CFA Institute starts marketing the Certificate in ESG Investing
CFA Institute announced on 15 March that it will market the Certificate in ESG Investing, created by CFA Society of the United Kingdom, in financial hubs across the globe. This program represents a new global qualification for ESG in investment management; it aims to strengthen market integrity by delivering the benchmark knowledge and skills required by investment professionals to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into the investment process. The Certificate has been available for exam takers in Finland since February last year.
The Certificate in ESG Investing will enable the industry to evolve by placing sustainable practices at the forefront of investment considerations, ultimately contributing to more holistic financial analysis. The ESG trend has been strong across the financial for many years already and continues to progress to many new areas and fields of business. Hence, carrying out this Certificate will give any professional greatly important new skill sets and insights. It is designed to meet the needs of practitioners in investment roles who want to learn how to analyze and integrate material ESG factors into their daily investment analysis practice. It is also suitable for anyone looking to improve their understanding of ESG issues in functions such as sales and distribution, wealth management, product development, financial advice, consulting and risk.
The Certificate is a self-study course requiring approximately 130 hours of study, culminating in a two hour, 20 minute computer-based exam comprising 100 questions at a proctored testing center or via online proctored testing, where available and/or permissible by local regulation. Candidates have one year to sit the exam after registration, and there are no formal entry requirements. On successful completion of the exam, candidates will be awarded a certificate. The cost, which covers the exam and online learning, is $665* and candidates can claim 20 CE credits upon passing the exam.
The Certificate in ESG Investing was developed by CFA Society of the United Kingdom in consultation with leading firms and is recognized by the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). Since its launch in September 2019, industry enthusiasm for the Certificate has been confirmed through its initial success within the UK and other Western European markets (Switzerland, France, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands), where there have been a combined 5,000 registrations.
* Registration fees for the Certificate will be payable in GBP at £485 and will switch to USD in September 2021; the USD equivalent value will vary based on the prevailing exchange rate until then.
Source: CFA Institute
CFA Society Finland disclaimer: CFA Society Finland gets a small revenue for each Certificate in ESG Investing exam carried out in Finland.