas.
- Practical Application: Solve real-world case studies to apply advanced AML/CTF+ concepts in managing risks and responding to regulatory challenges.
- BaFin Supervision: Align AML programmes with the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) requirements under the Geldwäschegesetz (MLTFPA) — the framework every German-supervised CASP must operate under.
Compliant with the new ESMA guidelines of 11 July 2025.
What Course Includes:
80 Visual Schemes 
14 Assignments 
84 Submodules of Reading Material 
35 CPD Credits 
Certificate of Completion 
5-6 weeks – Recommended Learning Timeline 
1695 €
Pay
848€ monthly
for
2 months
Pay
565€ monthly
for
3 months
Equip senior compliance professionals with CAPS, the highest-level AML certification for experts managing financial crime risks. Designed for MLROs, senior officers, Head and Board Members, it focuses on MiCA and industry-specific compliance. A structured, scalable, and cost-effective way to certify top-level AML professionals and strengthen regulatory leadership.
Program overview
Find out what you’ll learn in CAPS, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Principal Specialist for German Crypto-Asset Service Providers, how long it will last, and what qualifications you’ll gain after completing it.
The CAPS Certification Program for German CASPs is designed for professionals aiming to master anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CTF), and other critical financial crime prevention strategies. This advanced program goes beyond intermediate knowledge, providing in-depth insights into AML/CTF+ compliance, regulatory frameworks, and risk management practices in the German crypto sector.
The program equips learners with the knowledge and skills to address complex compliance challenges, ensuring organisations uphold the highest standards of financial integrity. The programme is built around BaFin (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) supervision requirements and the Geldwäschegesetz (MLTFPA) framework that every German-supervised CASP must operate under.
This comprehensive certification program offers expertise in the following areas:
- Advanced Understanding of Financial Crime Risks. Explore the intricate mechanisms behind financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing, and understand their global impact.
- Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies: Core principles of blockchain technology, types of cryptocurrencies, and their regulatory implications.
- German Regulatory Framework and Approach: Detailed insights into German’s AML laws, CASP obligations under the MLTFPA, and the role of compliance officers.
- Risk Management: Advanced risk assessment techniques, identifying red flags, and practical strategies for mitigating ML/TF risks.
- Compliance Program Development: Building effective compliance systems, including KYC, transaction monitoring, and governance structures.
- Cybersecurity in AML/CTF+: Addressing IT risks, data privacy under GDPR, and leveraging technology for compliance.
- Reporting and Audits: Best practices for suspicious activity reporting, internal audits, and ensuring readiness for regulatory scrutiny.
- Consequences of Non-Compliance: Real-world case studies highlighting enforcement actions, penalties, and lessons learned.
The CAPS Certification Program combines advanced expertise with an engaging learning experience, featuring:
- Dynamic Video Lectures: Professionally created content to explain complex topics clearly.
- In-Depth Case Studies: Real-world examples to contextualise theoretical knowledge.
- Interactive Quizzes: Test and reinforce your understanding throughout the course.
- Customised Materials: Jurisdiction- and industry-specific guides for practical application.
- Learning Method: Online.
- Duration: 5-6 weeks (flexible, self-paced).
- Materials: Video lectures, detailed textual content, industry-specific case studies, and schemes.
- Final Assessment: Comprehensive exam with 60 questions, 90 minutes to complete.
- Exam passing threshold: 80%
Upon completing the CAPS Certification Program, you will receive the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Principal Specialist (CAPS) designation, recognised as one of the most advanced qualifications in the AML field.
- Globally Recognised Certification: Demonstrates your expertise in AML/CTF+ compliance and risk management.
- Regulatory Expectations: Your qualification becomes aligned with the expectations of local regulators.
- Career Advancement: Enhances your credentials, positioning you for senior roles in compliance, financial crime prevention, and regulatory affairs.
With the CAPS Certification, you’ll not only master advanced AML/CTF+ strategies but also solidify your position as a leader in the fight against financial crime.
The certificate you will receive and the official designation.
View a certificate
- Basic computer and internet skills.
- Knowledge of English at lest B2.
- Professional experience in the field at least 4 years.
- Other high-level professional qualifications.
Contact us to find whether you are eligible.
