Public-sector practitioners
- Financial investigators and law enforcement officers
- FIU analysts and dissemination officers
- Prosecutors, asset recovery and forfeiture specialists
- Customs and tax criminal-investigation teams
Financial investigations & asset recovery
FIAR.Certified Financial Investigations & Asset Recovery Practitioner
Turn financial intelligence into a supported investigation.
Develop your approach to asset tracing, preservation, evidence and case preparation with experienced practitioners.
Online · Self-paced · In English
Individual routeEntry considers your role and experience
Check eligibilityInstitutional routeTraining for your agency or organisation
Request a cohort quote- Programme hours
- 45Self-paced online learning
- Learning modules
- 7The investigative cycle
- Integrated capstone
- 1Bring the casework together
- Recommended weeks
- 5–6Plan your learning
Built for investigative responsibility.
For professionals conducting, directing or supporting financial investigations. Entry considers your role and experience.
Private-sector investigation teams
- Financial-crime investigation teams in banks, payments and crypto
- Forensic accountants and corporate investigators
- Sanctions and asset-recovery specialists
- Senior leaders responsible for investigative capability
Building your first-line compliance foundations? Compare AML programmes
Prepare for the difficult parts of an investigation.
FIAR connects the challenges of financial investigation with the skills you practise and the work you produce.
Assets can move before the picture is complete.
Practise prioritising enquiries, building an asset map and planning preservation measures as the evidence develops.
Early investigation & asset preservation · Modules 3–4Ownership changes can obscure the trail.
Reconstruct relationships across entities and source records. Separate supported findings from assumptions that still need testing.
Ownership, evidence & casework · Modules 4, 5 & 7Evidence and assets cross borders.
Work through cooperation routes, institutional responsibilities and the information needed for a cross-border request.
Legal framework & cooperation · Modules 2, 4 & 6Findings need to stand up to review.
Document sources, explain limitations and bring the financial evidence into a clear case file for prosecutorial or court review.
Evidence & case preparation · Modules 5–7Seven modules.
The full investigative cycle.
Move from understanding the pattern to preserving assets and preparing the case. Each module connects practitioner explanation with applied decisions.
How you study
Study through self-paced online modules. Develop your approach through investigative casework and an integrated capstone, then complete the programme assessment. Institutional delivery is agreed with your organisation.
Typologies & historical context
Recognise the patterns behind an investigation.
- The evolution of financial crime prosecution and money laundering
- Organised-crime and terrorist-financing case studies
- Correspondent banking, layered structures and crypto typologies
Put it into practice
Explain the typology suggested by the available intelligence and identify what still needs testing.
AML foundations & legal framework
Understand the framework supporting investigative action.
- FATF terminology and international standards
- UN, EU and Council of Europe frameworks
- National institutional roles and cross-border cooperation
Put it into practice
Identify the relevant framework, competent authority and information needed for a cross-border request.
Early detection & asset freezing preparation
Build the asset picture before formal proceedings.
- Early financial investigations and FIU referrals
- Domestic information sharing and international exchange
- Asset tracing, risk assessment and prioritisation
Put it into practice
Build an asset map, distinguish evidence from assumptions and prioritise the next enquiries.
Freezing, seizure & asset management
Preserve recoverable value through the life of a case.
- Legal basis and procedures for provisional measures
- Management of frozen real estate, vehicles and crypto-assets
- Judicial cooperation, mutual legal assistance and joint investigations
Put it into practice
Prepare an asset-preservation approach that considers authority, timing and ongoing management.
Investigative tools & techniques
Turn information into a traceable evidence record.
- Evidence collection and chain of custody
- Financial forensics and expert engagement
- Investigative OSINT and cooperation with private-sector gatekeepers
Put it into practice
Document sources, assess reliability and explain where specialist support is needed.
Court procedure & confiscation
Prepare findings for prosecution and court review.
- Financial investigation reports and case files
- Testimony and coordination with prosecutors
- Cross-border recovery and non-conviction-based confiscation
Put it into practice
Present a clear account of the evidence, its limitations and the basis for the proposed action.
Applied practice & case building
Bring the investigative cycle together.
- STR-initiated investigations, organised crime and corruption
- Terrorist-financing networks and crypto tracing
- Digital-asset seizure and a multi-jurisdictional capstone case
Put it into practice
Connect the intelligence, asset picture, supporting evidence and unresolved questions in one case file.
