The CFA Institute today announced the launch of the Claritas Investment Certificate.
The on-going financial crisis has undermined trust in financial services and left a vacuum that organizations, academics and regulators have struggled to address. The CFA Institute sees a need for those who work in the industry to take visible action to restore its integrity and reputation. Claritas is designed in part to help address this trust and integrity issue.
According to the CFA Institute Global Market Sentiment Survey 2013, investors agree that to restore integrity in the global capital markets, change must come from within. More than 65% of respondents indicated that a lack of ethical culture within financial firms has been the biggest contributor to the decline in confidence.
Read: CFA releases global sentiment survey
Claritas will provide a foundational level of education aimed at increasing levels of knowledge and understanding of the investment industry for the many professional disciplines within financial services, including consultancy, compliance, marketing and sales, legal, HR, IT and operations.
The new program is aimed at the broad range of people in the financial services industry who work alongside those in investment roles. Currently 68 organizations and over 3000 candidates are taking part in a pilot program. These organizations include asset managers, financial institutions, media and consulting groups.
Read: Building investor trust starts with advisor: CFA
Participants are also globally diverse, with candidates taking part from a variety of countries, including Canada.
The program will open for global registrations in May 2013.