What are the objectives of the CMA AML Rulebook?
The rulebook sets out seven objectives: identifying the federal AML regulatory requirements, establishing a foundation for an effective AML compliance programme, clarifying the roles of the board and senior management in crime prevention, guiding the application of a risk-based approach, focusing due diligence on high-risk clients, managing risks linked to criminals and terrorist groups, and addressing the failure to report suspicious activities.
Reading those objectives together tells you how the CMA supervises. It expects the risk-based approach to drive where effort goes, high-risk clients to receive disproportionate attention, and the board to be visibly accountable rather than merely informed. The rulebook rests on all UAE federal AML legislation and executive regulations, the joint AML/CFT guidance issued by UAE regulatory authorities, and any circulars issued by the Authority and the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation.
Legal Reference (UAE CMA):
· CMA Rulebook Chapter Five, AML/CFT Controls, Chapter One Article 2: the objectives of the chapter and the legislative basis on which it rests.
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Articles 18 and 19: the reporting duty and preventive obligations the objectives are built around.
This applies to CMA licensed capital market entities in the UAE. It does not describe ADGM or DIFC obligations.