International frameworks. National legal powers.
Understand the standards and cooperation mechanisms around asset recovery, then apply them through the relevant national law and institutional mandate.
FATF asset-recovery standards
Recommendations 4 and 38 address recovery measures and international cooperation. Immediate Outcome 8 assesses the effectiveness of a country’s asset-recovery system.
Asset-recovery standards IO.8 methodologyEuropean asset recovery
Directive (EU) 2024/1260 provides a legal context for tracing, freezing, confiscation and asset management. National implementation determines the applicable procedures and powers.
Read the EU DirectiveUK financial investigation
The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) is a central framework for confiscation, civil recovery and investigative powers. Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) are one investigative tool within that framework.
Explore UK investigative powersUS asset forfeiture & cooperation
Distinguish criminal, civil judicial and administrative forfeiture. Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) provide formal routes for obtaining evidence abroad through the relevant central authorities.
Explore US forfeitureChoose the right cooperation route.
- CARIN
- The Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network supports practitioner contact and asset-recovery enquiries.
- MLA / MLAT
- Mutual legal assistance and treaty-based requests for evidence across borders.
- EIO
- A European Investigation Order requests investigative measures in another participating EU Member State.
- JIT
- A Joint Investigation Team brings participating authorities together for a specific investigation.
European implementation: Member States bound by Directive (EU) 2024/1260 must transpose it by . This is a legislative deadline, separate from any course enrolment date.
Framework references describe the context for learning. FIAR does not confer investigative powers or regulatory approval.
Sanctions, ownership and asset management · Modules 4, 6 & 7
An ownership change.
A freeze that must hold.
A training scenario brings together a beneficial-ownership chain, a change of trustee and a frozen property portfolio. Examine what changes, what needs corroboration and how to document your reasoning.
Request the FIAR walkthroughFollow the reference.
Keep the question open.
An illustration of the reasoning
Source 1
Ownership record
Portfolio referencePortfolio A
A beneficial-ownership chain.
Source 2
Trustee update
Portfolio referencePortfolio A
A change recorded against the portfolio.
Matching reference
The portfolio appears in both records.
Needs corroboration
What establishes the new trustee’s authority?
A matching reference does not establish authority or beneficial ownership.
Crypto investigations · Applied practice
Follow the transaction.
Test the explanation.
Work through real crypto investigations using publicly accessible blockchain records. Follow transaction paths, examine wallet activity and connect the on-chain picture with the wider case.
Build an evidence trail that makes clear what the blockchain shows, what needs corroboration and where attribution remains uncertain.
01Transaction recordsTrace the movement
02Wallet activityExamine the pattern
03Wider evidenceTest the attribution
Show the work. Earn the credential.
Assessment connects programme knowledge with the decisions and documentation involved in an investigation.
Assessed across the programme
Module assessments and decision simulators build towards an integrated capstone case and final examination.
45 CPD hours
FIAR is listed as an accredited activity by the CPD Standards Office. Provider number 50475.
A record others can verify
The issued credential connects the learner, programme and completion record through a unique public reference.
Before your
final exam.
Review the exam instructions and applicable retake conditions in your learning platform before starting.
- Independent work
- This is independent, closed-book work. No AI assistants, course materials, external references or help from another person.
- Confidential content
- Keep questions, scenarios and answers confidential. Do not copy, photograph, screenshot or share examination content.
- One timed sitting
- Plan for one timed sitting. Check the exam instructions for the time limit, permitted breaks and retake conditions.
AML Active
Keep learning. Keep the evidence.
Practical tools, live expert sessions and a record of your continuing development.
Optional membership, separate from your qualification. It never changes the status of a certificate you hold.
Explore membership- Tools for your work
Explore risk. Find original sources. Understand the pattern.
- Live learning and CPD
Learn and connect with an average of 150 professionals per session.
- A short course, each year
One included course credit.
Experience across the investigation.
- Financial intelligence
- Investigation
- Analytics
- Digital assets
Programme lead
Igoris Krzeckovskis
Former Head of Lithuania’s Financial Intelligence Department. International expert work in financial crime and asset recovery.
Programme role & profile
Subject-matter expert
Geert Delrue
Belgian financial investigation practitioner with expertise in the FIU–law enforcement–prosecution interface.
