A little over two months in 2025, the global financial landscape is already undergoing significant shifts. From President Trump announcing a 180-day suspension of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to the FCA hinting at a major overhaul of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, many financial firms are feeling the pressure to stay ahead of regulatory changes.
With more changes looming, such as the implementation of the Failure to Prevent Fraud offence in the UK, it’s more important than ever for financial services organisations to operate at the highest standard of regulatory compliance. That’s why VinciWorks is thrilled to announce the launch of our new eLearning collection tailored specifically for the financial services industry.
This comprehensive package has been developed specifically to address the unique challenges that both buy-side and sell-side financial firms face. Both are subject to stringent FCA regulations, evolving ESG requirements and increased scrutiny on market abuse and financial crime prevention. But there are differences, too.
Buy-side firms must navigate investor protection rules and reporting obligations like MiFID II, whereas sell-side firms must contend with the Consumer Duty, prevent mis-selling, and comply with transaction monitoring and reporting requirements. The new financial services e-learning collection covers all these essential topics across compliance, health and safety, information security, diversity and inclusion, and performance and leadership.
Compliance for financial services
Regulatory compliance is key for financial firms, but its requirements are fast-moving and subject to constant developments. Already, the FCA has outlined several priorities for the remainder of 2025, such as addressing conflicts of interest in private asset valuations, increased enforcement of the Consumer Duty, and reducing the mis-selling of sustainable investments.
And the enforcement penalties for non-compliance are growing ever more severe. For instance, within the first seven weeks of 2025 alone, the FCA levied fines totalling over £2 million for regulatory breaches. On top of that, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) recently fined Citi, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and Royal Bank of Canada over £100 million for sharing sensitive information when trading government bonds.
We understand how crucial it is to understand the developing demands of the modern regulatory environment, and our training courses are regularly updated to meet these requirements. With over 20 years’ experience, VinciWorks has long been trusted as a global leader in delivering expert compliance solutions. Our new package is built around a suite of compliance courses that cater to FCA-regulated firms, helping our clients meet the highest standards of conduct and regulatory compliance.
Tailored solutions for buy-side and sell-side firms
One of the standout features of our new collection is its tailored approach to the distinct needs of buy-side and sell-side firms. Each segment of the financial services industry faces unique risks and training requirements.
- Buy-side firms (Asset Managers, Hedge Funds, Private Equity): Focused on investment compliance, MiFID II, and sustainable investing.
- Sell-side firms (Retail Services, Banks, Brokers, Payment Processors): Emphasising anti-money laundering measures, financial crime prevention, and the Consumer Duty.
For buy-side firms, our brand new course on MiFID II supports compliance with separating research costs and execution costs, tracking research consumption, and ensuring research expenses have a direct and clear value to clients. We’ve also launched a new Sustainable Investing course, and our collection includes topics to support buy-side firms with SMCR conduct requirements, market abuse regulations, and handling client money and assets.
Meanwhile, sell-side firms are well-catered for, with relaunched courses on identifying vulnerable customers, DAC6 reporting, fraud prevention, fair competition, and anti-money laundering protocols. All our courses are updated with the most recent guidance and compliance requirements.
By addressing the specific risk areas for buy-side and sell-side firms, our new financial services collection ensures firms receive the most relevant and impactful training solutions for their unique needs.
New courses for the finance industry
As part of this collection, we’re launching some all-new courses to meet the up-to-date demands faced by financial firms, including:
- MiFID2
- Sustainable Investing
Coming soon:
- Fair Competition
- Guidance for MLROs
- Financial Crime
On top of launching new courses for our financial services package, we’ve also refreshed and updated all of our existing courses, ensuring they’re up to date with the latest FCA guidance for regulated firms. Here at VinciWorks, we are always on the lookout for new changes and developments in compliance. We’re proud that our courses are consistently maintained with evolving regulations and include the most up-to-date guidance.
Refreshed courses for FCA compliance
Our updated and relaunched courses cover the broader foundational topics of regulatory compliance, such as:
- Anti-Money Laundering
- Anti-Bribery
- Failure to prevent fraud
- Tax Evasion
- FCA Compliance
- DAC6 and MDR
- The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR)
- Sanctions
- Whistleblowing
- Modern Slavery
We know compliance training has a reputation as a “tick-box exercise”, something to safeguard your organisation and mitigate operational risks. But as eLearning experts, we at VinciWorks strive to deliver so much more than that. We employ a range of learning techniques to engage people on a personal level, and encourage them to take an active role in upholding their responsibilities.
Sustaining a behavioural change can be challenging, but we’re confident that our courses equip employees with the knowledge, skills and awareness they need to identify red flags, report suspicions, and mitigate risks. On top of that, we establish clear reporting pathways to support your team in their efforts to maintain a culture of ethical business practices.
Tailored courses for financial services
As important as regulatory compliance is, it’s not the only thing financial firms need to focus on. All organisations need to adhere to broader requirements relating to data security, equality legislation, and employee wellbeing.
So, in addition to our brand new and refreshed courses, our financial services collection also includes a range of courses that have been tailored specifically for the financial services industry, including:
- The EU AI Act
- GDPR
- Phishing Awareness
- Workplace Health and Safety
- Mental Health in the Workplace
- LGBTQ+ Inclusion
- Unconscious Bias
- Time Management
- Stress Awareness
These courses have been refreshed with the most up-to-date guidance financial firms need to be aware of. We’ve also tailored as many of our courses as possible for a range of financial organisations, adding sector-specific case studies, scenarios, and assessment questions. You can rest assured that you’ll be able to pick and choose the content your team specifically needs.
Comprehensive learning paths
As eLearning experts, we understand that effective training must cater to professionals at all career stages. So, our financial services package offers a robust selection of fundamental and advanced courses.
- Fundamentals Courses: Often referred to as “flagships,” these courses are ideal for new hires or annual training for all-level employees. They cover foundational topics in compliance, workplace safety, and basic operational procedures, ensuring that every new team member is well-prepared to meet the firm’s standards from day one.
- Advanced Courses: For seasoned professionals, our advanced modules delve deeper into complex topics such as sophisticated financial crime prevention techniques and advanced information security protocols. These courses also include niche topics designed to refresh and update skills, ensuring that experienced staff remain at the forefront of industry best practices.
In addition, we offer a range of shorter ‘refresher’ courses and assessment-only courses (Knowledge Checks), if you simply need to ensure your staff’s training and knowledge remains accurate and up to date. This approach guarantees that all employees, regardless of their role or experience, have access to the training they need to excel in their positions.
Stay ahead with VinciWorks’ financial services training
We’ve worked tirelessly to bring you the most effective off-the-shelf eLearning solutions to meet your compliance needs. But we know that every organisation has its own unique policies, processes and culture. That’s why we developed our client portal, fully equipped with in-browser editing, to make it easy for you to modify our courses for your firm.
You can add your company logo, link users to your internal policies, and signpost key points of contact such as compliance teams or Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs). By taking what we’ve made and adapting it for your firm, you can align our training solutions with everything else your employees need to perform their role.
And you’ll be in good company. We’re trusted by over 2000 businesses, including some of the world’s leaders in their industry and several of the top 100 law firms in the UK. Explore our financial services training package today and equip your team with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in today’s financial landscape.
