Line of professionals on brick wall — Professional qualifications
Banking

Whether you’re starting your banking career, or want to take it to the next level, we can help you progress and achieve chartered status.

Advance your career in banking

Are you working, or considering a career, in banking?

Whatever stage you’re at, we have a qualification to help you take the next step, whether you’re interested in:

retail banking
business banking
commercial and corporate banking
risk and regulation
digital banking, or
strategic management.

From foundation to advanced level, all our banking qualifications use online distance learning, so that you can fit your study around your work and commitments. And because we’ve developed our programmes with the industry, you’ll learn practical skills as well as academic understanding.

You can do any of our banking qualifications as a one-off, or you can you combine them to create your own pathway to chartered status.

It's the modern day ACIB, once the must-have for anyone in banking, which was established by our predecessor organisation – the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Digital banking

Banking is changing at a rapid pace. Digital disruption and evolving customer expectations are transforming the way retail banks operate.

Staff are expected to understand these digital transformations, how they impact customer services and the risks that come with digital banking.

Business banking

Business banking is evolving - digital disruption, changing customer expectations and Covid-19 – have transformed the way banks operate.

If you’re in a customer-facing role lending to business, our business banking qualifications will consolidate and improve your knowledge.

You need to understand the role of technology and how banks provide services to meet the increasing demands of their business customers in a digital environment.

Certificate in Business Banking (CertBB)

Diploma in Business and Commercial Banking & Conduct (DipBB&C)

Risk and regulation

Risk and compliance have always been important in banking, but it has increased since the global pandemic.

Traditionally a bank risk officer assessed bank loans to make sure they were sound. However, in the modern world risks are very complex and varied.

You need to ensure you have the fundamental knowledge of the critical risks that banks face in the current climate and how to mitigate them.

Commercial and corporate banking

In banking, developing and managing professional relationships are key to providing the best outcome for both your client and your business.

You will need to demonstrate your professionalism and understanding of how ethical issues affect the decision-making process. As well as finding the right solutions for your client.

We’ll help you develop the right soft and technical skills to do that.

Risk training programmes

Professional Experiential Route (PER)

Research centres

To help the sector navigate through these volatile times, we've established dedicated centres:

Centre for Digital Banking and Finance Centre for Governance, Risk and Regulation

Centre for Sustainable Finance

As well as research and thought leadership, these centres offer executive training and qualifications to help upskill banks and their staff for the challenges ahead.

Professional Qualifications Framework (PQF)

Our Professional Qualifications Framework (PQF) has been developed to provide banks a learning pathway to develop their staff in retail and business banking.

Stage 1: Professional Diploma in Banking & Finance (PDipB&F)
Can be completed in 16 months and requires to you to complete three of our professional qualifications including the Level 5 Professionalism, Conduct and Ethics (5PCE) qualification.

This will build your understanding of FCA rules and regulation as well as how ethical issues affect decision-making in financial services.

Stage 2: Advanced Diploma in Banking & Finance (AdvDipB&F)
Can be completed in 12 months and requires to you to complete three Level 6 professional qualifications.

The pathway to chartered status designed for more experienced staff and those aspiring to senior roles.

View the Professional Qualifications Framework (PQF)

Recognition of internal training programmes and accreditation

If you’re an organisation with excellent internal training programmes, you can integrate our qualifications into your in-house learning. We can also provide recognition and accreditation to your internal training and staff development initiatives.

This can simply be an endorsement to gain industry recognition or full accreditation where your training programmes are awarded credits into our qualifications, enabling your staff to gain exemptions based on the knowledge they’ve gained through internal training.

We are the only professional body in the UK with taught degree-awarding powers and university status – both hallmarks of the quality of our educational programmes. And you may be able to use funds from your apprenticeship levy to finance learning and development for some of our qualifications and training programmes.

Find out about our apprenticeships