Effective June 23, 2008, all reporting entities under Canada’s anti-money laundering & counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) legislation must ensure that their “...compliance regime includes an assessment and documentation of risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing [and] … focus resources on where they are most needed to manage [those] risks” on an ongoing basis.
--- FINTRAC Guideline Four: Implementation of a Compliance Regime

Our 2009 Conference was designed to maximize the learning opportunities for those attending. The planning committee restructured the format and focus to stress sessions that emphasize the pragmatics of AML/CTF compliance management --- with a special focus on the concept of risk management. Feedback from delegates at our 2008 Conference in Ottawa and members of the Canadian Anti-Money Laundering Institute, or CAMLI, stressed the need for sessions that address the 'practice of compliance' and the various elements of operating a comprehensive risk management program.

In 2009, the agenda included 20 workshops ranging in length from 60 to 75 minutes and 3 plenary sessions. Topics included:

• Assessing the effectiveness of a Risk Management Program.
• Preventing fraud, a proactive guide to controlling its impact on your organization.
• Implementing a risk assessment program for at-risk customers.
• The impacts of Canada’s Market Enforcement Teams.
• Identifying geographic risks for customers living in Canada.
• Compliance with Bill C-25: what have the regulators found since June 2008?
• Case studies --- more real life examples of what is emerging from the reports submitted by reporting entities.