A Practical Guide to Passing CISI SCMR-CAML (Saudi AML Compliance)

Table of Contents

• • 1. What Does SCMR-CAML Cover?
• • 2. Navigating the “Compliance Trap”
• • 3. Interactive SCMR-CAML Knowledge Check
• • 4. Strategies for Success

The current name for the local paper is Saudi Capital Market Rules and Regulations (Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing), CME-2B. SCMR-CAML is useful legacy search terminology, but candidates should select CME-2B when checking the Financial Academy portal.

The Financial Academy describes CME-2B as mandatory for people to be registered for compliance and AML/CFT functions. Passing the paper is an exam requirement; it does not by itself complete employer nomination or CMA registration.

1. What Does SCMR-CAML Cover?

The published syllabus has seven chapters rather than three broad topics:

Chapter	Weight
The Compliance Function	20%
Capital Market Institutions Regulations	16%
Investment Funds Regulations	12%
Market Conduct Regulations	12%
Corporate-finance rules	8%
Investment Accounts Instructions	20%
AML and terrorist-financing offences	12%

The current exam fee is SAR 1,700, the duration is 30 minutes, the published pass score is 17, and both Arabic and English are listed. CME-2A and CME-2B must both be passed for the CME-2 qualification.

2. Navigating the “Compliance Trap”

International AML experience helps with principles but cannot replace the Saudi rule text. A globally sensible control may still be the wrong answer if the question asks for a named Saudi authority, a prescribed record or a CMA notification duty.

For each duty, record five fields: the responsible person, the triggering event, the recipient, the deadline and the evidence retained. This makes similar internal escalation, authority notification and suspicious-transaction reporting duties easier to separate.

3. Interactive SCMR-CAML Knowledge Check

Use these practice scenarios to test the distinction between a compliance-function duty and an AML/CFT reporting duty.

4. Strategies for Success

Structure revision around the legal hierarchy and the published weighting:

1. Start with the overarching Law: Understand the Anti-Money Laundering Law first. This sets the definitions and the severe penalties.
2. Move to the Rules: Study the CMA AML/CFT Rules. These provide the practical, day-to-day requirements for CMIs (like CDD procedures).
3. Drill the Details: Use flashcards for exact triggers, recipients, timelines and record-retention rules, but verify every number against the current workbook rather than a generic AML source.

After each chapter, take a closed-book set and log the rule behind every error. Mix the two 20% chapters with smaller chapters so that a strong score in Compliance Function or Investment Accounts does not hide a gap elsewhere.

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