NEW for Q4!
Cannabis Risk Specialist® Certification
About the CRS®
The Cannabis Risk Specialist® (CRS) Certification is designed for banking professionals who manage, supervise, or oversee CRB portfolios. This certification program delivers practical, focused training that enables participants to identify, assess, and mitigate risk within cannabis banking programs - from onboarding through ongoing monitoring and examination.
Cannabis Risk Specialist® Certification Includes:
Cannabis Banking Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Rescheduling is NOT a Panacea
Demystifying Cannabis Insurance - The Missing Risk Layer in Cannabis Banking
Marketing Your CRB Program Publicly
Handling Receiverships for Cannabis Businesses
High-Risk, High-Impact: Managing BSA/AML Exposure in Cannabis, Crypto and Emerging Markets
Tailoring Deposit and Loan Agreements with High Risk CRBs
High-Risk Reviews and On-Site Visits
Can I take the cannabis banking certification all online?
Absolutely! The courses on the ACB Learning Management System makes the work efficient and tailored to your schedule. ACB training has no arbitrary deadlines for completion as students progress at their own pace. We have busy schedules too and you want to learn when it’s convenient for you! Each class finishes with a brief quiz and requires 80% completion for success. The class modules are videos along with handout(s). You have the ability to start, stop and resume at your leisure. You may also retake any prior class for knowledge retention and/or to achieve the passing requirement. Upon completion you may print a certificate of completion good for two years from date of issuance. Renewal is easy and when the time comes, you will only have to pay a small fee of $195 and complete any additional or revised elements since you were last certified. It’s that simple!
Cannabis Risk Specialist - Session Descriptions
-
Cannabis Banking Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Session 1
Effective risk management begins with understanding where our exposures truly lie. This session provides a structured, examiner-ready framework for assessing risk across your cannabis portfolio - covering customer type, product and service exposure, geography, transaction channels, and program complexity.
-
Rescheduling is Not a Panacea
Session 2
With rescheduling discussions dominating headlines, many institutions assume federal reform will erase risk. This session examines why that assumption is flawed—and how banks must prepare for the nuanced reality of regulatory evolution. Participants will understand how rescheduling affects banking access, taxation (280E), criminal exposure, and ongoing BSA/AML obligations.
-
Demystifying Cannabis Insurance
Session 3
Insurance is often overlooked in cannabis banking, yet it’s a critical element of risk mitigation. Explore gaps and opportunities in cannabis insurance—general liability and crop insurance to directors and officers (D&O) and cash-in-transit protection. Learn how to evaluate coverage adequacy and integrate insurance verification into onboarding and due diligence.
-
Marketing Your CRB Program Publicly
Session 4
Transparency and credibility are crucial in a high-risk sector. This session helps institutions confidently market their cannabis banking programs to the public—while staying fully compliant with regulatory and reputational standards. Learn how to craft messaging that highlights safety, compliance, and community partnership without triggering examiner concerns.
-
Handling Receiverships for CRBs
Session 5
When cannabis businesses fail, banks face unique challenges in managing collateral, cash, and compliance. This session provides bankers with the tools to navigate receiverships and insolvencies in the cannabis space—covering regulatory notifications, account restrictions, and legal coordination.
-
High-Risk, High-Impact: Managing BSA/AML Exposure
Session 6
Serving the cannabis sector means living at the intersection of elevated risk and heightened scrutiny. This session dives deep into how financial institutions can effectively manage BSA/AML exposure in high-risk portfolios. You’ll explore red flags, SAR narratives, transaction monitoring techniques, and examiner expectations specific to cannabis programs.
-
Tailoring Deposit and Lending Agreements
Session 7
Banking CRBs requires a new level of precision in structuring both deposit and lending relationships. This session explores how to design account terms, treasury services, and lending agreements that align with regulatory expectations, risk appetite, and customer realities.
-
High-Risk Reviews and Onsite Visits
Session 8
Plan and execute enhanced reviews that actually surface issues: pre-visit prep, interview guides, records to inspect, and evidence gathering. Convert findings into remediation plans your examiners (and your customers) will respect.
Training From the ORIGINAL Banking Certification |
Training From the ORIGINAL Banking Certification |
BENEFITS FROM CERTIFICATION
Establish and execute a cannabis-specific risk assessment model that integrates product, customer segment, geography and delivery channel.
Design and document effective onboarding, review and exit workflows for CRBs with aligned monitoring criteria and escalation triggers.
Develop and deploy fraud-detection strategies tailored to cannabis-related payment patterns, third-party vendor flows and alternative rail use-cases.
