The Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments has seen twice the flow of candidates applying for and taking the certified financial planner qualification compared with a year ago.
2016 saw the launch and Financial Conduct Authority-approval of Cisi’s level four financial planning and advice module, allowing a newcomer to the profession to follow a pathway to CFP status in just three years using Cisi exams alone.
Cisi chief executive Simon Culhane said: “The year will be remembered as the year of retrenchment and structural change in the investment banking sector and we have seen the lowest number of Cisi exams in the investment banking area in the last 25 years.
“However, to counter this we have seen a huge growth in financial planning and wealth management
“In this respect, 2016 will be remembered as the year we fully integrated our financial planning community.
“During this time we were delighted to welcome over 82 per cent of Institute of Financial Planning members who renewed their membership with us.”
Mr Culhane said the Paraplanner Conference and Accredited Financial Planning Firm Conference were both “a great success” while the organisation's Financial Planning Conference had more speakers than at any other in the event’s history.
The year also saw the Cisi’s first year of supporting Financial Planning Week in June, which Mr Culhane said received an “unprecedented” response.
He said: “Some of the firms involved had all of their free sessions booked within hours of the initiative being published.”
2017 will mark the 25th anniversary of Cisi and Mr Culhane said the body had organised a number of events and initiatives to mark the occasion.
damian.fantato@ft.com
