Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is ongoing learning to retain and improve the levels of competency required for professional practice. It ensures that SAIS members stay current with industry developments through the continued acquisition of knowledge, practical skills, and an understanding of legislation, regulation, and ethical norms.

All SAIS members are required to complete a specified number of CPD hours per cycle to retain their designation, e.g., CSb(SA). Each CPD cycle starts on 1 June and ends on 31 May. Members are responsible for maintaining their CPD records.

To support this, SAIS — in partnership with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) — provides members with an online CPD platform that includes access to both local and international CPD material. SAIS members must use the SAIS-CISI portal to report CPD activities. Courses completed through the portal are automatically recorded. Any external CPD must be logged manually. Members must ensure that the required hours are completed and logged before the cycle ends.

Required CPD Hours

• A total of 18 CPD hours must be completed between 1 June and 31 May.
• Minimum of 12 hours must be structured CPD.
• Maximum of 6 hours can be unstructured CPD.
• Minimum of 5 hours must focus on ethics — these can be either structured or unstructured and count toward the 18-hour total.

Ethics CPD may cover risk, regulation, legislation, and integrity — particularly content that focuses on individual behaviour, risk assessment, and decision-making.

Structured CPD, or verifiable CPD, refers to learning that can be independently verified, e.g., via certificates, assessments, or attendance records.

For more information, refer to the latest SAIS CPD Policy.