Three senior members of UK-headquartered advisory firm Aisa Group have passed the Czech National Bank’s capital markets exam, which is at the securities trader level.
Aisa Group chief executive James Pearcy-Caldwell, Aisa International director Clive Tutton and chartered financial planner Chris Lean took the exam after seeking advice from Marta Gellova, president of the European Financial Planning Association (Efpa) in the Czech Republic.
First British members
Efpa certifies advisers in accordance with regulatory requirements in 13 countries across Europe and four European cross-border levels.
An initiative between the Personal Finance Society and Efpa means equivalent status can be granted to Diploma and Chartered level advisers.
Therefore, after taking further modules with Efpa, Caldwell and Lean were eligible to join the association as European Financial Planners.
Gellova commented: “As a result of the mutual recognition of the Personal Finance Society and Efpa, I am pleased to welcome our first British members to Efpa – Czech Republic.
“I look forward to working with Aisa International in the future as we look to expand our agenda of professional development and increasing the number of appropriately qualified advisers active in the market.
“In the Czech Republic we have now over 30 European Financial Planners, and more than 300 European Financial Advisers. We are sure that both the Aisa team and our other members will mutually benefit each other in terms of the diversity of international recognised qualifications and experience.”
Essential licences
Aisa has seven offices, including one in Prague and another in Cyprus, which it opened in 2019.
At the time of launch, four members of staff had passed the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) advanced investment exam, which is a requirement for those giving investment advice on the island
Tutton commented: “The ending of passporting advice into the EU, via the UK, means it is essential that firms such as ours maintain the appropriate EU investment licences.
“This requires both feet on the ground and accepting the fact that we have to take the same exams as everyone else in order to comply with EU requirements.”