The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has opened a new international office and operations centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In recognition of the demand for qualified and knowledgeable candidates to support Sri Lanka's financial services industry CISI's new Colombo office is under the management of Arwa Tapia, Country Head, Sri Lanka and India, with Brian Selvanayagam as Senior Business Development Manager for the CISI in Sri Lanka.

Candidates in Sri Lanka can study for and sit several CISI qualifications including the Investment Operations Certificate (IOC), formerly known as IAQ, wealth management and customer facing exams from its Certificate programme and the CISI's benchmark Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ).
The CISI is the largest and most widely respected professional body for those who work in the securities and investment industry in both the UK and a growing number of major financial centres round the world. Its exams are recognized in most countries in the Middle East, including UAE, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar.

All CISI exams are delivered online via the CISI's Secure Internet Testing (C-SIT) available Monday-Friday at the CISI offices at 285 1/1 R. A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3. Exam delivery facilities are also offered with a study option at the centres of CISI's accredited training providers.

Strategic alliances have been formed by the CISI in Sri Lanka with local bodies including the Financial Services Academy of the SEC and the Sri Lankan Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM), with the objective of supporting capacity building for Sri Lanka's financial services industry.
In line with the CISI's commitment to maintaining professional competence, membership of the Institute is offered to all individuals, whether they are just starting in the industry and studying for a qualification or an experienced practitioner with qualifications already achieved.

Three training providers have been accredited by the CISI to offer face-to-face classroom training for its qualifications: Singapore Informatics, First Global Knowledge Centre and Zeylan Edu Consultants.
As well as classroom training, e-learning materials are also available, including a PDF copy of the workbook and an e-learning "Revision Express" interactive learning tool, which provides mock test questions, many of which are to examination standard.

In addition to providing support in attaining and maintaining competence, the CISI has established objectives to sustain and develop ethics and integrity in the industry and has developed its Code of Conduct to help its members meet these standards.

The CISI has issued a position paper on executive remuneration and has also developed an online ethics test which highlights the ethical dilemmas individuals may face within their workplace. The CISI IntegrityMatters e-learning test is now being adopted by many global financial services firms.Simon Culhane FSCI, CISI CEO, said: "We are very pleased to be part of the developing Sri Lankan financial services sector with our qualifications and CPD programmes and to help the industry build a world class reputation for excellence."