The Bahrain Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (BIBF) recently announced the launch of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA ) Qualification, comprising over 200 hours of lectures, revision sessions and mock exams per level.
Lecturers will consist of CFA charter holders with a minimum of three years teaching experience, assuring quality teaching and a focus on exam success.
The CFA is the most respected and recognised investment designation in the world.
The curriculum covers concepts and skills professionals require at all stages of their career, bridging academic theory, current industry practice, and ethical and professional standards to provide a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills.
BIBF, with the credentials of having consistently surpassed global pass rates for many of the professional certifications it offers, is able to provide prospective candidates with the confidence and training required to pass a challenging qualification such as the CFA .
The CFA qualification demonstrates the commitment to excellence required of today’s investment professionals and is split into three distinct levels. Level I consists of a basic knowledge of the ten topic areas and simple analysis using investment tools, Level II emphasises more complex analysis along with a focus on valuing assets, and Level III focuses on synthesising all of the concepts and analytical methods in a variety of applications for effective portfolio management and wealth planning.
The ten topic areas are covered in increasing complexity at each level and consists of Financial Reporting and Analysis, Corporate Finance, Equity Investments, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Alternative Investments, Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning, Ethical and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, and Economics.
"It is our responsibility to guide prospective candidates who wish to succeed in CFA examinations and provide them with the right type of training, utilising best in class trainers. We are achieving results beyond global average pass rates in many offerings at BIBF such as the ACCA using this teaching model", said BIBF’s Head of Banking, Islamic Finance, Accounting and IT, Deen Jayah.
Each level involves a six-hour exam. BIBF recommends at least six months of preparation time per exam. A comprehensive plan has been put together to prepare students to sit the Level I exam in June 2015 with classes starting in November 2014.