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Financial Sanctions training

Five microlessons on UK financial sanctions under SAMLA 2018, from screening against the UK Sanctions List to freezing assets and reporting to OFSI, with situational tests and a certificate of completion.

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Financial Sanctions (UK) course preview
5Short, TikTok-style microlessonsIn the browser or the iOS and Android apps

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  • 2Assessments
  • 5Microlessons
  • IncludedCertificate of completion
About this course

What the Financial Sanctions course covers

This course covers UK financial sanctions and your legal obligations under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA) in five microlessons. It explains why sanctions exist, how to screen against the UK Sanctions List and identify designated persons and entities, what to do when a match is confirmed, including asset freezes, and how to report to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). Two situational tests check understanding.

Learning outcomes

What your people will be able to do

  • Explain the purpose of UK sanctions, the SAMLA legal framework and OFSI's enforcement role
  • Identify designated persons, entities, ships and aircraft, and the 50% ownership and control test
  • Screen against the UK Sanctions List before onboarding and before higher-risk transactions
  • Verify potential matches using several identifiers and document why a match was cleared
  • Apply immediate asset freezes, suspend linked services and keep timestamped records
  • Report confirmed matches and suspected breaches to OFSI promptly with the required details
Course contents

5 microlessons

Each microlesson is a short, TikTok-style video lesson, with knowledge checks along the way.

1Introduction to UK Financial Sanctions
2Identifying Designated Parties and Freezing Assets
3Screening for Sanctions and Handling Matches
4What To Do When a Sanctions Match is Confirmed
5Reporting Sanctions Breaches and Why It Matters

  1. Introduction to UK Financial Sanctions: Why financial sanctions exist, SAMLA, OFSI's role and the measures sanctions use.
  2. Identifying Designated Parties and Freezing Assets: How to identify designated individuals, organizations, ships and aircraft, and how asset freezes work.
  3. Screening for Sanctions and Handling Matches: When to screen, how to verify a potential match and what the law requires once one is confirmed.
  4. What To Do When a Sanctions Match is Confirmed: Freezing all funds and economic resources, what to record and when a license allows payments.
  5. Reporting Sanctions Breaches and Why It Matters: Reporting breaches and suspected breaches to OFSI as soon as reasonably practicable.
A 5Mins certificate of completion for Financial Sanctions (UK), lying on a desk next to a laptop
Certificate

A certificate for every learner who completes it

Learners finish every microlesson and complete the assessments. 5Mins then issues a certificate of completion for Financial Sanctions (UK).

  • Certificates and e-signatures stored against each learner
  • Audit-ready records, ready whenever an auditor asks
  • Completion shows on the Compliance Dashboard in real time
Audience and regulation

Who it's for and the law it covers

Who it's for

  • Payments, onboarding and operations teams in UK financial services
  • Compliance and screening teams who review sanctions alerts
  • Employees at UK firms that trade or make payments internationally
  • Anyone who handles payments or customer relationships

Laws covered

  • Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA). The UK law under which UK sanctions are made, including asset freezes, financial restrictions and trade bans.
  • Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). Part of HM Treasury. OFSI enforces financial sanctions, issues licenses and receives reports of confirmed matches and breaches.
  • UK Sanctions List. The list to screen against, which the course notes is required from 28 January 2026.
How it runs in 5Mins

Assign it once, then let 5Mins do the chasing

Every course in the 5Mins library runs on the same zero-admin engine.

  • EnrollAuto-enroll

    Enroll people automatically from your HR system, with 100+ HRIS platforms supported.

  • RemindReminders

    Nudges by email, Slack, Microsoft Teams and push until the course is done.

  • RepeatRecurrence

    Set the course to repeat, for example every 12 months, and 5Mins re-enrolls people for you.

  • CertifyCertificates

    Certificates and e-signatures are issued and stored for every completion.

  • ProveAudit-ready records

    See who is complete, at risk or overdue on the Compliance Dashboard, and prove it any time.

Customer stories

Compliance teams that swapped chasing for results

Compliance, HR and L&D leaders on what changed when they moved their training to 5Mins. Pick a team to see what changed.

ComplianceCompliance Training Insurance, 205 colleagues 100%

compliance completion and pass rate since go-live

  • ~1 day saved on each compliance course (HR estimate)
  • Automated reminders and reporting

Since go-live, our compliance completion and pass rates are 100%, and it's the quickest we've ever got there. Automated reminders and reporting save us about a day per course.

Laura ChappellLaura ChappellHR Director, Collingwood
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ComplianceCompliance Training Insurance and emergency accommodation 87%

less session time, from 2.5-3 hour sessions to modules of 25 minutes at most

  • 12 monthly sessions a year, up from 3-4
  • 95% content creation time saved

Our compliance sessions used to be two and a half to three hours in a room, and we could fit in three or four a year. Now we cover one topic a month, and I can see exactly what people are retaining.

Lucy WybornLucy WybornDirector of Learning and Development, ICAB
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ComplianceCompliance Training Legal services 80%

completion on mandatory training, up from 20%

  • Mobile microlessons finished between calls
  • Manager view of each team's progress

We were sitting at 20% completion on our mandatory training. We're now at 80%. People finish short lessons between calls, on mobile, and managers can see where their teams are, so chasing completion is no longer a one-person job.

Jamie WaltonJamie WaltonGroup Learning and Development Officer, Winn Solicitors
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ComplianceCompliance Training Fintech and digital banking On demand

training log showing who did what, when, and the pass rate

  • Any device phone or laptop, at their own pace
  • Rolling refreshers through the year

When I engage with the FCA, I can show that every team has had training tailored to their role, that it's up to date, and that it runs throughout the year, with a full log of who's done what.

Abdul GofurAbdul GofurHead of Compliance & Anti-Financial Crime, nsave
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★ Free sample lesson

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Interested in Financial Sanctions training? Request a free sample lesson, book a short demo with our team, and we'll share your sample lessons after the call.

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Free course catalogues

Take the catalogues with you

Free PDF catalogues to share with your compliance lead, your managers or your board.

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Financial services

Global Financial Compliance Catalogue

Specialized compliance training for financial services teams working across borders, covering AML, risk management, customer due diligence and international regulations.

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UK compliance

UK Compliance Catalogue

Built for UK organizations, covering GDPR, RIDDOR, Martyn's Law, employment law and the regulations your team needs day to day.

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Compliance

Global Compliance Catalogue

Stay compliant across every market you operate in, with regulatory training covering GDPR, data protection, workplace safety and more.

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Your questions answered

Questions about Financial Sanctions training

How long is the Financial Sanctions course?

It's made up of 5 microlessons, each under 5 minutes. Learners can finish it in one sitting or spread it over a few days, and 5Mins sends reminders until it is done.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. Learners get a certificate of completion once they finish every microlesson and complete the situational tests. The record is stored in 5Mins for audits.

What is OFSI?

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation is part of HM Treasury. It enforces UK financial sanctions, issues licenses and receives reports of confirmed matches and breaches.

What should happen when a sanctions match is confirmed?

Freeze all funds and economic resources straight away, record when the freeze was applied, the value involved and who authorized it, and report to OFSI. The fourth and fifth microlessons cover each step.

Who should take this course?

Anyone who handles payments, onboarding or customer relationships at a UK firm, plus the compliance and screening teams who review alerts.

Can I try the course first?

Yes. Request a free sample lesson and book a short demo with our team. After your demo, we'll share sample lessons with you so you can see the format for yourself.

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