FP Canada has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its counterpart in South Africa — an initiative that could give members access to more continuing education (CE) options.
FP Canada entered a five-year MOU with the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) to “strengthen collaboration, promote professional excellence and enhance the global ecosystem” for certified financial planner (CFP) professionals, a release on Tuesday said.
Under the MOU, the two organizations — both members of the global Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) — will work on joint initiatives, such as policy on international issues affecting financial planning and CE opportunities, the release said.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to promoting the highest standards of competency, ethics and professionalism worldwide,” Tashia Batstone, president and CEO of FP Canada, said in the release. “Together, we will create opportunities for financial planners to broaden their expertise and enhance the impact they have on their clients’ financial well-being.”
The partnership may eventually mean access to new CE for FP Canada members. “When relevant CE activities are available through the FPI, FP Canada will look at accrediting them in line with our accreditation requirements,” the certification body said in an email.
As far as FP Canada being a CE education provider for the FPI, “we are in the early stages of working with the FPI, and we plan to continue to deepen our relationship,” the email said. “This includes exploring ways in which the two organizations can cooperate to provide value to the financial planners we educate and certify.”
This past June, FP Canada signed an MOU with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada for CE and events, among other things. At that time, Batstone told this publication that FP Canada was looking for ways to collaborate with CFP professional bodies around the world.
And in February, FP Canada acquired Learning Partner’s seven CE courses. Until then, FP Canada’s CE offerings had largely consisted of credits through webinars and its annual financial planning conference.
Tuesday’s release said FP Canada and the FPI would also explore opportunities to support greater mobility for CFP professionals between Canada and South Africa.
In addition to the CFP designation, the FPI grants two other designations — the Financial Services Advisor designation and Registered Financial Practitioner designation.