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 an 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 any of the following qualifications:

• Professional Banker
• Retail Credit Professional
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – RCP (CVA – RCP)
• Business Credit Professional
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – BCP (CVA – BCP)
• Advanced Certification in AML/CFT
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – ACAML (CVA – ACAML)
• Certified Professional in AML/CFT
• Bank Risk Management
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – BRM (CVA – BRM)
• Advanced Certification in Regulatory Compliance
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – ACRC (CVA – ACRC)
• Certification for Bank Auditors (CBA)
• Competency Validation Assessment Level 2 – CBA (CVA – CBA)
• Prior Experience Conversion Programme (PEC)
• Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia Certificate (PKMC)
• Certified Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Financing of Terrorism Compliance Officer (CAMCO)

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

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

You can pay your annual membership subscription fees online using your debit/credit card (Master/Visa) or via online banking through the AICB Member Portal

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) under the following circumstances:

1. if the Member has attained the age of 60 years and has retired from gainful employment and business activities.
2. due to special circumstances as follows:
   • prolonged illness
   • unemployment
   • undertaking a full-time study
     

Applications for the reduction of annual subscription fees shall be made online using the prescribed form accompanied by supporting documents. Applications must be submitted by 31 January of the year to which the subscription applies and no applications shall be considered in respect of previous years.

Kindly send your request to [email protected]. The invoice/receipt will be provided in 5 working days.

Upon an admission of an Individual Member or a change in a Member’s designation, a certificate shall be issued to the Member, certifying his/her membership status.

To access the Member Portal User Guide for AICB Member Portal, please click here.

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

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

All applications for re-admissions shall be made online. 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. Click here for more information (page 7, para 11, Re-Admission to Membership).

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

1. in the event of death;
2. if he/she fails to pay the annual subscription fee;
3. if he/she becomes of unsound mind; or
4. if he/she fails to pay any fine imposed on him/her as a result of disciplinary action.

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've 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.

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

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

1. 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 2. 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.
   
   
2. 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 for 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 eLearning 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 Continuing Professional Development (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 as listed in Appendix 1 (hereinafter referred to as “professional designation”) 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, FMAM, SIDC, ABS, BNM or other professional bodies or organisations and 5 hours must be structured CPD in Ethics.
3. Group 3: Members who do not hold any professional designations are required to undertake at least 5 hours of structured CPD on Ethics every two years.

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 amount of CPD as set out in regulation 5.1 may not carry forward the surplus hours to the following year or biennium (as applicable). 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 investment 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.

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

Completing the annual CPD declaration is how a Member declares that he has met the CPD requirements for each year.

The annual declaration must be made online at AICB website by 31 January of the following year.

Click here for more information.

If you fail to comply with the CPD requirements within the extended time allowed, your membership status may be downgraded or 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:

1. Prolonged illness or disability
2. Onerous caring duties for a close family member
3. Parental leave
4. Unemployment, and
5. 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 the Corporate membership, please click here.

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 where only fully subscribed members may attend.

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

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 normal applications, and 4 – 6 weeks for applications with exemptions and Chartered Banker Level 3. 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
• The length of time taken for the bank to approve the Exemption Application Fee (RM100)

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 one module at a time.

Yes, the time limit is 2 years. A candidate must pass all four modules within 6 consecutive examination sittings (1 examination cycle), failing which, the passes gained in the examination cycle will be nullified. The candidate will then be required to start a new examination cycle immediately.

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.

From the time we receive your qualification enrolment form, it will take between 5 to 10 working days for us to approve your application. You will receive an email once your application has been approved. Once you have received the email, please log in to the AICB Member Portal to register for modules and examination sittings. Payment is made during the module and examination registration process. You will have the option of choosing whether to self-sponsor your studies or select bank sponsor.

Please be informed that as stated in the examination policy, all registration fees are not refundable or transferable.

You must apply for exemption at the point of application for enrolment. Applications made thereafter will not be considered.

Once a candidate has enrolled for the qualification, exemption requests will not be entertained.

