FAQs
- Why should I be learning continuously?
- Why is CPE mandatory?
- How much should I do?
- How many points do I have to collect if I am licensed to carry out more than one regulated activities?
- Can I carry excess points over to the next year?
- What kind of courses are included in the CPE curriculum?
- How do I keep the records of my attendance of CPE courses?
- Is there any other way of getting CPE points? For example, other educational courses of professional bodies?
- Will the CPE points be awarded to me if I have to leave during the CPE course to attend an important client meeting or have to catch my flight or need to attend an exam?
- Can I use my CPE points as professional qualifications in my resume?
- Since CPE is compulsory and not voluntary, does it mean that I can attend courses on company time?
- Do we have a choice of medium of instruction other than English?
- Will an extension period be given if I fail to collect sufficient points within my licensing period?
- As the CPE curriculum provides two categories, can I obtain all the required number of points from only one?
- CPE incurs cost. Can I get reimbursement from my company?
- Can anyone attend the courses, or only CMSRL holders?
- As a CMSRL holder, can I attend the same course during the year and still collect CPE points?
- Can I attend the same course every year and still collect CPE points?
- Will there be sufficient courses for me to attend?
- Regarding the 10-point rate for a full-day course, what about a course that lasts one-and-a-half or more days?
- Are the courses going to be costly?
- I work in a small town. It would be inconvenient and difficult for me to keep making trips to Kuala Lumpur to attend the courses?
- Would the personnel of exempt dealers be required to undertake the CPE programme?
- As a new CMSRL holder, do I still need to meet the CPE requirement in order to renew my licence the following year, even though I have already passed my qualifying examination?
- Can I gain CPE points by attending Bumiputera Training Fund (BTF) programmes?
- As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), can I be exempted from the CPE requirement for licence renewal?
- Can I collect CPE points by attending overseas training courses?
- Can I collect CPE points for being one of the speakers from a panel of a CPE course/conference where I also attended as a participant?
Why should I be learning continuously?
Like most capital markets, our capital market is one marked by dynamic changes – the consolidation of the stockbroking industry, for instance, will result in the establishment of universal brokers which will be allowed to offer a full range of capital market services with the objective of providing efficient and cost-effective intermediation for investors. Hence, in your profession, it is crucial that you update yourself constantly so that your advice to clients is timely, relevant and knowledgeable. This will enable your client to make informed decisions regarding his money and investment.
Why is CPE mandatory?
Though CPE is not a guarantee of professional competence, it puts in place the fundamentals required for ensuring that the market is served by practitioners who continue to have an acceptable level of knowledge and capability. At the very least, it inculcates a culture of learning and continuous improvement among market professionals, and this is in the best interest of the investor.
How much should I do?
The minimum requirement for a one (1) year licence renewal period is 20 CPE points. For a two (2) year licence period, 40 CPE points will be required to enable you to renew your licence.
How many points do I have to collect if I am licensed to carry out more than one regulated activities?
For licence renewal purposes, the requirement to comply with 20 or 40 CPE points for a one (1) or two (2) years licensing period respectively is regardless of the number of regulated activities that a CMSRL holder carries.
Can I carry excess points over to the next year?
No. You have to meet the minimum required level for every licence renewal as what you learn under the course in one particular year may no longer be relevant the next year.
What kind of courses are included in the CPE curriculum?
The CPE curriculum encompassing two broad categories, capital market development and capital market regulation, is intended to offer a wide range of topics directly relevant to the nature of your job and/or business.
Always check the CPE website at http://ers.seccom.com.my/cpepublic to view the list of courses and training providers that are CPE-approved.
How do I keep the records of my attendance of CPE courses?
The CPE Tracker System will keep your participation records.
The respective training provider will be responsible to submit your participation details through CPE Tracker System within three (3) working days after the completion of the course.
It is your responsibility to ensure that appropriate CPE points are awarded from attending a CPE course. You can check your accumulated CPE points at http://ers.seccom.com.my/cpepublic. Please contact the training provider or the CPE Secretariat if your points are not updated.
Is there any other way of getting CPE points? For example, other educational courses of professional bodies?
Besides attending CPE-approved courses, you can also collect CPE points through the followings:
- Purchase of approved CD-ROMs
- Register for online CPE courses
- Serve in approved industry associations/committees
- Serve as speakers of approved courses or courses that are related to the development of the capital market industry
- Write relevant articles for recognised business and financial publications
- Serve the Securities Commission as an expert witness
The guidelines for the above accreditations are available at the CPE Website.
Will the CPE points be awarded to me if I have to leave during the CPE course to attend an important client meeting or have to catch my flight or need to attend an exam?
No. You will not get your CPE points. As a CMSRL holder, you are expected to know the duration of the course and plan your schedule wisely.
