CFA Institute Opens Global Registration for Claritas® Investment Certificate New education program sets education and ethics standard for financial services sector

CFA Institute Opens Global Registration for

Claritas^® Investment Certificate

New education program sets education and ethics standard for financial services sector

John Rogers, CFA, president & CEO of CFA Institute, highlights the Claritas Investment Certificate as the new international accreditation aimed at providing a broad-based financial education to 

Mumbai, May 24, 2013 - The Claritas Investment Certificate program is accessible to a wide range of professionals working with investment decision makers in functions such as operations, administration, IT, HR, marketing, sales, compliance and customer service. It is a self-study course which requires between 80 to 100 hours of study over a six-month period and is made up of seven modules, covering the industry, tools, instruments, structure, controls, client methods, and ethics, culminating in a single self-scheduled, online exam at a proctored testing center. On successful completion of the examination, candidates will be awarded a certificate of knowledge.

CFA Institute developed the program in response to the financial crisis, and as part of a global call to action for industry participants to play their part in addressing the overall lack of trust in financial services. This follows feedback from industry leaders, government regulators, academics, and investors which revealed a need for an accessible, foundation-level program to provide a clear understanding of the investment industry and the professional responsibilities within it.  

The industry’s enthusiasm for the Claritas Investment Certificate has been confirmed through a pilot program, which was launched in January 2013. Over 3,300 candidates from 70 companies in 50 countries served as pilot participants. Feedback from pilot participants also supports the need for the program: 84 percent of participating employers said they would recommend the program to other employees, and 85 percent of employees who took the course would recommend it to colleagues.

John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute, officially opened public registrations from the CFA Institute Annual Conference in Singapore, and expressed his excitement about the initiative, “We are pleased to announce the launch of the Claritas Investment Certificate. It has been two years in the making and it is fitting that we launch this new initiative in Asia, the birthplace of the concept. In recent years, financial institutions have suffered considerable reputational damage. We must work to raise the professional standards of all participants in this industry and rebuild public trust. Education is at the heart of the CFA Institute mission and the new program allows us to broaden our programs to help people working across the financial services sector.”

John Bowman, CFA, managing director and co-lead of Education for CFA Institute confirmed the organization’s commitment to establishing a new global education benchmark, “We have an obligation to be a proactive voice in restoring trust and raising investment acumen across the industry,” said Bowman. “The Claritas certificate is a visible and tangible step for any company that wants to demonstrate an institutional commitment to ethics, offering employees a strong opportunity to develop their skills and competence in the industry.”