There are two types of fees payable: Exemption application fee and Module exemption fee.

The Exemption application fee is RM 100 per application, and is payable upon submission of the application.

The Module exemption fee is RM 250 per module, and is payable upon approval.

No, the Exemption Application fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the application.

You are required to complete the Module Exemption Payment Form and submit the completed form to us via email by the given deadline. Upon receiving the completed form, we will proceed to enrol you for the qualification with the exemption granted. Subsequently, you may log in to the AICB Member Portal for module and examination sitting registrations.

Please refer to our examination activity schedule here.

Prior to the examination sitting, we will publish the list of examination centres on our website.

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

The Institute may consider allowing a one-time transfer of the examination fee to the next available sitting under extenuating circumstances. The module fee is not transferable.

Candidates who wish to claim extenuating circumstances are required to submit the completed Deferment Form and supporting documents to the Director of Assessment no later than 10 working days from the date of the examination concerned.

An electronic copy of the attendance notice will be sent to candidates by email and/or will be viewable online about 10 days before the examination date. Candidates will NOT be allowed to sit for the examination without the NRIC. Identity verifications will be done using the NRIC/driver's license/passport or other acceptable forms of identification with an accompanying photo.

No. At the end of the examination, all examination materials must be handed over to the invigilator. None of the examination materials can be taken from the examination hall/room.

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 decision of the Board of Examiners 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. Candidates may log in to the AICB Member Portal to view their examination results.

The certificate will be given during the graduation ceremony. The graduation team will be in contact with candidates a month before the graduation ceremony.

AICB’s examination papers go through a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure that each paper accurately tests the learning outcomes of a module. The examination papers are set within the scope of our study texts and go through various checks by our Examination Committee to ensure that all examination items meet optimum face validity, and content and structural validity before they are used at an examination.

Once the examination is completed, the candidates’ answer scripts for multiple-choice questions are processed by the Assessment Division, while the answers for the subjective questions are marked by the Examination Committee. The results are then deliberated upon by the Examination Committee, who moderates the questions based on the candidates' performance to ensure that the results are a true reflection of the candidates’ performance and that no candidate has been placed at a disadvantage.

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 we will not entertain any requests to release the scores.

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

• via remote proctoring 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 Chartered Banker Institute (CBI) portal to make an examination booking.

You are required to bring your original NRIC/passport/driving licence and the examination booking confirmation.

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

You may access your online Pearson VUE account through the CBI portal to cancel your examination(s). 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. To cancel your current examination booking, please follow these steps below:

1. Log in to the CBI portal.
2. Locate the name of the examination under the Upcoming Appointments heading.
3. Click on the Cancel link.
4. Click the checkbox to confirm read and agree to the Cancellation Policy.
5. Click the Confirm Cancellation button.
6. Check your email inbox for the confirmation email on your cancellation.

You may access your online Pearson VUE account through the CBI portal to reschedule your examination(s). 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: 7 January 2022 (Friday @ 9 am)
New examination date: 5 January 2022 (Wednesday @ 9 am)
Rescheduling must be done by: 3 January 2022 (Monday, before 9 am)

Example 2:

Original examination date: 7 January 2022 (Friday @ 9 am)
New examination date: 9 January 2022 (Sunday @ 9 am)
Rescheduling must be done by: 5 January 2022 (Wednesday, before 9 am)

To reschedule your examination, please follow these steps below:

1. Log in to the CBI portal.
2. Locate the name of the examination under the Upcoming Appointments heading.
3. Click on the Reschedule link.
4. Follow the steps to select a new date and time.
5. Review your selection and click on Confirm Reschedule at the final step.
6. 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 are welcome to apply to re-sit/re-take the assessment. Please note that there will be fees applicable.

If you decide not to continue 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.

Deferment to the next available sitting will be considered for candidates sitting for examinations at test centres, on the following grounds:

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

Candidates who wish to apply for deferment under extenuating circumstances are required to email the completed application form and supporting documents to [email protected] no later than 10 working days from the date of the examination. Click here to download the application form for deferment.

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