CPD for trade finance professionals

This page covers recertification, CPD activities and how to log your CPD hours – as well as how to become a CDCS Advocate.

Are you a trade finance professional looking for continued professional development (CPD)? To maintain professional standards and meet recertification requirements, you need to do 36 hours of CPD over a period of three years, or six years if you’re a CDCS Advocate.

Recertification

Your designations remain valid for three years after passing your exam. If you hold CDCS, CSDG, CSCF or CTFC, you can recertify by:

• either completing the recertification carrying out continuous professional development (CPD) throughout the recertification period, or
• retaking and passing the full exam for the qualification designation you want to keep using.

You’ll find more information on suitable CPD activities below, but please note that one hour of learning is equal to one CPD learning hour.

• For CDCS, CSDG and CSCF, your CPD activities need to relate to trade finance
• For CTFC, they should relate to trade finance compliance.

Our trade finance recertification process guidebook includes all the detailed information and guidance you need including:

• details of CPD activities available
• the dates of recertification cycles, and
• information on how to calculate and log your CPD hours.

Further information

If you would like to talk to us about your CPD, please contact us at recert@libf.ac.uk. 

More about our trade finance and transaction banking qualifications

More about LIBF membership

Sustainability in trade finance

Progression in trade finance

We’ve been running the CDCS Advocate programme for many years and are now extending it to CTFC, CSCF and CSDG. Once you've completed five recertification cycles, we’ll present you with Advocate status automatically. This includes:

• an extended recertification period – you’ll only have to recertify every six years instead of every three
• a pin badge and certificate, and
• the right to use the Advocate designation after your name.

Diploma for Qualified Trade Finance Specialists

If you prefer to complete your CPD by studying trade finance qualifications, you may consider working towards the Diploma for Qualified Trade Finance Specialists (QTFS). To qualify you need to successfully complete at least three qualifications in trade finance and transaction banking. Please check the requirements using the link below. 

More about QTFS

Once you have QTFS, you have the option of working towards chartered status, by completing the Advanced Diploma in Banking & Finance. This usually takes about 12 months.

Find out more about becoming chartered as a trade finance specialist.

CPD activities

Everyone’s learning style is different, so we – and our partners – offer CPD in different formats to help you find CPD that suits you, including:

• webinars
• podcasts
• insights, comment and analysis
• accredited external courses offered by our partners
• Financial World magazine.

As a trade finance qualification holder, you will also receive a quarterly e-newsletter with the latest news, webinars, podcasts and insights to help you stay on top of your CPD.

• For CDCS, CSDG and CSCF your CPD activities (webinars/podcasts/articles etc) should relate to trade finance and should enhance your existing knowledge
• For CTFC, they should relate to trade finance compliance.

Logging your CPD hours

MyCPD is an online tool – for members and those in the recertification cycle – to log their CPD hours and maintain an accurate CPD record.

To use MyCPD, log into your MyLIBF account, and please be sure to keep your email address up to date under the MyDetails tab.

MyLIBF