CKYCA study guide
CKYCA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Know Your Customer Associate (CKYCA) is a professional credential for people who carry out customer due diligence and anti-money-laundering controls at banks, payment firms, brokers, insurers, and other regulated financial businesses. It suits analysts, onboarding and periodic-review specialists, compliance officers, and staff moving into financial crime roles from operations or relationship management. The CKYCA study guide has 6 sections and about 2,323 words.
01KYC Fundamentals and Regulatory Framework
Domain 1 tests whether you understand KYC as a risk-management discipline rather than a document-collection exercise. The exam expects you to know what KYC is for, which international standards shape it, how the risk-based approach changes what you do, and where local law overrides international guidance.
432 words, about 2 min02Customer Due Diligence and Identification
Domain 2 tests the mechanics of customer due diligence: when it is triggered, what it must contain, how identity is evidenced, and when a firm must stop rather than proceed. Questions often ask you to choose the next action in a scenario, so know the sequence and the stop points.
394 words, about 2 min03Beneficial Ownership and Control
Domain 3 tests whether you can look through layers to the human beings who ultimately own or control a customer. Expect questions on thresholds, control tests, trusts, nominee arrangements, and what to do when no beneficial owner can be identified.
384 words, about 2 min04Enhanced Due Diligence and High-Risk Customers
Domain 4 tests enhanced due diligence: identifying higher-risk customers, applying measures that go beyond standard CDD, and documenting the decision to accept or reject the relationship. Customer risk factors include PEPs, cash-intensive businesses, and complex ownership.
370 words, about 2 min05Ongoing Monitoring and Transaction Surveillance
Domain 5 tests ongoing monitoring and transaction surveillance: how a firm keeps the customer profile current, how alerts are generated and triaged, and when an alert becomes a suspicious transaction report. The exam favours scenario questions where you must decide the next action after an alert fires.
361 words, about 2 min06Recordkeeping, Reporting, and Governance
Domain 6 tests the records, reports, and governance that make a KYC programme auditable and enforceable. Expect questions on retention periods, STR confidentiality, and the roles of the board, MLRO, and internal audit.
382 words, about 2 min