1
Introduction to Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing
Lectures 7 opinions
- Predicate offences for Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing,
- Proliferation Financing and Sanctions
- Understanding Money Laundering, Its Consequences and Its Impact
- Understanding Terrorist Financing, Its Consequences and Its Impact
- Understanding Proliferation Financing, Its Consequences and Its Impact
- International Sanctions: Importance and Why
- Highlights of the previous chapters
2
Introduction to blockchain
Lectures 5 opinions
- Historical Context
- Core Principles of Blockchain
- Challenges and Considerations
- Key Elements of Cryptocurrency Transactions
- Highlights of the previous chapters
3
Overview of various types of cryptocurrencies, including native assets, tokens, stablecoins, NFTs and CBDCs
Lectures 6 opinions
- Virtual Assets, Cryptocurrencies and Crypto-Assets
- Native Assets
- Tokens
- Stablecoins
- Central Bank Digital Currencies
- Highlights of the previous chapters
4
CASP AML/CTF+ Framework in Germany — BaFin & MLTFPA
Lectures 5 opinions
- EU-wide regulation development
- German Regulation Development
- CASP’s Obligations Under MLTFPA
- AML/CO responsibilities
- Highlights of the previous chapters
- BaFin AML supervision framework, MaGwG obligations and Geldwäschegesetz (MLTFPA) requirements for German-supervised CASPs
5
CASP different services in Regulation Development
Lectures 10 opinions
- Virtual Currency Service
- Virtual Currency Wallet Service
- Virtual Currency Exchange Service
- Virtual Currency Transfer Service
- Tokenisation
- Over-The-Counter Desk
- Market Making
- Online Gaming
- Crypto ATM’s
- Highlights of the previous chapters
6
Compliance Program
Lectures 5 opinions
- Key elements of an Effective Compliance Program
- Roles and Responsibilities in Compliance
- Compliance Policies and Procedures
- Training and Awareness Programs
- Highlights of the previous chapters
7
CASP Risk Management,- Assessment and – Appetite
Lectures 6 opinions
- Risk Management, – Assessment, and – Appetite
- Risk-, Rule-Based Approach
- ML/TF+ Risk Identification
- AML/CTF+ Risk Scoring
- Examples of Risk Assessment Scenarios and Best Practices
- Highlights of the previous chapters
8
KYC, CDD, EDD, ODD, Transaction monitoring
Lectures 5 opinions
- KYC
- CDD, SDD, EDD
- ODD
- Transaction monitoring
- Highlights of the previous chapters
9
Cybersecurity Risks
Lectures 6 opinions
- Cybersecurity and AML/CTF+
- Incident Response
- Penetration Testing, Black-box, White-box Audits
- Key Aspects of IT Risks in Cryptocurrencies
- Automated technology and systems in AML/CTF+
- Highlights of the previous chapters
10
GDPR Requirements within AML/CTF+
Lectures 6 opinions
- Understanding GDPR and its Importance
- GDPR Compliance in AML/CTF Programs
- Data Subject Rights and AML/CTF+ Obligations
- Ensuring Data Privacy and Security in AML/CTF+ Operations
- Case Studies and Best Practices
- Highlights of the previous chapters
11
Suspicious Activity and/or Transaction
Lectures 5 opinions
- Investigating Suspicious Activity
- Identifying Suspicious Activity and/or Transaction
- Red Flag Indicators Related to Transactions, Transaction Patterns and Anonymity
- Red Flag Indicators About Senders or Recipients; In the Source of Funds or Wealth; Geographical Risks
- Highlights of the previous chapters
12
Reporting obligations
Lectures 5 opinions
- Principles of the tone from the top and information flow
- Reporting obligation from Employees to the AML Department
- Communication by Employees/MLRO on Towards to Customer
- Reporting From the AML Department to FIU
- General Reporting to the Management Board
- Highlights of the previous chapter
13
Audit
Lectures 4 opinions
- The importance of the AML/CTF/IS compliance function as a prerequisite function for the internal audit
- Blockchain Preparation Audit Programme
- Audit
- Highlights of the previous chapters
14
Consequences of Non-compliance with AML/CTF+ Regulations
Lectures 4 opinions
- Enforcement Actions and Penalties for AML/CTF+ Violations
- Utilisation of Non-Compliant Cryptocurrency Exchanges by Criminals for Money Laundering
- Case Studies – Penalties
- Highlights of the previous chapters
Frequently
Asked
Questions
about CAPS for German CASPs supervised by BaFin
Where does CAPS sit relative to the Geldwäschebeauftragter role at a German CASP?
It is the third and highest level of the AML Certification Centre pathway, after AML Foundations and CASS. The syllabus is pitched at the person who holds the Geldwäschebeauftragter mandate under § 7(1) of the Geldwäschegesetz, or at their statutory deputy. Both positions sit at management level and report directly to senior management, and both are named to BaFin. That is the audience.
Why would a BaFin-supervised CASP invest in advanced AML qualifications?
Because § 7(4) GwG attaches a consequence to competence. Obliged entities must notify BaFin in advance when a Geldwäschebeauftragter or deputy is appointed or dismissed, and the appointment must be revoked at the supervisor’s demand where the person does not hold the required Qualifikation or Zuverlässigkeit. A firm that can’t evidence the qualification half of that test is exposed — CAPS gives it something dated to point at.
Does CAPS meet BaFin’s expectations for AML staff competence?
