Supporting the FINSIA Strategic Alliance with CISI
Introduction
This blog post has been written from the perspective of a passionate and longstanding Financial Services Institute of Australasia (‘FINSIA’) member.
For those of you that know me reasonably well, you will understand that FINSIA has been a big part of my life continuously, over the past 23 years. As a former member of the antecedent institutions, the Australian Institute of Banking and Finance (‘AIBF’) and the Securities Institute of Australia (‘SIA’), I well understand the recent history of FINSIA and also the significant change and opportunity being presented to members to embrace the global scope of the Strategic Alliance between FINSIA and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (‘CISI’).
Background
My journey with FINSIA began when I returned from a corporate posting in the United States and the completion of my Master’s degree with The University of Melbourne. The year was 2002 and I was seeking local support and networks to further my financial services career following six years out of the local Australian market - circa four years working in the US, a rowing coaching sabbatical in Norway and Switzerland, 18 months of full time study, meeting a girl, and relocating to a new city in Brisbane.
The logical choice for a hungry early 30s financial services professional looking to advance his career was to sign-up for membership with both the AIBF and the SIA. The initial SIA membership relationship morphed into studying part time at nights, and gaining the Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment with the SIA.
The graduate diploma led to lecturing the Master of Applied Finance Degree with SIA, FINSIA and Kaplan, writing chapters of course content, marking exams, assessing assignments, being a leader with the FINSIA mentoring program across around 15 mentorships, presenting at career focussed events, being elevated to Senior Fellow membership and culminating with joining the FINSIA Board in 2021, and being appointed Vice President of FINSIA in 2025.
The next chapter
In May 2025, FINSIA announced the consideration of a proposed Strategic Alliance with CISI.
The rationale behind the proposed alliance included that the financial services industry continues to evolve amid globalisation. There is also rapid industry change and evolving stakeholder expectations which impact the sector. The need for a strong, international, future-focused professional community with scale is more critical than ever.
To meet the challenges head-on, FINSIA proposed a Strategic Alliance with the CISI - a globally respected professional body for financial services, with 54,000 members in 128 countries.
Member consultation process and transition agreement
Following a FINSIA member consultation conducted during June 2025, the FINSIA Board determined that there was strong member support for the proposed Strategic Alliance with CISI. There were also a number of key feedback themes raised during the member consultation process which required further consideration.
These feedback themes were carefully considered by the Board, and based on discussions between FINSIA and CISI, the Board were able to agree on appropriate strategies to address each of the feedback themes that were identified via the consultation process. As a result, the Boards of FINSIA and CISI entered into a Transition Agreement, which will result in all current FINSIA members being invited to join CISI by the end of November 2025.
By the time of the member transition in November 2025, CISI will have several local staff to support members in Australia and New Zealand. These resources will have the capability to:
organise and host in-person and online events;
support the development of local knowledge building and learning programs;
manage member services including queries in relation to membership levels, CPD, and renewals; and
grow CISI’s local profile and membership community through sector-wide engagement.
Every current FINSIA member will be invited to join CISI at a membership level that is equivalent to the standing they currently have with FINSIA. More details about the equivalency of FINSIA and CISI membership levels, and eligibility to concurrently use existing FINSIA and new CISI post-nominals for two years following the transition can be found on the FINSIA website.
Next steps for members
For FINSIA members who are yet to complete their membership renewal for 2025, the leadership team encourages members to contact FINSIA to complete their membership renewal process. Only members who have a fully paid membership in place by 30 September 2025 will have the opportunity to transition into CISI as part of this Strategic Alliance.
This week the FINSIA team has asked members to spend a few moments updating personal information, including compliance with FINSIA’s CPD policy. This is to ensure that accurate details can be shared with CISI in the lead-up to the membership transition taking place. FINSIA wants to ensure that the transition process is as seamless as possible, and FINSIA will need our members’ assistance to make sure FINSIA can provide accurate membership data to CISI.
FINSIA – CISI alliance webinar: what it means for members
On Tuesday 23 September 2025, FINSIA is inviting members to a webinar where more information about FINSIA’s alliance with CISI will be shared.
This session is an opportunity to hear directly from CISI’s leadership team, understand the value of CISI membership and learn about the benefits this alliance brings to FINSIA members. There will also be an opportunity for members to take part in an open Q&A session with FINSIA and CISI leaders.
The webinar will cover:
CISI’s mission, values and global network, and their alignment with FINSIA’s commitment to professional excellence;
The benefits of CISI membership, including access to international resources, learning opportunities and a global professional community; and
The transition process and its impact on members.
The webinar will be hosted by:
Michael Cole-Fontayn, Chairman, The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Tracy Vegro OBE, Chief Executive Officer, The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Kevin Moore, Executive Director for Membership & Business Development, The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
David Cox F FIN, (Moderator), President, FINSIA.
Conclusion
FINSIA remains committed to supporting members and their career progression, ensuring that FINSIA members continue to benefit from the highest standards of professional development, recognition, and support through the transition process to membership of CISI.
As a 23-year continuous member of FINSIA and the antecedent organisations of AIBF and SIA, I understand there are mixed emotions from some members with this evolutionary change.
However, speaking as a member, I encourage all my co-FINSIA members to renew their memberships and transition to CISI, to at least trial the myriad additional benefits being offered by joining a global financial services community of 54,000 members across 128 countries.
I firmly believe the global growth opportunities of the FINSIA-CISI strategic alliance being presented to members is exciting and compelling for us all – it’s the next stage of a global financial services evolution for our members.
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