Compliance Education for Payments Professionals
Advance your regulatory expertise with a payments compliance certification built specifically for the complexities of today’s payment models.
Master Compliance In a Shifting Regulatory Landscape
ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional (ETA CPCP)
Build verifiable payments compliance expertise and earn the industry’s leading credential with ETA’s Payments Compliance Certification Program. The ETA CPCP bundle includes all eight payments compliance courses plus the certification exam required to earn your designation — providing significant savings compared to purchasing courses individually.
Interested in a specific topic? Learn more about the individual courses below. Courses may be purchased separately, or as part of the complete ETA CPCP certification program.
Become an ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional
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Member Price: $1,895 | Non-Member Price: $2,195
Includes all eight compliance courses and the ETA CPCP certification exam.
Payments Compliance 101
Core regulatory concepts, foundational statutes, and enforcement frameworks.
Payments Compliance 201
Advanced regulatory application, risk analysis, and compliance implementation strategies.
Money Transmission
Federal and state money transmission laws, licensing frameworks, and regulatory enforcement across modern payment models.
Electronic Funds Transaction Act / Regulation E
Regulatory obligations, consumer protections, and compliance risk under federal electronic payments law.
Privacy
Data protection laws, regulatory risk, and compliance controls required to safeguard personal and financial information in payments.
Anti-Money Laundering
Federal AML obligations, BSA requirements, and customer due diligence standards governing risk management in payments.
Communications & Payments
Federal telemarketing and communications regulations governing outbound calls, SMS messaging, and sales practices in payments.
Surcharging
Card network rules, regulatory frameworks, and operational requirements governing when and how merchants may add fees to card transactions.
ETA Payments Compliance Courses
Navigate payments compliance with confidence — from foundational compliance to advanced risk management, these expert-designed courses deliver the essential knowledge you need to build a robust compliance program. Your journey to compliance mastery begins here.
ETA Payments Compliance 101 | ETA Payments Compliance 201 | Money Transmission | Electronic Funds Transfer Act/Reg E | Privacy | Anti-Money Laundering | Communications and Payments | Surcharging
ETA Payments Compliance 101
Estimated time: 3 hours
What you’ll learn: ETA’s Payments Compliance 101 course provides essential insights into navigating regulatory landscapes effectively.
Explore key topics including regulatory frameworks, compliance requirements, and industry best practices. Learn from real-world examples and case studies to understand how compliance impacts the payments ecosystem.
Perfect for: Recent entrants to the payments industry or transitioning professionals, looking to gain foundational knowledge and practical skills in the industry.
Key concepts covered:
- Payments Compliance overview
- Key rulemaking organizations
- Regulatory framework
- Emerging trends & regulatory developments
- Payments laws
- U.S. regulators
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$250 per person
Non-Members
$350 per person
Prerequisites: ETA Payments 101 recommended
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 4
ETA Payments Compliance 201
Estimated time: 5 hours
What you’ll learn: From understanding regulatory bodies and compliance frameworks to practical tips for maintaining adherence, this course covers it all. Gain insights into industry standards, compliance strategies, and the importance of ethical practices.
Perfect for: Those looking to advance their understanding of payments compliance.
Key concepts covered:
- Regulations, laws, and rules
- Building a successful compliance program including strategies for managing risks, developing policies, and adherence to global standards to implement effective payments compliance programs tailored to your organization’s needs.
- Sanctions and how they affect your business, navigate civil penalties, and avoid potential sanctions.
- U.S. and international privacy laws and regulations
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$275 per person
Non-Members
$375 per person
Prerequisites: ETA Payments Compliance 101 recommended
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 6
ETA Money Transmission
Master money transmission rules across modern payment models with practical, real-world training that helps your team interpret licensing requirements, manage regulatory risk, and stay compliant.
ETA Money Transmission
What you’ll learn: This course delivers a comprehensive understanding of money transmission laws and how they apply across modern payment models. You’ll learn how federal and state regulations govern the movement of funds, why compliance is critical for payments of businesses, and how to evaluate licensing, exemptions, and exclusions based on real operational structures. Through regulatory analysis and enforcement case studies, the course equips you to assess risk, meet compliance obligations, and avoid costly regulatory failures.
