Cannabis Banking Professional Executive (CBPE)® Certification
Cannabis Banking Professional® Executive Certification
The Cannabis Banking Professional® Executive Certification is a leadership-level program for financial institution decision-makers who need to evaluate, approve, govern, and scale a cannabis banking program with confidence.
Built for executives, senior leaders, board members, BSA/AML officers, compliance leaders, risk officers, lending executives, treasury management leaders, and cannabis banking program managers, CBPE connects legal permission, market dynamics, financial modeling, risk governance, examiner communication, and board strategy into one practical executive roadmap.
What does becoming CBPE-certified mean?
CBPE certification demonstrates that you are prepared to participate in the executive-level decisions that shape cannabis banking strategy: whether to enter the market, how to govern the program, how to explain the opportunity to the board, and how to move forward with disciplined risk management.
Evaluate the opportunity
Understand the legal permission framework, industry dynamics, market opportunity, and strategic case for serving cannabis-related businesses responsibly.
Build the business case
Connect revenue, cost, deposit value, treasury services, staffing, technology, audit, legal, lending, and compliance considerations into a practical executive model.
Govern with confidence
Develop a stronger framework for risk governance, examiner communication, board approval, dashboard reporting, objections, and program accountability.
Executive cannabis banking training for real-world leadership decisions
CBPE helps leadership teams move beyond “Can we?” and toward the more important question: “How do we do this responsibly, profitably, and with examiner-ready discipline?” The program is designed to give executives, boards, and senior program leaders the shared language and practical framework needed to make informed decisions.
CBPE is led by Stacy Litke of Green Check
Stacy Litke, VP of Banking & Financial Services at Green Check, brings compliance insight and institution-level strategy to the CBPE Executive Certification.
As the speaker for this executive-level program, Stacy helps leaders connect the cannabis banking opportunity to the realities of governance, risk appetite, board communication, examiner expectations, financial modeling, and scalable program design.
- Leadership-focused guidance for banks and credit unions evaluating cannabis banking
- Board-ready framing for approval, oversight, reporting, and long-term governance
- Exam-ready perspective for building and scaling responsible cannabis banking programs
CBPE executive certification curriculum
The CBPE Executive Certification includes five leadership-level sessions that connect cannabis banking permission, market understanding, financial strategy, risk management, and board governance into a practical roadmap for executive decision-making.
The Foundation
FinCEN guidance, permission, SAR transparency, enhanced due diligence, exam readiness, and the strategic case for acting now.
The Cannabis Industry
Direct and indirect cannabis businesses, market trends, rescheduling, hemp, THC beverages, consolidation, and the continuing banking gap.
The Financials
Revenue modeling, expense modeling, deposit value, treasury services, cash logistics, cost of funds, and cannabis lending considerations.
The Risk
Liquidity, compliance, strategic, customer-level, vendor, examiner, and exit-planning risk — with a structured risk assessment framework.
The Board
Board education, formal approval, dashboard reporting, strategic plan alignment, business-case presentation, and objection handling.
Session 1: The Foundation
This session establishes the legal and regulatory foundation every executive must understand before evaluating cannabis banking, including the federal/state law conflict, the 2014 FinCEN guidance, SAR-based transparency, enhanced due diligence, board authority, management accountability, and why exam-readiness must come before the first cannabis account is opened.
Session 2: The Cannabis Industry
This session maps the cannabis market before banking the market, including direct MRB supply chain dynamics, indirect cannabis businesses, strategic entry points, rescheduling, hemp evolution, THC beverages, state and federal expectations, market maturation, consolidation, and the competitive window created by the ongoing cannabis banking gap.
Session 3: The Financials
This session helps executives evaluate the business case for cannabis banking, including revenue potential, cost structure, deposit value, lending opportunity, application and monthly fees, staffing, technology, audit, legal, consulting, treasury management, cash services, cost of funds, and underwriting considerations.
Session 4: The Risk
This session gives executives a structured framework for identifying, documenting, monitoring, and governing cannabis banking risk, including liquidity risk, BSA/AML obligations, third-party vendors, customer-level ratings, examiner communication, MRA response, exit triggers, wind-down timelines, and document retention.
Session 5: The Board
This session prepares executives for the board conversation, including what examiners expect boards to know, how to document education and approval, how to align cannabis banking to the institution’s mission and strategic plan, and how to respond to moral, strategic, timing, and regulatory objections without minimizing risk.
Who should pursue CBPE?
CBPE is intended for leaders and decision-makers who need to understand how cannabis banking is approved, governed, evaluated, communicated, scaled, and monitored at the institutional level.
- Bank and credit union executives and senior leaders
- Board members evaluating cannabis banking strategy
- BSA/AML officers, compliance leaders, risk officers, and audit leaders
- Lending executives, treasury management leaders, and operations leaders
- Cannabis banking program managers responsible for program design, oversight, and growth
Why this matters for leadership teams
Cannabis banking decisions require more than a yes-or-no discussion. CBPE gives leadership teams a shared framework for evaluating opportunity, pricing the program, setting risk appetite, preparing for examinations, and documenting board-level approval.
- Shared executive language for cannabis banking decisions
- Clear connection between opportunity, profitability, and controls
- Practical preparation for board and examiner conversations
- Governance structure before launch or expansion
- Better alignment across compliance, risk, lending, treasury, and operations
How the online certification works
CBPE is designed for busy leadership teams and professionals who need practical, accessible, executive-level cannabis banking education they can apply to board discussions, internal governance, examiner communication, program planning, and strategic decision-making.
- Online executive certification format
- Five leadership-level sessions
- Practical framework for institutional decision-making
- Designed for executives, boards, senior leaders, and program managers
- Invoice request option available for institutions
What leaders will be able to do
Participants will be better prepared to discuss cannabis banking with leadership, boards, examiners, and internal stakeholders while connecting opportunity, controls, profitability, and risk appetite into one coherent program strategy.
- Explain the permission framework and regulatory foundation
- Evaluate market opportunity and cannabis industry dynamics
- Build a stronger financial model for program strategy
- Frame and govern major risk categories
- Prepare a more credible board presentation and approval process
CBPE Executive Certification FAQ
Is CBPE only for CEOs and board members?
No. CBPE is built for executives and boards, but it is also valuable for senior leaders, BSA/AML officers, compliance leaders, risk officers, lending executives, treasury leaders, and cannabis banking program managers who help evaluate, govern, or scale a cannabis banking program.
How is CBPE different from the foundational CBP certification?
CBP focuses on foundational cannabis banking knowledge. CBPE is a leadership-level program focused on executive decision-making, legal permission, industry dynamics, business-case modeling, risk governance, examiner communication, and board strategy.
What sessions are included?
CBPE includes five sessions: The Foundation, The Cannabis Industry, The Financials, The Risk, and The Board.
Who teaches the certification?
CBPE is taught by Stacy Litke, VP of Banking & Financial Services at Green Check, and is presented by the Association for Cannabis Banking and Green Check.
Can I request an invoice?
Yes. Use ACB’s invoice request page if you or your organization prefers to pay by invoice instead of immediate online checkout.
Lead cannabis banking decisions with confidence.
Build the executive roadmap your institution needs to evaluate, approve, govern, and scale cannabis banking responsibly, profitably, and with examiner-ready discipline.
