Online Compliance Training for SFC-Licensed Firms: What Counts Towards CPT
Online compliance training can count towards SFC continuous professional training (CPT), provided the course includes an independent assessment and produces sufficient records of completion and duration. The topic must also be relevant to the person’s regulated activities, or to ethics or compliance. Watching a video with no assessment, or general reading, does not qualify.
This guide explains what the SFC accepts, what a firm’s training programme must include and the pitfalls that catch firms out. For the hours themselves and the 31 December deadline, see our guide to SFC CPT requirements.
What the SFC accepts as CPT
The SFC’s Guidelines on Continuous Professional Training list a broad range of qualifying activities. They include:
- Courses, workshops, lectures and seminars, whether face-to-face or virtual.
- Distance learning, self-study and online learning courses with independent assessment.
- Industry research, publishing papers and giving speeches or lectures on relevant topics.
- Commenting on industry consultation papers and serving on regulatory or industry committees.
What does not count is just as clear. Normal working activities, general reading of the financial press and activities that involve no interaction with other people fall outside CPT. Handling a client’s AML file is part of the job; a structured AML/CFT course with an assessment is training.
Why assessment and records matter for online training
With no trainer in the room, the assessment shows that learning took place and the record shows how long it took. Before choosing an online provider, check that every course gives you:
- An assessment at the end, marked independently of the learner.
- A certificate or attendance record showing the course title, date and CPT hours.
- Records the firm can download and keep on file.
Choosing relevant topics
At least five CPT hours a year must relate directly to the regulated activities the person carries on, and at least two must cover ethics or compliance. A good plan maps courses to each role rather than giving everyone the same list. Examples:
| Topic | Typically relevant to |
|---|---|
| AML/CFT | All licensed staff |
| Insider dealing and market misconduct | Dealing, advising and asset management staff |
| Data protection | Staff handling client data, particularly during client onboarding |
| Cybersecurity | Staff who operate or rely on online trading and remote access systems |
| Duties of Responsible Officers and Managers-in-Charge | ROs and senior management |
| Professional investor rules | Staff dealing with or advising professional investor clients |
AML/CFT is the topic most firms start with. Our AML/CFT compliance guide explains the obligations behind it.
The firm’s responsibilities
CPT is not only the individual’s concern. Under the guidelines, a licensed corporation should:
- Plan a training programme suited to its business and the roles of its licensed staff.
- Review the programme at least annually to check it still fits the business and the regulatory position.
- Check external courses before relying on them, including the quality of the trainers and the standard of the training.
- Keep records of training conducted, attendance and materials, for at least three years.
A common misunderstanding: neither the SFC nor its Academic and Accreditation Advisory Committee endorses any training course. A provider describing its courses as “SFC approved” is overstating the position. The responsibility for judging whether a course is suitable rests with the firm.
Common pitfalls
- Repeating the same course. The guidelines state that repeatedly taking the same CPT activity with the same content will not satisfy the requirements. Refresh the course list each year.
- Leaving hours to the last week. A December rush often means taking whatever course is available rather than one relevant to the role.
- Missing evidence. Hours without a certificate, duration or assessment record are hard to defend at an SFC inspection.
How Heinbro’s platform helps
Our Online Training platform is designed around these requirements. Every course ends with an automatically marked assessment, and learners receive their results, a performance report and a signed attendance record as soon as they finish. The course list covers each topic in the table above, plus ESG.
For compliance managers, the digital portal shows each employee’s progress and CPT record in one place, which shortens both the annual programme review and the year-end check.