Key concepts covered:
- Definition and purpose of money transmission in the payment’s ecosystem
- Federal regulatory framework, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and FinCEN oversight
- Money Services Business (MSB) registration and core AML obligations
- Federal exemptions, including payment processor and bank agent exemptions
- State money transmission laws and the 50-state licensing landscape
- Consumer protection principles and supervisory expectations at the state level
- Multi-state licensing challenges and the Money Transmission Modernization Act (MTMA)
- State-level exemptions, including agent of payee, agent of bank, and authorized delegate models
- Structural exclusions from money transmission laws, including revised payment flows and FBO accounts
- Enforcement risks, civil penalties, and real-world regulatory consequences of noncompliance
Estimated time: 60 minutes
Perfect for: Compliance, legal, risk, and operations professionals working in fintech, payments, and financial services who need to understand how money transmission laws apply to their products or platforms. Ideal for professionals at payment processors, payment facilitators, fintech startups, banks, MSBs, marketplaces, wallet providers, and embedded finance platforms who are responsible for managing regulatory risk or designing compliant payment flows.
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$299 per person
Non-Members
$399 per person
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 1
ETA Electronic Funds Transaction Act / Regulation E
Build confidence in applying EFTA and Regulation E across today’s electronic payments, with practical guidance on consumer protections, disclosures, liability, and error resolution.
Electronic Funds Transaction Act / Regulation E
What you’ll learn: This course provides a practical, end-to-end understanding of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E, equipping learners to identify when transactions are covered, apply consumer protection requirements, and meet disclosure, liability, and error-resolution obligations. You’ll gain clarity on how Regulation E applies across modern electronic payments — including debit cards, ACH, prepaid accounts, P2P payments, gift cards, and remittances — and how financial institutions and service providers must operationalize compliance.
Key concepts covered:
- Scope and purpose of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E
- Definition of electronic fund transfers (EFTs), including covered and excluded transactions
- Covered entities and accounts, including financial institutions and EFT service providers
- Access devices, issuance rules, validation, renewal, and replacement requirements
- Required disclosures, change-in-terms notices, and periodic statement obligations
- Consumer liability limits and unauthorized transfer protections
- Error resolution procedures, investigation timelines, and provisional credit requirements
- Preauthorized transfers, stop-payment rights, and authorization standards
- Gift card and prepaid account rules, including fees and expiration requirements
- Remittance transfer disclosures, consumer rights, and error resolution protections
Estimated time: 90 minutes
Perfect for: Compliance, legal, risk, and operations professionals working in banking, fintech, payments, and financial services who are responsible for consumer-facing payment products or EFT services. Ideal for professionals at financial institutions, payment processors, P2P platforms, prepaid and wallet providers, and EFT service providers who need to ensure adherence to Regulation E requirements.
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$299 per person
Non-Members
$399 per person
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 2
ETA Privacy
Build confidence in navigating data privacy and protection across U.S. and global regulations, with practical insight into compliance frameworks, cross-border data transfers, and evolving cybersecurity risks.
Privacy
What you’ll learn:
This course equips you with the knowledge to build and maintain comprehensive privacy and data protection frameworks across U.S. and global regulatory environments. From GLBA and state privacy laws to GDPR, PCI DSS, and cross-border data transfers, you’ll gain a practical understanding of the obligations shaping modern financial services.
You’ll also explore emerging challenges, including AI-driven decision-making, vendor risk, and evolving cybersecurity expectations, ensuring your organization stays compliant and resilient.
Key concepts covered:
- U.S. privacy landscape: GLBA, FTC Act, and state privacy laws (including CCPA)
- Global frameworks: GDPR, cross-border data transfers, and international compliance obligations
- PCI DSS v4.0 and v4.0.1 requirements for continuous security compliance
- New York DFS cybersecurity regulations
- Data processing agreements (DPAs) and vendor risk management
- Controller vs. processor responsibilities
- Cross-border transfer mechanisms (SCCs, DPF, BCRs)
- Privacy risks related to AI, automated decision-making, and fraud detection
Estimated time: 150 minutes
Perfect for:
Compliance, legal, risk, security, and operations professionals in payments, fintech, and financial services responsible for data privacy, cybersecurity, vendor management, or regulatory compliance.
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$299 per person
Non-Members
$399 per person
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 3
ETA Anti-Money Laundering
Build confidence in navigating Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), and sanctions compliance, with practical insight into risk-based programs, regulatory frameworks, and reporting obligations.
Anti-Money Laundering
What you’ll learn:
This course provides a practical overview of Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), and sanctions compliance within the modern payments ecosystem. You’ll learn how U.S. AML laws and global standards shape financial crime compliance programs, how organizations identify and manage risk, and how reporting and monitoring obligations function in practice.
Through regulatory analysis and enforcement examples, the course equips professionals to build risk-based AML programs, understand sanctions exposure, and navigate the regulatory expectations that govern financial institutions and fintech companies.
