Morocco - the ACIIA's first representative on the African continent - took its first step towards joining the international financial community when it became an ACIIA associate member in November last year. This was consolidated when the first Moroccan candidates attempted the CIIA examinations in March 2004.

Established in 2003, the Société Marocaine des Analystes Financiers (SMAF) gathers financial professionals into an organized structure which aims to become a leading partner for listed companies, investors, associated professional organisations and official authorities in Morocco.

Ensuring that professional skills and training are compliant with international standards is one of SMAF's major projects in promoting the profession of financial analysis and investment management in Morocco. SMAF, in cooperation with its training centre "Polyfinance" and its sister organisation SFAF in France, are offering a range of training courses, the pinnacle of which is the CIIA.

Also high on SMAF's priority list is to provide the financial market professionals with a deontological charter to govern Financial Analysts' activities and ensure the transparency and neutrality of their research and recommendations. SMAF's deontology commission is drafting a regulatory text to submit to the CDVM entitled: "deontological rules for financial analysts".

Through their activities, SMAF aims to promote long term employment by introducing highly qualified individuals into specialised areas of the high added-value job market.

As a result of economic liberalization and globalisation, there is a growing market for the certification of financial and investment analysts in India. Through its comprehensive marketing strategy, the Council for Portfolio Management and Research (CPMR) in India is building the CIIA® qualification as an international brand of enduring value.

As a part of its strategy to position the CIIA® as a unique international qualification in the field of investment analysis, CPMR has aligned its national education program with the CIIA Final Examinations. Under the newly structured CPMR program, Indian candidates, on successful completion of the National level examinations, mandatorily appear for the CIIA final level examinations.

 

The CPMR promotes the CIIA® Program through a comprehensive marketing campaign designed to carve out a unique identity for the program. This includes brand building - through advertisements about the CIIA® Program in prominent business magazines, newspapers, and ensuring press coverage in the media; and relationship marketing - to build and maintain relations with banks, mutual funds, stock exchanges, treasury departments of companies and financial consultancy firms.

The candidates are also supported through a variety of seminars and meets highlighting the career opportunities in the areas of investment analysis and portfolio management. These seminars are attended by working executives and management students and are addressed by prominent speakers from the Indian investment sector.

Participants at a seminar