Teaching & profileFrancis Marinier
Subject-matter expert
Financial Crime Compliance Industry Practice Lead, Moody’s.
Vladyslav Syrotin
Crypto investigations expert
Head of Investigations, Global Ledger.
Viktor Tkatsenko
Subject-matter expert
Former investigator at the Estonian Tax & Customs Board.
Build capability
across a team.
Start with a scoped pilot, review the learning evidence and plan a cohort around the work your people do.
- Agree participant roles, learning priorities and a study schedule.
- Review progress, completion and learning records with management.
- Discuss cohort delivery, institutional licensing or train-the-trainer arrangements.
Institutional programme · 2026
CEPOL’s Diploma Course
on Financial Investigations.
AML Certification Centre was selected by CEPOL through open competitive procurement, scored 95.80/100, to design, develop and deliver this programme.
Read the announcementFIAR is AML Certification Centre’s commercial certification. CEPOL’s Diploma Course is a separate awarded programme, with its own participants, delivery and credential arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
Find the details you need to plan your learning.
Choosing the programme
Who is FIAR for, and how does it differ from CASS?
FIAR focuses on financial investigation and asset recovery for public-sector practitioners and experienced private-sector investigators. CASS develops broader AML compliance knowledge. Choose FIAR when your work involves tracing assets, evaluating evidence and preparing an investigation.
Can I enrol as an individual?
Yes. The team reviews your professional role and experience to confirm programme fit. Institutional delivery can also be arranged for an agency or organisation.
Check eligibilityCan I see a sample before committing?
Request a sample-module walkthrough and information about access to a FIAR simulator. The programme team can help you judge the level, format and fit for your role.
Request a sample moduleLearning and assessment
How is FIAR delivered, and how much time should I plan?
The individual route uses self-paced online modules across seven modules. Plan about 45 hours of study over a recommended 5–6 weeks, including casework, assessment and review around your duties. Institutional delivery is agreed with your organisation.
Which language is FIAR taught in?
FIAR is taught and assessed in English, and the certificate is issued in English.
How is the programme assessed?
Module assessments and decision simulators build towards an integrated capstone case and final examination. Ask for the current assessment specification before enrolment, including progression, pass requirements and retake arrangements.
Explore assessmentDo I need specialist investigation software?
Ask the programme team for the current technical requirements and any software used in the learning activities before you enrol. An institutional proposal should identify any separate software or licence requirements.
Check technical requirementsCan I use information from a real investigation?
Use the programme’s learning cases for the exercises. Do not include personal data or confidential investigation information in enquiries. If your agency needs learning based on its own material, discuss the scope and information-handling arrangements before sharing anything.
Fees and access
Does my certificate expire, and is membership required?
Your certificate does not expire. It records your achievement on its issue date. AML Active is optional continuing development. Membership is separate from the qualification and does not change the status of a certificate you have earned.
Explore optional membershipCan an academy deliver FIAR in-house?
Institutional and train-the-trainer licensing can be discussed for police academies and training schools. Delivery scope, support and licensing terms are agreed in the proposal.
Discuss licensingWhat can our agency request for procurement and learning records?
Ask for the curriculum and assessment specification, cohort and invoicing options, relevant security documentation and a Data Processing Agreement. Discuss the completion and assessment records your agency needs; reporting scope and access are agreed with the team.
Security & procurement informationWhat support is available while I study?
Contact us for help with your learning account, enrolment or questions about the programme. If you need an accessibility arrangement or have a question about using the platform for an exam, discuss it with us before enrolling.
Contact learner supportA clear route to enrolment.
Discuss your eligibility or a team programme. Public- and private-sector practitioners study the same investigative discipline.
Public sector
FIUs, asset recovery offices and investigative units.
€1,800 / person
- Programme learning and applied casework
- Assessment and certification requirements
- Cohort onboarding and progress reporting
- Volume quotes for teams of 10+
Private sector
Experienced practitioners and investigation teams.
€2,400 / person
- Programme learning and applied casework
- Assessment and certification requirements
- Lifetime access to programme materials
- Volume quotes for teams of 5+
Fees in EUR, including VAT, as published on the FIAR programme page. Cohort, licensing and pilot terms are agreed in your proposal.