Can I use my CPE points as professional qualifications in my resume?
CPE compliance indicates your earnest commitment to improving yourself professionally. However, it is left to the discretion of your prospective employer to take this into consideration.
Since CPE is compulsory and not voluntary, does it mean that I can attend courses on company time?
That depends on what arrangements you have with your company. However, CPE providers are encouraged to hold courses during the weekend or after office hours, so as to enable participants to attend courses outside trading hours.
Do we have a choice of medium of instruction other than English?
Some courses may be bilingual. The overriding criterion is that they are CPE-approved courses.
Will an extension period be given if I fail to collect sufficient points within my licensing period?
No extension of time will be given to you to meet the minimum requirement except under very special circumstances and with approval from the Licensing Department of the Securities Commission.
As the CPE syllabus provides for two categories, can I obtain all the required number of points from only one?
Yes, as long as you comply with the minimum requirement.
CPE incurs cost. Can I get reimbursement from my company?
It is up to the discretion of your company/employer to reimburse your training cost.
Can anyone attend the courses, or only CMSRL holders?
Anyone is welcome to attend CPE-approved courses. The CPE courses reflect the regulatory authorities’ serious commitment to training and education that can benefit not just market professionals but the investor community as a whole. Participants other than CMSRL holders however, will not be awarded CPE points for participating in the CPE courses.
As a CMSRL holder, can I attend the same course during the year and still collect CPE points?
You may attend the same course and, the CPE Tracker System will keep your record. However, the CPE points gathered by repeating the same course will not be applicable for licence renewal purposes.
Can I attend the same course every year and still collect CPE points?
Yes, you can. However, it is in your interest that you continue to improve professional competence expected of you by attending different courses. This will also help you to provide assurance to your clients that you have the necessary skills to operate effectively especially in a market where products are more complex and investors are more savvy.
Will there be sufficient courses for me to attend?
In addition to the courses offered by the SIDC and the exchanges, we will continuously review other relevant courses offered by industry/professional bodies, in-house courses by stockbroking companies and private training vendors, in order to ensure that sufficient CPE courses are available. Participants will also need to manage their time wisely and be available to attend the courses.
Regarding the 10-point rate for a full-day course, what about a course that lasts one-and-a-half or more days?
Each single course of half-a-day duration (3 hours and above) carries 5 points and each single course of one day or more (6 hours and above) carries 10 points.
Are the courses going to be costly?
The cost of courses will commensurate with the depth and quality of the courses and, is driven by market demand. Participants will be able to choose from a range of affordable courses.
I work in a small town. It would be inconvenient and difficult for me to keep making trips to Kuala Lumpur to attend the courses.
The CPE Secretariat encourages all CPE training providers to organise courses outside the Klang Valley. In particular, we work closely with the stockbroking companies / investment banks to offer in-house CPE courses to help alleviate concerns with respect to availability of courses and costs. The SIDC and several other organisations will also endeavour to conduct courses in the major towns of each state.
Would the personnel of exempt dealers be required to undertake the CPE programme?
Personnel of exempt dealers handling capital market activities to the extent of pass-through deals will be required to fulfil the CPE requirements. However, the Securities Commission is not responsible to monitor their compliance status.
As a new CMSRL holder, do I still need to meet the CPE requirement in order to renew my licence the following year, even though I have already passed my qualifying examination?
Yes. CPE is post-licensing requirement. It intends to foster a culture of continuous learning with the objectives of enhancing technical and professional expertise of a CMSRL holder. Attendance of CPE-approved courses has been made a condition for licence renewal.
Can I gain CPE points by attending Bumiputera Training Fund (BTF) programmes?
Only CPE-approved courses endorsed by BTF Education Committee will be recognised for purpose of collecting CPE points. However, accumulation of points through this option is limited to a maximum of 10 CPE points per year.
As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), can I be exempted from the CPE requirement for licence renewal?
The CPE requirement for licence renewal applies to all CMSRL holders, irrespective of their length of industry experience, their professional qualifications and credentials. This is to ensure that all CMSRL holders continually update their skills and knowledge to meet the changing demands of the profession.
Furthermore, the CPE curriculum is focussing on issues relevant to the training needs of licensed persons while professional courses tend to provide a general understanding of finance/investment matters.
Can I collect CPE points by attending overseas training courses?
Yes. CMSRL holders are allowed to collect CPE points through courses that are conducted overseas, as long as the course has been pre-approved by the Working Committee and provisions are made for the CPE Secretariat to be present and audit the course. Participants are encouraged to pursue CPE training for enhancement of professional competence and not to view it as mere collection of CPE points for licence renewal.
Can I collect CPE points for being one of the speakers from a panel of a CPE course/conference where I also attended as a participant?
You can only collect CPE points for either being a speaker or a participant and not both.