CBUAE AML/CFT/CPF Guidance for Licensed Financial Institutions
- Issuing authority
- Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE)
- Effective date
- Updated guidance issued 16 April 2026.
- Scope
- CBUAE-supervised Licensed Financial Institutions (LFIs) and, where applicable, Registered Hawala Providers (RHPs). The guidance covers institutions such as banks, exchange houses, finance companies, payment service providers, VASPs and insurers.
Quick Summary
The CBUAE's AML/CFT/CPF guidance explains how financial institutions supervised by the Central Bank are expected to identify, assess and manage money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks. The April 2026 update brings together guidance and best practices across important areas such as risk assessments, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, suspicious transaction reporting, targeted financial sanctions and AML training.
Who does it apply to?
- Banks and other CBUAE-licensed financial institutions
- Exchange houses and payment service providers
- Virtual Asset Service Providers supervised by the CBUAE
- Insurance businesses
- Registered Hawala Providers, where applicable
What it means
On 16 April 2026, the CBUAE announced an updated package of AML/CFT/CPF guidance and best practices designed to strengthen financial institutions' compliance systems and align supervision with the UAE's National Strategy 2024–2027 and FATF standards. The UAE's AML legislation tells firms what they are legally required to do. CBUAE guidance gives supervised institutions much more detail about what effective implementation should look like in practice. For example, it is not enough for an institution simply to say that it uses a "risk-based approach." CBUAE expects firms to be able to demonstrate how they identify inherent risks, assess the effectiveness of their controls, determine residual risk and use those results to improve their AML/CFT/CPF programme.