Built for Zambia

How STRs and CTRs are filed with the FIC through goAML

In Zambia, reporting entities file suspicious transaction reports (STRs) and cash transaction reports (CTRs) with the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) through goAML, the reporting and analysis platform developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and adopted by the FIC. A report is either keyed into the goAML web portal or uploaded as an XML file that follows the goAML schema, containing the reporting entity, the transaction, the persons and accounts involved, and the reason for suspicion.

ERMAML, the Ontech Risk & Compliance Suite, drafts STRs and CTRs in the goAML schema directly from the case record, so the names, identifiers, accounts and narrative come from data already verified in the platform rather than being retyped. The reporting officer reviews the draft and submits it through the institution's own goAML account.

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ERMAML AML dashboard showing alerts, cases and reporting status

Key capabilities

Case-to-report drafting

An investigated case becomes an STR draft with the subject, accounts, transactions and narrative pre-filled from the case.

goAML-schema XML

Reports are produced in the goAML XML structure the FIC portal accepts, reducing rejections for missing or malformed fields.

TPIN enrichment

Taxpayer identification numbers verified against the ZRA registry are populated on person and entity records in the report.

Cash transaction aggregation

Cash transactions that meet the institution's configured reporting criteria are collected for CTR preparation rather than assembled by hand across departments.

Maker-checker before filing

A second reviewer approves each report before it leaves the platform, with the approval recorded in the audit trail.

Filing register

Every drafted and submitted report is logged with dates, reviewers and the case it came from, giving the compliance officer a complete reporting history.

How it works

Transaction monitoring or screening raises an alert, which an analyst opens as a case.
The analyst investigates, attaches evidence and records a disposition; a reviewer approves it under maker-checker control.
If the case is reportable, the platform generates an STR draft in the goAML schema with subject, account and transaction details already filled.
The reporting officer reviews the narrative, confirms identifiers such as the NRC and TPIN, and approves the report.
The XML is uploaded to the institution's goAML account or the details are entered in the portal, and the submission is recorded against the case.

Benefits

Fewer rejected filings

Structured drafting from verified data removes the mis-keyed names and blank fields that cause portal rejections.

Faster from suspicion to report

The narrative and supporting detail are already in the case; the officer edits rather than composes from scratch.

Complete audit trail

The path from alert to case to report to submission is recorded end to end, which is what an FIC or supervisory inspection asks to see.

Consistent CTR preparation

Cash transactions are aggregated by rule rather than by memory, across branches and departments.

Who it is for

Money laundering reporting officers responsible for filing to the FIC.
Compliance analysts who investigate alerts and prepare report narratives.
Internal audit teams reviewing the reporting process for completeness.
Multi-branch institutions that need one reporting register across all locations.

Zambia-specific considerations

The FIC operates goAML as the national channel for STRs and CTRs from reporting entities. Institutions register with the FIC, receive goAML credentials and file either through the web forms or by uploading XML that conforms to the schema published for goAML. Reports typically identify the reporting entity, the transactions concerned, the persons and organisations involved, their identifiers and accounts, and the grounds for suspicion.

What must be reported, within what time, and above what cash value are set out in Zambian law and FIC guidance, and can change. ERMAML lets the institution configure the criteria it applies, but the reporting officer should confirm current thresholds and timelines directly with the FIC rather than rely on defaults.

How ERMAML addresses this

Reports drafted, not retyped

STR and CTR drafts are generated from the case record in the goAML schema, with maker-checker approval before the officer submits through the FIC portal.

Identifiers from the registries

NRC, PACRA and ZRA data verified during KYC flows into the report, including TPIN enrichment on person and entity records.

Reporting tied to the risk register

Filed STRs and other high-signal AML events can raise incidents in the ERM module, so financial-crime exposure is visible to the board alongside other risks.

Frequently asked questions

What is goAML?

goAML is a software platform developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for financial intelligence units. It lets reporting entities submit suspicious and cash transaction reports electronically and lets the unit analyse them. Zambia's Financial Intelligence Centre has adopted goAML for reporting.

What is the difference between an STR and a CTR?

A suspicious transaction report is filed when an institution has grounds to suspect a transaction or activity is linked to money laundering, terrorist financing or another crime. A cash transaction report is filed for cash transactions that meet criteria set by law and the FIC, regardless of suspicion.

Does ERMAML submit reports to the FIC automatically?

No. ERMAML drafts the report in the goAML schema and records the approval; the reporting officer submits it through the institution's own goAML account. This keeps the person legally responsible for filing in control of what is sent.

Can the goAML XML be validated before upload?

The draft follows the goAML schema structure, and required identifiers such as the TPIN are populated from verified registry data. Final validation happens when the file is uploaded to the FIC portal, which checks it against the current schema.

How are cash transactions collected for CTRs?

The institution configures the criteria it applies, and the platform aggregates qualifying cash transactions from the connected transaction feed across branches, so the compliance officer prepares CTRs from one list rather than from departmental spreadsheets.

Sources

See ERMAML on your own data

Request a demo with Ontech Solutions in Lusaka and see sanctions screening, KYC, transaction monitoring, goAML reporting and the risk register working together in one platform.