FAQ

AICB membership is open to employees of financial institutions, as well as individuals who intend to pursue a career in banking.

Please click here to view the available membership categories and the respective requirements.

Applications for membership can be made online via the AICB Member Portal at any time of the year. Click here to register as a member.

Candidates studying for a qualification (with the exception of Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia Certificate and Investor Protection Professional Certification candidates) are required to hold a valid membership with AICB to begin or continue with their studies.

As a member of AICB, you will have access to a range of exclusive benefits such as:

• Professional recognition: Recognition as a professionally qualified individual in the banking fraternity, including global recognition for the Chartered Banker brand.
• Career development opportunities: Access to a range of qualifications to suit the different needs of your career progression.
• Networking opportunities: Access to a range of member engagement events.
• Career resources: Complimentary banking magazines and journals.
• Access to online learning resources/references: Various forms of CPD offerings and recognitions.
• Subsidised programmes: Learning programmes and conferences at member rates.

The use of a professional designation is subject to continued membership with the Institute and meeting the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.

Affiliate members with a valid status will be automatically upgraded to the Associate category upon completion of any of the following qualifications:

• Professional Banker
• Retail Credit Professional
• Business Credit Professional
• Advanced Certification in AML/CFT
• Bank Risk Management
• Advanced Certification in Regulatory Compliance
• Certification for Bank Auditors (CBA)
• Prior Experience Conversion Programme (PEC)
• Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia Certificate (PKMC) (Applicable to AICB–FMAM Dual Membership Holders only)

Meanwhile, members with a valid status will be automatically upgraded to the Chartered Banker status if he/she has completed the Chartered Banker qualification.

Click here for more information.

New admissions will be charged a subscription fee. Thereafter, the annual subscription fee is due and payable on or before 1 January of each year. Members are required to renew their annual subscriptions online via the AICB Member Portal on the AICB website.

The membership subscription fees are available on the AICB website. Click here to view the membership admission and renewal fees.

Employers who are Corporate Members of AICB may opt to sponsor their employees’ membership subscription fees.

Members are required to submit the request for sponsorship via the AICB Member Portal. Members are highly encouraged to obtain prior approvals from their respective employers.

The Institute offers reductions in annual subscription fees to members (except Affiliate members) who are aged 60 and above and have retired from gainful employment and business activities.

Applications for the reduction of the annual subscription fee shall be made online using the prescribed form accompanied by supporting documents.

An invoice or receipt can be obtained from the AICB Member Portal.

a. Your username is your NRIC number (for Malaysians) or passport number (for non-Malaysians) or Membership Number

b. Click here to obtain your temporary password. A temporary password will be sent via email.

All applications for re-admission shall be made online via the AICB Member Portal. Upon approval, the applicant shall pay a re-admission fee equivalent to the total of the current year’s subscription and the subscriptions for the previous years (at the applicable subscription rates) during which the individual’s membership had lapsed. Re-admission to membership does not entitle the member to retrospective benefits.

An Individual Member shall cease to be a member in the following circumstances:

a. in the event of death

b. if he/she fails to pay the annual subscription fee, or

c. if he/she becomes of unsound mind.

An Individual Member may cancel his/her membership by sending a notice in writing to the Secretary at [email protected] and upon acceptance by the Council, he/she shall cease to be a member and his/her name shall be removed from the Register of Members. A member whose notice of resignation has not been received by the Secretary prior to 1 February of any year shall remain liable for any fees or subscriptions in respect of that year.

You can access the e-Resources via the AICB Member Portal. Once you have logged in, click on e-Resources, where you will have access to a wide range of resources, including reference books and articles, videos and e-learning modules. Please ensure that you have a valid membership status to access these resources.

Log in to the AICB Member Portal to pay your annual membership subscription fees via:

a. Bank sponsorship

You may select this option if your employer agrees to sponsor the AICB annual membership subscription fee. The sponsorship request will be sent to your employer for approval. Upon approval, your membership status and expiry date will be updated accordingly. Should the request be rejected, you may proceed with option b. Requests which are pending for more than 30 days will be automatically rejected.
Note: The bank sponsorship option is only available for members who are employed by AICB’s Corporate Members.

b. Self sponsorship

You may proceed with the payment via debit/credit card or online banking. Once the payment has been made, your membership status and expiry date will be updated. You may also retrieve the invoice and receipt from the AICB Member Portal account statement folder. Should the update take longer than 24 hours, please send us an email at [email protected].

