Banking regulators are turning up the heat on compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and related anti-money laundering (AML) requirements.
At the same time, financial institutions face a shortage of qualified BSA/AML professionals and struggle to quickly and effectively train existing employees to fill these roles. To help institutions overcome this challenge, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, through its PCi line of compliance analytics solutions, announced today the release of Wiz Sentri: AML Virtuoso, a first-of-its-kind anti-money laundering training simulator.
AML Virtuoso uses an unprecedented electronic gaming format to immerse AML investigators into a virtual world of money laundering schemes and forensic investigation. Unlike traditional instructor-led courses or question and answer tools, AML Virtuoso engages trainees, requiring them to investigate simulated money laundering cases they will likely encounter.
By "playing and winning" the game, investigators learn how to meet regulatory requirements more quickly than through traditional methods, therefore driving the time and cost associated with training down. As a result, AML Virtuoso delivers to novice and veteran AML professionals alike a compelling new way to gain the critical experience needed to protect their institution from financial crimes.
"Hiring, training and retaining skilled and experienced AML investigators is among the most pressing challenges facing financial institutions today," said Todd Cooper, vice president and general manager of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' Financial Intelligence Unit. "Because experience is the best teacher, the training component has been notoriously time and labor-intensive. But with AML Virtuoso, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services will help financial institutions quickly acquire the experience and knowledge required to conduct successful and compliant investigations."
AML Virtuoso gives financial institutions the ability to educate AML professionals on investigation requirements and best practices; simulate investigation experience in an interactive learning environment; and expose investigators to simple, intermediate and complex money laundering scenarios. In addition, AML Virtuoso allows financial institutions to demonstrate to regulators that they're meeting training obligations and enhancing their staff's ability to detect suspicious activity.
"Simulation training is by far the most effective way for AML investigators to apply what they've learned to their actual work," said David Caruso, chief executive officer of Dominion Advisory Group, a leading provider of AML professional services that helped Wolters Kluwer Financial Services create AML Virtuoso. "With simulation training, trainees conduct an investigation, write a report, populate a case file with supporting evidence and when necessary, prepare reports for regulators. The investigator's supervisor or a peer can then review the results to ensure the required learning and improvements are taking hold."