Investment Administration Qualification

(IAQ)

 

What is the IAQ?

The Investment Administration Qualification (IAQ, provided by Securities & Investment Institute of the UK (SII) and Hong Kong Securities Institute (HKSI) in Hong Kong, is widely acknowledged as the global practitioner-led benchmark qualification which equips individuals with an overview of the financial services industry and its regulation as well as providing a detailed picture of their particular industry sector.

 

Who should take the IAQ?

The IAQ will be of significant value to individuals working in, or aspiring to work in, administration or operations areas of banking and financial institutions. There are no formal prerequisites for this award. The IAQ is suitable for candidates who have joined the investment industry within the last 18 months.

 

How is the examination structured?

The IAQ is awarded on the completion of passes in 3 units (or 2 units plus one exemption^*). Each unit is examined by a 1 hour, 50 MC question exam. The pass mark is 70%.  

 * As HKSI LE Paper 1 is recognised as a suitable replacement of the SII IAQ regulatory unit, HKSI individual members or market practitioners who have successfully completed the HKSI LE Paper 1 are required to take any 2 of the above IAQ units to attain the certification. The award of SII IAQ (Hong Kong) will be given to candidates following this route.

¡@ Module 1 (Introduction / Technical Module) SII introductory unit ¡V ¡§Introduction to Securities & Investment (International)¡¨ or any one of the SII technical units.  Module 2 (Regulatory / Technical Module) SII regulatory unit or HKSI LE Paper 1 or any one of the SII technical units.  Module 3 (Technical Module) Any one of the SII technical units.

SII technical units suitable for international candidates   IT In Investment Operations Asset Servicing (Corporate Actions) Exchange-Traded Derivatives Administration Global Securities Operations Operational Risk Over-The-Counter Derivatives Administration Private Client Administration

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How can I study for the qualification?

To provide maximum flexibility to the local IAQ candidates, HKSI provides two modes of study: (i) the self-study mode and (ii) the classroom training mode.

 

Self-study mode

SII have published a comprehensive workbook that covers every area of the syllabus. The end of chapter summaries will enable student to test their knowledge as they learn and sample examination questions enable candidates to ensure they are prepared before the examination. We recommend that candidates study the workbook for a minimum of 70 hours.

For more information visit: http://www.sii.org.uk/web5/infopool.nsf/HTML/rIAQWorkbooks

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How do I register?

Individuals who want to attain the IAQ certification through self-study mode should make the registration with SII directly in the following steps:

Step 1:	Go to www.sii.org.uk and read the latest news for SII Exam Students.
Step 2:	Go to SII online booking system at www.secinst.co.uk/onlinebooking/ and register as new person
¡@	and obtain a 6-digit username sent to your email address.
Step 3:	Select & book your IAQ examination using the 6-digit username (eg 999999)
Step 4:	After exam booking, user will be asked to complete the qualification registration form (QRF) and
¡@	pay a one-off qualification registration fee of ¢G20.

Candidates can enjoy a discount of five pounds by quoting the HKSI reference code ¡§HKSI0801¡¨ for exam booking. The offer is valid up to 30 June 2008. 

Examinations are set by professionals for professionals, priced £115 per paper. The fee includes the examination fee, a workbook and a SII student membership that is valid for a full 12 months from the exam booking date. The Workbook will be sent to candidates by email as soon as they have booked the exam.  

General enquiry

Please contact HKSI at 31206170 or member@hksi.org for general enquiry. For more information about the IAQ, please visit SII website at http://www.sii.org.uk.

Corporate training
HKSI also collaborates with SII accredited training provider LexisNexis to provide corporate training for the IAQ programme. For details, please contact Dr Siu at 31206189 or ywsiu@hksi.org.