You will lose a range of exclusive benefits available to AICB members, which include:

• recognition as a professionally qualified banker, including global recognition via the Chartered Banker designation

• career development opportunities with access to a range of qualifications to suit the various requirements of your career progression

• networking opportunities with access to a range of member engagement events

• career resources such as thought leadership publications, online learning resources and references, CPD offerings and recognition.

• subsidised programmes, such as e-learning and knowledge-sharing programmes, and thought leadership conferences at member rates.

Candidates studying for a qualification (except Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia Certificate and Investor Protection Professional Certification candidates) are required to hold a valid membership with AICB. A candidate's professional qualification will continue to be recognised if a valid membership is maintained with AICB.

Any Individual Member who fails to pay the annual subscription fee within three months from the due date shall cease to be a member and his/her name shall be removed from the Register of Members unless the Council decides otherwise.

If you have been removed from the Register of Members, you may apply to become an AICB member again. Re-admission applications may be made via the AICB Member Portal.

Upon approval of the re-admission application, a member shall pay a re-admission fee equivalent to the total fee of the current year’s subscription and the subscriptions for the previous years (at the applicable subscription rates) during which the individual’s membership had lapsed. Click here for more information (page 7, para 11, Re-Admission to Membership).

We welcome non-members to most of our events. However, non-members are required to pay the non-subsidised fee to attend, while members enjoy preferential rates. We do, from time to time, run events that cater only to AICB members.

The use of a professional designation is subject to continued membership with AICB and meeting the CPD requirements. You will need to maintain your membership with AICB post-completion of a qualification.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills, and develop the personal qualities required in their professional lives.

The Institute’s approach to CPD is to foster a commitment to lifelong learning among members. The Institute encourages all Individual Members to maintain and develop their knowledge and skills throughout their careers to ensure they remain professionally competent and able to provide high quality services to customers, employers and other stakeholders.

Click here for more information.

All members, except Life members, are subject to mandatory CPD and must comply with the following minimum requirements for CPD:

1. Group 1: Members who hold a professional designation awarded by the Institute are required to undertake at least 35 hours of relevant CPD activity in each calendar year, of which 20 hours must be structured CPD. At least 10 hours of the structured CPD must be in areas directly related to banking, and 5 hours of the structured CPD, in ethics.
2. Group 2: Members who hold a professional designation and who are Dual Membership Holders (AICB–FMAM) are required to undertake at least 38 hours of CPD activity in each calendar year in areas directly related to banking or finance. Of this, at least 20 hours must be structured CPD programmes conducted or recognised by AICB, Financial Markets Association of Malaysia (FMAM), Securities Industry Development Corporation (SIDC), Asian Banking School (ABS), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) or other professional bodies or organisations, and 5 hours must be structured CPD in Ethics.

Click here for more information.

Newly admitted members or current members who have attained a professional designation are required to comply with the CPD requirements from 1 January of the following year.

Click here for more information.

Members who have undertaken more than the required amount of CPD as set out in regulation 5.1 may not carry forward the surplus hours to the following year. The CPD attainment set out in regulation 5.1 is the minimum that members are required to achieve to maintain their professional competence. It is recommended that the time invested in CPD exceeds these minimum levels.

Structured CPD is any form of formal learning activity that is designed to achieve specific learning outcomes and is capable of being objectively verified by a competent source. Unstructured CPD is any informal learning activity such as on-the-job training, online research, self-study, casual reading of professional journals and participation in events, where the focus is on knowledge sharing. For more information, click here.

Please log in to the AICB Member Portal to update your CPD activities under the CPD tab.

Members who fail to comply with the CPD requirements for two consecutive years will have their membership downgraded and the use of their professional designations suspended.

All members are expected to comply with the CPD requirements.

However, if a member is unable to meet the CPD requirements due to special circumstances, he/she may apply for exemption from CPD. Circumstances recognised for exemption include:

a. Prolonged illness or disability

b. Onerous caring duties for a close family member

c. Parental leave

d. Unemployment, and

e. Career break.

To apply for exemption from CPD, kindly log in to the AICB Member Portal and submit your application for approval.

Corporate membership of the Institute is open to licensed banks, licensed investment banks, other licensed financial institutions, regulators of the banking and financial services industry, and other institutions approved by the Council.

For more details on Corporate membership, please click here.

Please log in to the AICB Member Portal and select the Qualification tab to register for examination sittings/modules.

It will normally take about 1–2 weeks for us to process your application. However, it may vary depending on the following circumstances:

• The completeness of the application
• How easily we can verify your information
• How long you take to respond to any request or clarification
• The volume of applications we receive.

Your application will be declined if you do not submit the required documents by the given deadline. Following this, you may resubmit your application.

