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A message from the Chair

Every year I say that this Institute would not be what it is without the selfless determination of a great number of our members who give their time for free. This is our differentiating feature; we are owned and run by members for the benefit of the sector, and we look to our members to share their experiences with those who are just starting out. This could not be more relevant than it is today, as the young now recognise the importance of using their electoral franchise to make sure they are not left out of the decisions made on the direction this country is taking.

Read the Chair's full message in the downloadable report.



Sir Alan Yarrow, Chartered FCSI(Hon), Chair

Chief executive’s report 2016/17

Just twenty-five years ago, in February 1992, the Securities Institute was formed from the London Stock Exchange, taking up its first office near the Monument with 19 staff and 4,358 new members. It was a time of politically important events, including the declaration by Presidents George Bush and Boris Yeltsin that the Cold War was over, and an unexpected result in a general election vote which saw Sir John Major elected as the UK’s Prime Minister.

This year, as the Institute celebrates its silver anniversary, historians will record 2016/17 as being a year of even greater significant global political changes that saw the UK electorate unexpectedly vote to leave the EU, and unanticipated election results in the US, Europe and the UK.

42,350
CISI members 2016/17
36,153
Exams booked 2016/17

25th Anniversary

Founded 25 years ago, we are proud of the impact we’ve had on our members’ lives, through the strength of our qualifications, innovation, training, branch networks and volunteers. For over 25 years, we have supported our members in standing tall throughout their professional journey, as they uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. In 2017, we marked this significant milestone of a quarter of a century, celebrating our history.

As a CISI member for almost ten years, I feel proud to be part of this well recognised and esteemed body. There are so many benefits I have enjoyed as a member and I find the annual CPD log requirement very useful for my personal development.

Quote from 2017 Membership Survey

Having sat my first CISI exams about 17 years ago, they first introduced me to fund analysis and portfolio performance measurement. Back then it was a young discipline and a steep learning curve, and the exams were invaluable with no colleagues to learn from.

Jonathan Beckett, Chartered MCSI

CISI membership has supported me whilst studying for the CISI wealth management qualifications but also in my wider career development. Membership of the CISI provides access to resources to build your knowledge, free events to grow you network, and opportunities to help you progress in your career.

Alexander Allen, Chartered MCSI

 

International developments

The CISI’s global presence ensures our members and partners worldwide enjoy access to the extensive benefits of the wider CISI community, including globally portable qualifications and country specific regulatory programmes.

The Review

Incorporating news, insights, thought leadership and opinions in a selection of features, interviews and articles, The Review magazine continues to be the main source of sector-specific content for our stakeholders.

2016/17 brought a number of high profile interviews, thought-provoking discussions, ethical dilemmas and sharing of best practice directly to the inbox and postbox of our members. We couldn’t provide content without the dedication of The Review Editorial Panel who provide the ideas and suggestions, along with our publishing partners, Wardour Communications.

In addition to the main magazine, we also published four print editions of the Investment Management Review which were sent to over 1,500 stakeholders, providing comprehensive coverage and analysis of the latest key global developments across the asset management sector.

244
Pages
102,000
Article views online

Integrity remains at our core

Integrity is one of the cornerstones of our Institute. We seek to maintain our reputation as a thought leader in the field of ethical standards and behaviour within the financial services professions. The CISI remains the only membership body to require all members to complete and pass an ‘IntegrityMatters’ test before joining, and we remain committed to ensuring that our members demonstrate tangible evidence of their commitment to the standards expected of them. We are proud that over 45,000 tests have now been taken by professionals globally and that this continues to provoke thought and debate around real-life examples of ethical dilemmas faced by practitioners.


Over
45,000
IntegrityMatters tests taken
68
Integrity at Work interactive workshops presented
 
15
Speak up sessions presented
210
Members attended our flagship Integrity Debate
 
 

Qualifications

Our 80 qualifications, many of which are available in other languages including Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic, are developed by practitioners for practitioners. We aim to equip financial service professionals, around the world, with the practical and specialist knowledge they need to do their job. Our qualifications are recognised internationally in over 40 jurisdictions and we work towards offering every learner opportunities to add to their core knowledge with relevant and cutting-edge information to enable them to progress in their careers.

We work with stakeholders across the world to promote our exams and pathways and to ensure that those working in financial services can equip themselves with the knowledge they need especially in times of increased regulatory supervision.

