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  • AML Gatekeepers in Action: Enhancing Vigilance and Compliance

    Build the skills needed to act as an effective AML gatekeeper and help protect organizations from money laundering and financial crime risks.

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Who is a DNFBP in the UAE?

A DNFBP is a Designated Non-Financial Business or Profession: a business that is not a bank, but is still brought into the AML framework because its work can be misused to launder money. Under Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 (Article 3), the UAE designates six categories, including real estate brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, lawyers and notaries, independent accountants and auditors, and company and trust service providers. They are called gatekeepers because they sit at the entry points to the financial system.

DNFBP Sectors and Thresholds in the UAE

The six categories, what brings each into scope, and who supervises them: 

 Sector What Brings You Into Scope Supervisor
Real estate brokers & agentsAny property sale or purchase for a customer; a REAR is filed at AED 55,000 cash or for virtual-asset paymentsMoET 
 Dealers in precious metals & stonesCash transactions at or above AED 55,000 (single or linked)MoET 
Lawyers, notaries & legal professionalsCarrying out certain client transactions, such as real estate, managing assets or forming companiesMoET
Independent accountants & auditors Carrying out or preparing certain client transactions and professional servicesMoET
Company & trust service providers (TCSPs)Incorporation, director or secretary, registered office, trustee or nominee-shareholder servicesMoET
Commercial gaming operatorsTransactions at or above AED 11,000GCGRA 

MoET: Ministry of Economy. MoJ: Ministry of Justice. GCGRA: the commercial gaming regulator. All DNFBPs report through the FIU's goAML platform.

What AML Obligations do DNFBPs Have?

Whatever the sector, every UAE DNFBP owes the same core duties:

  • A business-wide risk assessment, kept up to date.
  • Customer due diligence (CDD), with enhanced due diligence (EDD) for higher-risk customers.
  • Identifying the beneficial owners behind customers and structures.
  • Screening customers against the UAE Local Terrorist List and the UN Consolidated List.
  • Registering on goAML and reporting suspicious transactions, plus sector reports such as the real estate REAR.
  • Appointing a compliance officer or MLRO, with senior-management oversight.
  • Staff training and a minimum five-year record-keeping rule.
  • An independent audit of the AML programme.

Why DNFBPs are Called Gatekeepers

DNFBPs are called gatekeepers because they sit at the points where money enters the legitimate economy: buying property, forming companies, moving precious metals, handling client funds. Criminals need these gateways to turn illicit money into clean assets, which is why the law gives DNFBPs the same core AML duties as banks. When a gatekeeper does its job, a laundering attempt is stopped at the door. 

About this DNFBP Course

This practical course teaches the owners and staff of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) what the UAE AML framework requires of them. You learn who counts as a DNFBP, the sector thresholds that bring you into scope, and the full set of obligations, from risk assessment and customer due diligence to goAML reporting and record-keeping. It is grounded in the UAE framework, Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025, but the gatekeeper role is a global FATF standard. Practitioner-led, with a certificate on completion. 

What you will Learn in this DNFBP Course

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Explain what a DNFBP is and why DNFBPs are treated as gatekeepers.    

Identify which of the six UAE DNFBP categories your business falls into.

Apply the sector thresholds that trigger AML obligations and reporting.

Build the core controls: risk assessment, CDD and EDD, and beneficial-owner checks.

Screen customers and report through goAML, including sector reports.

Meet governance, training and record-keeping duties and be ready for an inspection. 

Why this DNFBP Course is Worth your Time

The UAE has made DNFBPs an enforcement priority. The Ministry of Economy has issued well over AED 130 million in fines on DNFBPs since late 2022, and inspections are rising ahead of the country's FATF review. Many of the firms penalised were not criminal, they simply had not built the basic AML controls the law requires. This course closes that gap.

Your obligations are set out in law. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 (Article 3) define the DNFBP categories and thresholds, and require a full AML programme: risk assessment, customer due diligence, sanctions screening, goAML reporting and record-keeping. The gatekeeper role comes from the FATF standards, so what you learn applies well beyond the UAE. 