Key concepts covered:
- Purpose and scope of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) frameworks
- The U.S. AML legal framework, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Corporate Transparency Act
- Roles of key regulatory and enforcement bodies, including FinCEN, the U.S. Treasury, and the Department of Justice
- The five pillars of an effective AML compliance program
- Customer due diligence (CDD), beneficial ownership requirements, and risk-based program design
- Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs), and regulatory reporting obligations
- Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) authority and sanctions compliance expectations
- Primary vs. secondary sanctions, the SDN list, and the OFAC 50% rule
- Common enforcement deficiencies and emerging financial crime risks, including technology-driven threats
Estimated time: 150 minutes
Perfect for:
Compliance, legal, risk, and operations professionals working in banking, fintech, payments, and financial services who are responsible for managing financial crime risk, sanctions compliance, AML programs, or regulatory reporting obligations.
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$299 per person
Non-Members
$399 per person
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 3
ETA Telecommunications and Payments
Build confidence in navigating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) requirements, with practical insight into consent standards, communication restrictions, and strategies to reduce liability in consumer outreach.
Telecommunications & Payments
What you’ll learn:
This course breaks down the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), two critical frameworks that govern how and what your organization can communicate to consumers.
You’ll gain a clear understanding of consent requirements, communication restrictions, and liability risks, along with practical strategies to protect your business from costly enforcement actions and litigation.
Key concepts covered:
- TCPA restrictions on calls, texts, and automated communications
- TSR requirements for telemarketing content and disclosures
- Consent standards and Do Not Call obligations
- FCC and FTC enforcement authority
- Liability risks for payment processors, ISOs, and merchants
- Best practices to reduce exposure and strengthen compliance
ETA Surcharging
Build confidence in navigating surcharging and cash discounting requirements, with practical insight into card network rules, state law restrictions, and compliant pricing strategies.
Surcharging
What you’ll learn:
This course provides a practical, end-to-end understanding of surcharging and cash discounting, equipping learners to evaluate when and how cost-shifting strategies can be implemented in compliance with card network rules and state laws.
You’ll gain clarity on payment network requirements, including surcharge caps, eligible card types, and key operational limitations. You’ll also learn the disclosure, registration, and receipt requirements needed for compliant execution.
The course explores the key differences between surcharging and cash discount programs, including Durbin Amendment considerations, while highlighting common violations, enforcement risks, and best practices for designing compliant pricing strategies with confidence.
Key concepts covered:
- Fundamentals of cost shifting and surcharge models
- Payment network rules, caps, and restrictions
- Card types eligible for surcharging and key limitations
- Disclosure, registration, and receipt requirements
- Common compliance violations and enforcement risks
- State law restrictions, prohibitions, and pricing transparency requirements
- Differences between surcharging and cash discount programs
- Durbin Amendment protections for cash discounting
- Best practices for compliant program design and merchant implementation
Estimated time: 60 minutes
Perfect for:
Payments, fintech, and financial services professionals in payments compliance, legal, product, operations, and merchant services responsible for pricing strategies, merchant onboarding, or payment acceptance compliance.
Course Pricing:
ETA Members
$299 per person
Non-Members
$399 per person
ETA CPP CE Credits earned: 1
Payments Compliance Education FAQs
What is ETA Payments Compliance Education?
ETA Payments Compliance Education covers the regulatory, legal, and risk requirements that govern how payments businesses operate.
Why should payments professionals take Payments Compliance 101 and 201?
Payments Compliance 101 and 201 help you understand the critical rules and regulations for operating, managing, and scaling payments businesses responsibly.
What is ETA Payments Compliance 101?
ETA Payments Compliance 101 covers the payments regulatory landscape, key laws, rulemaking bodies, and U.S. regulators.
What is ETA Payments Compliance 201?
ETA Payments Compliance 201 focuses on compliance program design, risk management, sanctions, and U.S. and international privacy requirements.
ETA Payments Compliance 101: pricing is…
Payments Compliance 101 pricing is $250 for ETA members and $350 for non-members.
ETA Payments Compliance 201: pricing is…
Payments Compliance 201 pricing is $275 for ETA members and $375 for nonmembers.
Do compliance courses earn ETA CPP continuing education credits?
Yes. Payments Compliance 101 and Payments Compliance 201 earn ETA CPP continuing education credits.
What is the ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional (ETA CPCP) and who is it for?
The ETA CPCP represents the completion of 8 compliance courses. This certificate ensures professionals have been educated on and passed an online exam in specific areas of payments compliance.
The ETA CPCP targets payments professionals who need to ensure that payment products, processes, and platforms operate within the framework of local, regional, and global financial laws and regulations. It’s a critical area for anyone involved in managing legal risk, regulatory reporting, consumer protection, and anti-financial crime efforts. These roles includes but, not limited to compliance officers, compliance managers, regulatory specialists, employees at issuing/acquiring banks, PSPs, payment gateways, and fintech companies.
