The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is opening a new international office in Colombo as it offers its acclaimed financial qualifications to students and industry professionals alike. This will be the Institute's fourth international office, in addition to representative offices in Dubai, India and Singapore.

The CISI is the largest and most widely respected professional body for those who work in the investment industry, providing progressive qualifications, training and membership activities and is the principal examining body for the industry. Every year, over 40,000 examinations are taken in more than 50 countries around the world by candidates who are employed by 92% of the world's top banks.

The Institute offers individuals the opportunity to achieve core competence and foster strong careers in capital markets, investment banking, wealth management, investment management, investment operations and Islamic Finance, through a range of qualifications suitable for professionals working across all international markets.

With the Sri Lankan financial market growing at a rapid pace, there is the need to develop a pool of skilled individuals who can meet the demand from financial firms and stockbrokers as the market expands. Those who successfully complete a CISI qualification will have the necessary foundation knowledge to work in the international and domestic securities and investment houses.

The CISI has been working on a number of educational initiatives with the Financial Services Academy of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka and the Centre for Banking Studies. It has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) to work on capacity building initiatives, which will help increase the number of qualified professionals available, for the BPO industry to take advantage of global opportunities in the securities and investment domain. In this space, SLASSCOM has endorsed the CISI's Investment Operations Certificate (formerly known as the IAQ).

The CISI has also entered into partnerships with a number of training providers to provide high quality training support for CISI qualifications.

CISI qualifications include:

• International Certificate in Wealth Management is a global qualification designed to instil the knowledge and skills base required to advise private clients in the retail sector of the industry and understand the fundamentals of financial advice.
• Investment Operations Certificate is a practitioner-led programme for administration and operations staff. It equips individuals with an overview of the financial services industry, providing a detailed picture of their particular industry sector.
• International Certificate in Investment Management is a global exam, this is targeted at professionals engaged in managing investments. It provides a test of competence for individuals engaged in private client asset management and fund management.
• Certificate in Financial Derivatives provides those advising and/or dealing in financial derivatives with the knowledge and skills required for their job roles.
• Risk in Financial Services offers practitioners a broad understanding of the key risks that arise within financial services, covering business risk, corporate governance, regulation, risk management and includes operational, credit, market, investment and liquidity risks.
• Islamic Finance Qualification is a global qualification covering Islamic finance from both a technical and Sharia'a perspective, providing the first international benchmark in the area of Islamic Finance.
• IT in Investment Operations provides those engaged in IT with a broader understanding of the information technology needs of firms in the financial services sector.
• Certificate in Corporate Finance is aimed at individuals working in corporate finance and related areas, such as venture capital, who need to demonstrate a sound understanding of both the regulatory and technical aspects of the subject.

In addition to the above, the CISI offers professionals qualification progression with its advanced certificates and Master's/ Diploma programmes.