DG Legal: Source of Funds and Source of Wealth Checks Course

Source of funds and source of wealth are two important verification steps a firm can take to identify potential money laundering activities or other financial crime.

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017) require firms, where necessary, to scrutinise the source of funds of a transaction to ensure they are consistent with their knowledge of the customer, their business and risk profile. In addition, where a matter is considered to be higher risk and therefore subject to enhanced due diligence, firms must also investigate the client’s overall source of wealth.

Law firm staff must be able to differentiate between source of funds and source of wealth, having knowledge of how to verify each and identify any anomalies that do not align with their understanding of the client or the matter. Staff must have the knowledge and confidence to challenge clients and seek further clarification where the source may be unclear or highlight concerns.

A number of firms who failed to sufficiently identify the source of funds and/or source of wealth have recently been fined by the SRA. In the year August 2024 to July 2025, fines in excess of £475,000 were recorded for AML breaches that included source of funds and source of wealth failings.

This course will assist fee earners and support staff in understanding the difference between source of funds and source of wealth, enabling them to capably identify and verify funds in a matter.