Do I need to apply for the ETA CPCP?
No, there is no application required for the ETA CPCP.
How is the ETA CPCP designation earned?
The ETA CPCP designation is granted after completing eight payments compliance courses and passing a final exam.
How many courses are required to complete the ETA CPCP?
To complete the CPCP, the following courses are required:
-
- ETA Payments Compliance 101
- ETA Payments Compliance 201
- ETA Money Transmission
- ETA Privacy
- ETA Anti Money Laundering
- ETA Electronic Funds Transfer Act & Regulation E
- ETA Telecommunications & Payments
- ETA Surcharging
How is the ETA CPCP different from the ETA CPP?
The ETA Certified Payments Professional (ETA CPP) program is the premier, industry-standard certification for payment professionals, signaling expertise in payments technology, risk, compliance, and sales. It validates proficiency in the evolving payments landscape and enhances professional credibility.
The ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional (ETA CPCP) is a specialized certification program designed to validate expertise specifically in payments compliance. The ETA CPCP targets payments professionals who need to ensure that payment products, processes, and platforms operate within the framework of local, regional, and global financial laws and regulations.
How do I access the courses?
All the courses are online courses. Once the courses are purchased, user is emailed a link to access the course via “My Dashboard”.
Is there a final exam for the ETA CPCP?
Yes. Access to the final exam is granted once the user has completed all the required courses. Users must obtain a score of 80% to pass the exam and qualify for the certification.
How many questions and what is the format for the ETA CPCP final exam?
The final exam is 50 multiple choice questions.
Is the ETA CPCP final exam proctored?
Yes, the final exam is proctored.
How long do I have access to the ETA CPCP final exam?
Once you have taken all of the required courses, the users has access to the final exam until he/she passes. There is no timetable for taking the exam.
How many times can I take ETA CPCP the final exam?
Each user is allowed 3 attempts to pass the final exam. After each failed attempt, the user must wait 48 hours to take the exam again.
How do I access the ETA CPCP final exam?
Once the user completes all of the courses required for the certification, the online final exam will become available via “My Dashboard”.
Is there an additional cost associated with the ETA CPCP final exam?
No, the final exam is included in the registration cost
How many credit hours are required for the ETA CPCP?
21 credits. Here is a breakdown of how to obtain credits:
- ETA Payments Compliance 101 – 4 credits
- ETA Payments Compliance 201 – 6 credits
- ETA Money Transmission – 1 credit
- ETA Privacy – 2 credits
- ETA Anti Money Laundering – 3 credits
- ETA Electronic Funds Transfer Act & Regulation E – 3 credits
- ETA Telecommunications & Payments – 1 credit
- ETA Surcharging – 1 credit
What is the cost associated with obtaining the ETA CPCP?
There are 2 different bundles for the ETA CPCP.
The All-Inclusive Bundle, which includes:
- ETA Payments Compliance 101
- ETA Payments Compliance 201
- ETA Money Transmission
- ETA Privacy
- ETA Anti Money Laundering
- ETA Electronic Funds Transfer Act & Regulation E
- ETA Telecommunications & Payments
- ETA Surcharging
Member Price: $1,895
Non-Member: $2,195
The Additional Bundle, which Includes:
- ETA Money Transmission
- ETA Privacy
- ETA Anti Money Laundering
- ETA Electronic Funds Transfer Act & Regulation E
- ETA Telecommunications & Payments
- ETA Surcharging
This bundle is for users that have already taken ETA Payments Compliance 101 and ETA Payments Compliance 201 and need to take the remaining 6 courses.
Member Price: $1,595
Non-Member Price: $1,895
How long does the ETA CPCP last?
The ETA CPCP lasts for 3 years. In order to renew your ETA CPCP, you must earn 16 additional compliance based CE credits . Your ETA CPCP starts on the date of passing the ETA CPCP final exam.
How can I renew my ETA CPCP?
Over the course of 3 years, you must obtain 21 continuing education credits/hours from ETA compliance courses, webinars and events.
Can the ETA CPCP (ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional) credits count toward renewal for the ETA CPP (ETA Certified Payments Professional)?
Yes, ETA CPCP credits can be used toward renewal for ETA CPP.
Can ETA CPP (ETA Certified Payments Professional) credits count toward renewal for ETA CPCP (ETA Certified Payments Compliance Professional)?
No, only compliance-based content such as ETA courses, webinars and events count toward ETA CPCP renewal.