Ethics: Continuing Professional Development

The CISI expects its members to uphold the highest standards of professionalism. The CISI defines professionalism as the effective combination of knowledge, skills and behaviour.

Why do I need to complete Ethics CPD?

With their specialist knowledge and skills, financial services professionals have access to privileged and very often confidential information about their clients. As a result, they are expected to act in the customers’ best interest and are held to high standards of ethical behaviour.

By signing up to the CISI Code of Conduct you demonstrate your commitment to these high standards.

The CISI Code of Conduct includes eight principles and a checklist to help you identify if the choices you make are honest, open, transparent and fair. An ethics CPD activity should therefore focus on how these principles might be applied, using relevant scenario-based content that will provoke thought and create a dilemma where the most ethical solution is sought after.

Ethics is all about ‘doing the right thing’. By dedicating 10% of your allocated CPD target to developing and maintaining your ethical awareness and skills, you will be better equipped to manage dilemmas which arise whilst working as a financial services professional as well as developing an understanding of relevant topics and issues.

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What CISI resources can I complete?

The CISI provides a range of resources to help you achieve your Ethics CPD requirement. These resources can be identified by the ‘Ethics banners’ where appropriate and are automatically logged as Ethics CPD in your CPD log.

Professional Refreshers - Online Modules

You have access to over 17 Ethics Professional Refresher modules on our eLearning tool to refresh your knowledge on a variety of topics.

Professional Refreshers

Events

The CISI offer an extensive programme of events designed to keep you up-to-date with the latest insights and developments in financial services and allow members to network with like-minded professionals.

Events

CISI TV

Catch up on CISITV where a selection of our most popular CPD events are available to watch online, anywhere, anytime, on any device.

CISI TV

The Review

Keep on top of what's happening right now in our profession by reading the digital version of our members magazine, The Review. We cover the latest topics affecting financial services, and more. Please look out for articles marked as ‘Grey Matters’.

The Review

Reviewing your CPD, is this Ethics?

The following aspects of activity detail how Ethics CPD is assessed. Here we use our Treating Customers Fairly module as an example of how Ethics CPD is assessed.

Individual behaviour – Does the content relate to a person’s individual values, morals and way in which they conduct themselves, rather than the behaviour of a team or an organisation? Would someone be expected to behave in line with the CISI Code of Conduct in the situation described?

Treating Customers Fairly - An example of ethics cpd
Risk Assessment – Would someone have to make a decision based on risk in the situation described, without necessarily being able to refer to regulation or the law for guidance on how to act? Do they need to assess different types of risk, particularly conduct risk?

Treating Customers Fairly - An example of ethics cpd
Decision Making – Is there a choice between right and wrong involved? Could ‘grey areas’ arise in the situation described? Would someone be expected to consult the CISI Code of Conduct in order to help them make the right decision?

Treating Customers Fairly - An example of ethics cpd


If your resource is about any of the following topics, it is most likely to be Ethics-related or Ethics-adjacent:

  • Culture
  • Conduct
  • Misconduct
  • Behaviour
  • Trust
  • Values
  • ESG
  • Honesty
  • Openness
  • Transparency
  • Fairness
  • Environment
  • Sustainability
  • Governance
  • Vulnerability
  • Pressures
  • Influence
  • Inclusion
  • Wellbeing
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Bias

What to include in Ethics CPD for your Learning Objectives and Learning Outcomes

All CISI CPD entry logs must include a Learning Objective and Learning Outcome.

Learning objectives are set in advance of the activity taking place and are meant to set out what is expected to be learnt.
Learning outcomes are completed after the activity has taken place and should reflect what has been learnt.

When completing these sections for Ethics CPD, it is important to demonstrate:

  • the key learning points;
  • how the discussion/reflection was beneficial; and
  • key points from the case studies.

Ethics Continuing Professional Development - Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if only part of an activity I have undertaken qualifies for Ethics CPD? 
Unfortunately, our system does not allow you to record part of an activity as Ethics. You will need to log the Ethics section as a separate entry and specify this was part of a larger course.
What does not count as Ethics CPD? 
Topics include:
  • Regulatory - MIFID II, Insurance Distribution Directive
  • Compliance - GDPR
  • Technical Subject Matter - Investment Planning, Tax
  • Operational - Regulations of Platforms
  • Fintech - Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime
How will I know if a certain module counts towards my Ethics requirements? 
Use our three-step Ethics assessment guide provided. If you are still having issues, please email ethics@cisi.org.
I have read a Grey Matters article however this has not been recorded as Ethics CPD? 
You will need to manually update the entry by selecting the ‘is Ethics’ box on the entry. Please note we are working on automating this process.

More Information

Further resources can be found online here: www.cisi.org/integrity.