February 17, 2014 - Money laundering and terrorist financing are global threats that require global solutions. It is the goal of both the International Compliance Association (ICA) and Citi to inspire change to drive industry standards and broaden the knowledge of future generations about the importance of AML.

To this end, ICA and AML Operations within Citi Service Center in Poland (a Citi network which provides high quality transaction monitoring to other Citi entities) have produced an anti money laundering training programme for undergraduates in the region.

The pilot programme which has been designed to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to begin a career in money laundering prevention, took place on 15th January at Kozminski University in Warsaw.

Lee Byrne, Course Director - Anti Money Laundering, at International Compliance Training (ICA's training provider) taught on the course and had this to say: "Delivering training to undergraduates is nothing new but partnering with a leading bank to help prepare students for a career in financial services & regulated activities is an innovative move. It indicates a willingness and desire on the part of firms to start the process of developing risk awareness and risk management skills even before a student's employment is confirmed.

I am sure the initiative will be monitored with interest by other firms as they attempt to differentiate their offering to these talented groups of potential employees."

Karim Tadjer, Head of Europe Middle East and Africa Anti Money Laundering Operations at Citigroup said this about the initiative: "The programme is a stepping stone towards understanding processes and regulation to prevent money laundering. It will equip the student with strong tools and develop a culture of control paramount in money laundering prevention and in the banking industry. I hope that we can instil in the students a new passion for working in this area."

Citi is committed to developing a strong awareness of AML, terrorist financing and a culture of control. As a result, Citi is planning to deliver key sessions for students in three other selected universities, followed by periodic case studies. During the sessions, the students will gain an understanding of money laundering and terrorist financing, the role of financial institutions in combating them as well as the legal and regulatory framework in place to fight and prevent them.