In 2016/17 our exams were taken in
Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Myanmar, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam, Zambia

This work is underpinned by the tireless work of our examination board, 44 syllabus panels and over 300 practitioners who assist us to develop these cutting-edge qualifications and study materials. 2016/17 saw the appointment of our new CISI Global Director of Learning, James Stockdale, whose priority is to maintain and enhance our professional examination, qualification and learning standards.

We continually work to meet the demands of the sector and regulatory requirements. For example, with the forthcoming requirements of MiFID II, we have updated our appropriate qualifications to ensure that they are ESMA compliant.

We recognise that accessible learning support is vital for candidates, therefore our learning material is available globally through elearning platforms and online revision materials.

 

Membership

We believe that membership of a professional body enables those working in financial services to demonstrate their commitment to professionalism, acquiring further knowledge, skills and working towards excellence. Our membership offer is crafted from what our members tell us they want and what they value from a professional body.

 

Our core membership grew 3% to

22,896

Students studying with us

19,454
 

We aim to support those working in the sector to access cutting-edge information, to be able to network with peers and to debate and discuss common issues. These global benefits are unrivalled in the securities and investment sector and the opportunity to connect with global colleagues will be further reinforced with an online directory of members being developed on our website for 2017.

Our Educational Trust

The Educational Trust is a charity established and funded/supported by the CISI. The Trust shares the charitable mission of the Institute but uses its funds solely to support educational initiatives in the public interest and for the common good.

The purpose and aim of the Trust is to focus on developing transferable skills in students at schools, colleges and further education institutions within the financial services sector, as well as working with young adults at apprenticeship and university levels.

600

school and university students taking CISI qualifications

The Trust is most grateful to its trustees' commitment and practical assistance. The Trust is currently supporting initiatives in partnership with schools and colleges delivering CISI qualifications and CISI University Centres of Excellence.

Our student award winners

Our awards ceremony, now in its 24th year, celebrates exceptional achievement amongst our students worldwide. We are delighted to celebrate the achievement of our award winners, as well as the achievement of those who have passed CISI qualifications within the past year, at our annual flagship ceremony. In 2016/17 there were 77 award winners with an almost even split between male and female candidates.

The one piece of advice I’d give to anybody broadly in any sector is to network. Events, conferences, dinners, wherever you can introduce yourself to somebody. I think it’s particularly important. You never know when that person will open the door to you further down the line.

Oliver Knights MCSI, Private Client Investment Advice and Management winner

My new employers were pleased that I’d taken the exam because it’s something they push you to do at the start, so I feel like I have an advantage in that I’ve already completed one exam. I would definitely like to do more in the future.

Hannah Holley, Hautlieu School, CISI Certificate for Introduction to Securities & Investment

It’s been very widely said, that the moment you stop accepting challenges is the moment you stop learning and stop developing yourself. In the fast-moving and ever-changing world of finance, success is never guaranteed. But a qualification with the CISI does help you to excel in the sector.

Khushal Wadhawan, International Introduction to Investment winner

 

In March 2017, we joined forces with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI) to enhance and sustain the level of professionalism and trust in the financial services sector, resulting in the launch of the Chartered Body Alliance at the CISI’s headquarters in London. We, along with the two other founding bodies, seek to help consumers recognise the benefits of engaging with qualified sector professionals.

We will be working with the CII and the CBI to achieve greater public benefit by raising professionalism and trust across financial services and promoting high standards across the sector.

With a joint website and social media channels we hope to represent the ‘gold standard’ across the sector, hosting joint events, and seeking to respond with a united voice to sector consultations that affect members across all three professional bodies.

While the activities of each body focus on different areas of financial services, between us we cover a wide range of activities including wealth management, insurance, financial planning, banking and capital market activities and cover over 200,000 financial service professionals.

Find out more about the Chartered Body Alliance

Download our full report

 


Annual report 2016/17

Full form accounts 2016/17

Trustees' report 2016/17

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities 2016/17

Corporate Supporters 2016/17

Corporate Members 2016/17

Professional Forums & Interest Groups 2016/17

Committees 2016/17

View our previous annual reports

Keep in touch

Our social media channels now total 40, through which we keep financial services professionals informed about the latest developments in the sector, and through which we share best practice, thought leadership and event information. The platforms we use include LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Future developments will include having a presence on international channels to ensure we communicate to all our global candidates on their platform of choice.