CAPS is CPD accredited and developed with practising AML specialists, and it is designed to address what German law asks of the Geldwäschebeauftragter under the Geldwäschegesetz and of a CASP under the Kryptomärkteaufsichtsgesetz. It is not approved, endorsed or recognised by BaFin.
What experience does a German applicant need before starting CAPS?
The entry test has two parts. • At least four years of professional experience in AML compliance or a related field. • A recognised AML certification such as CASS or an equivalent qualification, or other professional recognition. Click on the “Check eligibility” button to contact us. Time served as a deputy Geldwäschebeauftragter counts towards the experience requirement, but we confirm it individually rather than by rule.
What goes into the personnel file after CAPS?
A CPD-accredited Certified Anti-Money Laundering Principal Specialist certificate and one year of membership of the CPD institute. Under § 7(5) GwG the Geldwäschebeauftragter must perform the function in Germany and be the contact point for law enforcement, the Zentralstelle für Finanztransaktionsuntersuchungen and BaFin. A dated qualification record belongs in the same file as the appointment documentation for that role.
Can I enrol if I have not yet held a GwG compliance role?
No. CAPS is an advanced programme with strict entry requirements, and the material assumes you have already carried responsibility rather than observed it. The route in is CASS at €959 first, with AML Foundations below that if you’re newer still. Plenty of German candidates arrive at CAPS two or three years after CASS, which is roughly how it was designed to work.
How long is CAPS, and can I do it while acting as Geldwäschebeauftragter?
Five to six weeks, online and at your own pace — the only format that survives contact with a live GwG mandate. Nobody in that role can disappear for a residential course. Suspicious activity reports don’t pause. The material is broken into sections you can finish in a sitting rather than lectures you have to attend at a fixed hour.
Is CAPS taught in German or in English?
The programme is taught in English while grounded in the German supervisory context: BaFin as competent authority, the Geldwäschegesetz, the Kryptomärkteaufsichtsgesetz and MiCA as it applies to German-supervised crypto-asset service providers. German statutory terms are used in German where translating them would blur the meaning, because Geldwäschebeauftragter isn’t quite the same office as an MLRO.
What form does the CAPS exam take for the German cohort?
Sixty questions, sat online, mixing multiple choice, case-based scenarios and true/false items, with a ninety-minute limit. The scenario questions put you in the position of an AML officer at a German CASP with incomplete information and a deadline. That is the part that separates a clear pass from a near miss, and it is the part that matters once you are the one signing off.
Is the 80% CAPS pass mark stricter than what § 7 GwG requires?
In a sense, yes, and deliberately. The GwG sets no examination and no numerical threshold for the Geldwäschebeauftragter. It requires qualification and reliability, and leaves the assessment open. The CAPS pass mark of 80% across sixty questions is the programme’s own bar, set high so that holding the certificate says something specific rather than merely that you attended.
What happens if I do not pass the CAPS exam first time?
Two further attempts are available. Each opens fifteen days after your previous sitting, which is a revision window rather than an obstacle. Each retake costs €75. Feedback comes with the result so you know which sections cost you the marks. If a BaFin notification under § 7(4) GwG is pending, factor those fifteen-day gaps into your timing before you book the first sitting.
What document confirms I completed CAPS, and does it hold outside Germany?
You receive the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Principal Specialist certificate, which is recognised in Germany and abroad. Because MiCA is a regulation rather than a directive, the substance of what a CASP owes its supervisor is largely the same in Frankfurt as in Vienna or Amsterdam, so the qualification does not stop being meaningful if you move firm or Member State.
How soon after passing do I receive the certificate?
Immediately, in digital form, together with the official CAPS designation. There’s no printing or postal delay to plan around. That matters if the qualification is being assembled as part of a notification package for BaFin or an internal appointment decision, where the paperwork usually has to be complete before a committee date rather than after it.
What does CAPS cost for a German CASP?
CAPS for German CASPs costs €1695 including VAT, covering all course materials, the exam fee and issuance of the certificate. Set that against what it costs to replace a Geldwäschebeauftragter whose appointment BaFin has required be revoked under § 7(4) GwG — the search, the handover, the supervisory attention that follows. The arithmetic isn’t close.
Do German public-sector AML staff get a discount?
Yes. Public sector employees are eligible for a 20% discount on the programme fee, and other promotions run at various points in the year, so it is worth asking before booking. If you work at a supervisory body or at the Zentralstelle für Finanztransaktionsuntersuchungen rather than at an obliged entity, mention that when you enquire so the right price is quoted.
Can my German employer be invoiced for the CAPS fee?
Yes, we accept organisational sponsorships. Contact [email protected] for bulk enrolments or business invoicing. One practical note: § 7(1) GwG requires both a Geldwäschebeauftragter and a deputy, which means a German CASP has two people to keep qualified rather than one. Booking the pair together is simpler than discovering the gap on the day the deputy has to step up.
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