Dubai/London: 6th March 2012: International Compliance Training Middle East (ICT Middle East), one of the region's leading providers of professional training in the field of compliance and anti-money laundering, has today announced their involvement in a significant new training agreement. ICT Middle East will deliver two certificated programmes in Anti-Money Laundering and in Compliance.  Both programmes are aimed at professionals at CMA-regulated financial institutions in Saudi Arabia but with scope to grow across all financial services sectors.  This follows a recent agreement reached between the International Compliance Association, ICA and the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of Saudi Arabia.

ICT Middle East was established in 2008.  It has worked in partnership with leading regulators and government agencies across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) providing training and education leading up to certification from the ICA for Dubai Financial Services Authority, the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Central Bank of Oman, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority, the Securities and Commodities Authority of the UAE and now, the Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia.

The ICA is a well-known and respected professional awarding body and was instrumental in the creation of standards of competence in Anti-Money Laundering, Compliance and Financial Crime Prevention. These standards are used by firms and regulators globally as part of the management of the risk function.

The CMA Saudi Arabia programmes will encompass international best-practice in all aspects of anti-money laundering, fraud prevention and regulatory compliance and will be delivered within the overall ICA training and certification framework.  Both programmes are awarded in association with the University of Manchester Business School.

Helen Langton, Managing Director of ICT Middle East, stated "The Financial centres across the GCC have been a key component of the growth of ICT globally and we are delighted to announce the latest partnership with the CMA in Saudi Arabia. We continue to see a trend amongst regulators in the region, encouraging the appointment of certified professionals to key compliance and anti-money laundering roles. In a relatively short space of time, we have worked with 475 people who have completed or are in the process of completing an ICA programme. ICT Middle East will continue to focus on developing best practice, delivering qualifications, setting standards and driving research in risk management in the financial services sector in the region."

The first intake in the two core subjects will begin in May 2012 in London. Subsequent intakes will be made available in both London as well as  locally in the region later in the year, in both English and Arabic. The CMA initiative is aimed at professionals with responsibilities in legal, AML, compliance and regulatory functions and is open to any professional working at CMA-regulated institutions in Saudi Arabia, having successfully completed the relevant CMA Capital Market Examinations; as well as other interested candidates from other sectors of the financial services industry. The ICA and the CMA will be hosting an introductory briefing for interested candidates in Riyadh on 26th March 2012.

Helen Langton concluded "At the ICT Middle East we are committed to supporting our market professionals to develop and enhance their skills with internationally recognised qualifications. These qualifications both contribute to their day to day capabilities but provide longer term career enhancement and mobility across markets. With strong underlying growth in the economies and financial markets in the region, we see great opportunities to grow our professional training programmes for professional across the GCC"

The partnership agreement between the ICA and the CMA was signed today. A high resolution photo which includes Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Tuwaijri, Chairman of the CMA and Helen Langton of ICT Middle East is available for download from www.fovea.tv

About ICT Middle East:
ICT Middle East is a subsidiary of ICT UK which was established in 2001. International Compliance Training Academy in Singapore is part of the same family. All three organisations deliver high quality training and education in the compliance, governance and regulatory risk environment. International Compliance Training (Middle East) was established in 2008. It is based in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

ICT Middle East provides professional training which serves the needs of the financial services sector throughout the Middle East. It provides specialist training in a variety of areas including anti money laundering, know-your-customer, compliance, corporate governance, investigative interviewing, fraud and financial crime prevention, risk and regulation.

We work with the regulators in the region, helping them to develop best practice in the management of regulatory risk. ICT Middle East works in partnership with leading regulators and government agencies across the Gulf Coast Countries (GCC) providing training and education leading up to certification from the ICA for Dubai Financial Services Authority, the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Central Bank of Oman, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority, the Securities and Commodities Authority of the UAE and now, the Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia.

ICT Middle East has a large faculty of trainers based throughout the region who are skilled and knowledgeable practitioners with many years' experience delivering training in and outside of the region. They all have an in-depth knowledge of the rules and regulations of all the GCC regulators. We use local tutors from the jurisdictions in which we offer our training. These too are experienced practitioners and they help with the delivery of the local content. All the materials that are delivered in the region are jurisdiction specific with local case studies and examples to really make the learning relevant.

About International Compliance Association:
ICA is the only provider of certificated accredited professional qualifications in anti money laundering, financial crime prevention and compliance in the world.

The ICA is a professional, not-for-profit awarding body with a global membership. It was established in 2001 and has since become a leading provider of professional qualifications in the realms of regulatory risk.  Over 10,000 people have been through ICA's internationally recognised qualifications around the world and these programmes have consequently become a benchmark of professionalism and excellence. The ICA has a presence in over 30 jurisdictions.  Its headquarters are in the UK and it has two regional offices, one in Singapore and one in the Middle East, based in Dubai.

Globally the ICA works closely with regulators, government agencies and industry associations such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Government of Malaysia and Australian Association of Financial Management.  The qualifications of the ICA are widely recognised as delivering the competencies necessary in order to fulfil a compliance function. Regulators all over the world list them as appropriate including the Financial Services Commissions in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, the Central Bank of the Bahamas, the Hong Kong SFC, Financial Markets Authority in New Zealand, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and others.  Individuals from the UK's FSA, HM Revenue and Customs, the Metropolitan and City of London Police and SOCA have successfully completed the ICA programmes.

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© Press Release 2012