The duration to complete the Professional Banker qualification is 3 years. You may choose to sit for the modules concurrently or do them 1 module at a time.

Yes, candidates are required to pass all 4 modules within 2 years of admission as a member of Persatuan Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia (PPKM), failing which their memberships will be terminated by PPKM and any module passes gained will be nullified.

No, there is no time limit to complete the IPPC qualification.

No, FMAM membership is sufficient. All new members who pass the examinations in its entirety or who are existing FMAM Ordinary members (a prerequisite for trading in the Malaysian financial markets) will be granted a dual membership with both FMAM and AICB.

You will be notified via email once your application is processed. Alternatively, you may log in to the AICB Member Portal from time to time to view your application status.

As stated in the examination policy, all registrations are not refundable or transferable. For more information, please click here.

You are unable to view your results because your AICB membership has expired.

A candidate who withdraws or is absent from an examination will not be entitled to any refunds of the module or examination fee paid. He/she is also not allowed to carry forward the fee to the next examination sitting.

Candidates may apply for deferment if they were unable to reschedule the examination booked at a test centre or take the examination due to extenuating circumstances. The application for deferment must be done at least 48 hours prior to the original examination session. The deferment is only applicable on the following grounds:

• Illness/injury/hospitalisation
• Illness of an immediate family member
• Bereavement of an immediate family member
• Personal/emotional circumstances
• Involvement in accident
• Victim of crime
• Victim of natural disasters
• Any other extenuating circumstances.

Candidates who wish to apply for deferment under extenuating circumstances may do so with supporting documents via the AICB Member Portal.

As much as we sympathise with your disappointment and frustration, we assure you that the examination results you have obtained accurately reflects your performance in the examination. The Board of Examiners' decision on results is final, and appeals will not be considered.

Examination results will be made available to candidates via the AICB Member Portal at a pre-determined time as published on AICB's website. Candidates may log in to the AICB Member Portal to view their examination results.

The certificate will be sent to the respective banks’ Learning and Development (LnD) department for distribution 2–4 months after the completion of the qualification. The Chartered Banker certificate will be presented during the annual Chartered Banker Conferment Ceremony.

The decision of the Board of Examiners on a candidate’s examination results is final and no appeals will be entertained.

It is the Institute’s policy that examination results are expressed in the form of grade bands. The actual scores of an examination are confidential and will not be released.

There are 2 examination delivery modes available. You may sit for your examination:

• via remote proctoring (OnVUE) from your home/office, or
• at the approved Pearson VUE test centres.

Examinations bookings can be done online via the examination provider, Pearson VUE. Please log in to the AICB Member Portal to make an examination booking.

You are required to bring your original NRIC/passport/driving licence and the examination booking confirmation. Click here for more details on the items that are allowed/disallowed during the examination.

You may access your online Pearson VUE account through the AICB Member Portal to cancel your current examination booking and re-book an alternative examination mode.

You may access your online Pearson VUE account through the AICB Member Portal to cancel your examinations. For examinations held at test centres, you must make the cancellation at least 48 hours prior to the examination, while for remote proctoring, you may make a cancellation before the start of the examination.

Check your email inbox for the confirmation email on your cancellation.

You may access your online Pearson VUE account through the AICB Member Portal to reschedule your examinations. For examinations via remote proctoring, rescheduling can be done before the start of the examination, while for examinations held at test centres, rescheduling must be done at least 48 hours prior to the examination.

Below are examples on how to reschedule an examination held at a test centre:

Example 1:

Original examination date: 6 January 2023 (Friday @ 9 am)
New examination date: 4 January 2023 (Wednesday @ 9 am)
Rescheduling must be done by: 2 January 2023 (Monday, before 9 am)

Example 2:

Original examination date: 6 January 2023 (Friday @ 9 am)
New examination date: 8 January 2023 (Sunday @ 9 am)
Rescheduling must be done by: 4 January 2023 (Wednesday, before 9 am)

Check your email inbox for the confirmation email on your rescheduling.

Yes, once your examination is booked, you will receive a confirmation email from Pearson VUE.

Yes, you may apply to re-sit/re-take the examination/assessment. Please note that fees are applicable.

If you decide not to continue with your qualification, you are required to cancel your qualification by emailing us at [email protected]. Kindly note that no refunds will be issued.

Examinations cannot be rescheduled less than 48 hours prior to your session. You may apply for deferment if you are unable to:

• reschedule the examination at least 48 hours prior to the session, or
• take the examination due to extenuating circumstances.

Please log in to the AICB Member Portal, click on the Qualification tab, and select “Online Learning” to view the online learning materials.