Practical takeaway

You will know whether you are a DNFBP, what triggers your obligations, and how to build an AML programme that stands up to a Ministry of Economy inspection.

DNFBP Course Curriculum

Who Should Take this Course

Owners, partners and managers of DNFBPs, real estate, precious metals and stones, law and notary firms, accountants and auditors, and corporate and trust service providers, along with their compliance officers and MLROs and any staff who onboard customers or handle transactions. No prior qualification is needed. The course is built around the UAE framework but is useful in any FATF-aligned regime. 

What you Get

  • A practical, self-paced online course you can complete in a single focused session. 
  • A certificate of completion you can keep as evidence of training. 
  • A clear, sector-aware view of your DNFBP obligations you can act on immediately. 

By the end of this course you will know whether your business is a DNFBP, exactly what the UAE AML framework asks of you, and how to build controls that satisfy your supervisor. Equip yourself and your team to avoid the penalties that have hit so many DNFBPs, protect your licence, and play your part as a gatekeeper against financial crime. Join us and get inspection-ready.

Why Choose Pro AML Courses

Access on mobile and desktop devices

Expert-led video lectures

Downloadable resources

Self-paced learning

Certificate backed by 30+ years of expertise

Interactive quizzes and assessments

Real-world case studies

Learn from the Pro

I am Arpi Porwal, a lawyer and AML specialist with extensive experience across the UAE, Singapore, India, and the UK. My work spans regulatory compliance advisory, risk-based assessments, and the structured design and implementation of AML and CFT controls within regulated entities.

As a Trainer, I take a principle-driven and analytical approach to compliance education. I translate complex legal and regulatory frameworks into clear, practical application, equipping compliance professionals with the clarity, confidence, and critical thinking required to make defensible AML decisions in real-world environments.

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Why learn with Pro AML Training

ProAML Training is part of NIYEAHMA's AMLVerse, a global AML compliance ecosystem that connects consulting, regulatory knowledge and technology, including the consulting practice AML UAE. Courses are built and taught by practising compliance professionals, among them founder Pathik Shah (FCA, CAMS, CISA), who brings more than 28 years in governance, risk and compliance. That means the material is practical, current and grounded in real casework rather than recycled theory.

  • Practitioner-led: written and delivered by working AML professionals, not generalist course writers.
  • Practical and job-ready: focused on what you do at your desk, with real red flags, templates and worked examples.
  • Current: kept in step with FATF standards and the latest national rules, so you are not learning last year's framework.
  • Globally relevant: principles apply across jurisdictions, with strong depth in high-demand markets such as the UAE.

Related DNFBP Sector Courses

Frequently Asked Questions about DNFBPs

A DNFBP is a Designated Non-Financial Business or Profession brought into the AML framework because its work can be misused to launder money. Under Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 (Article 3) the six categories are real estate brokers and agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, lawyers and notaries and legal professionals, independent accountants and auditors, company and trust service providers, and commercial gaming operators.

Real estate brokers are in scope for any sale or purchase, with a REAR filed at AED 55,000 cash or for virtual-asset payments. Dealers in precious metals and stones are in scope at AED 55,000 cash, and commercial gaming at AED 11,000. For lawyers, accountants and TCSPs, scope is triggered by the type of client activity rather than a cash threshold (Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025, Article 3).

A business-wide risk assessment, customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence, beneficial-owner identification, sanctions screening, goAML registration and reporting, a compliance officer or MLRO, staff training, a five-year record-keeping rule, and an independent audit.

The Ministry of Economy supervises real estate, precious metals and stones, accountants and auditors, and corporate and trust service providers. The Ministry of Justice supervises lawyers and notaries, and the gaming regulator supervises commercial gaming. All of them report through the FIU's goAML platform.

Administrative fines can reach AED 5,000,000 per violation under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (Article 17), alongside the unified penalty schedule in Cabinet Resolution 71 of 2024, and can be accompanied by licence action. The Ministry of Economy has fined DNFBPs over AED 130 million since late 2022.

Yes. Complete the modules and pass the final assessment to earn a verifiable certificate of completion you can keep as evidence of training.

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