For more than 23 years IMCA has been the premier credentialing organization for advisors who aspire to the highest levels of client acquisition, service, and retention. IMCA is setting a new standard for investment credentials by attaining, ANSI^® (American National Standards Institute^®) accreditation of the CIMA (Certified Investment Management Analyst) certification. Advanced expertise, integrity, and now attainment of international accreditation sets the CIMA certification apart, and elevates it to a new level.

The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, is a private non-profit organization that facilitates standardization and conformity assessment activities in the United States. The Institute oversees the creation, promulgation, and use of thousands of standards, guidelines, and conformance measures that directly impact businesses and consumers in nearly every industry. ANSI also provides third-party accreditation of organizations that certify that products, processes, personnel, services, systems, and certificate programs meet recognized international standards. The CIMA Certification has been granted accreditation under ANSI’s personnel certification program.

ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) via the U.S. National Committee, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and other international and regional forums.

Since the inception of ANSI’s Personnel Certification Accreditation Program in 2003, the Institute has accredited 33 personnel certification bodies for 79 scopes in a range of industry sectors under the international standard ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024. 

IMCA is the first in the financial services industry to distinguish its CIMA certification from other credentialing programs in the field through ANSI accreditation.

To achieve accreditation, IMCA was evaluated on a broad range of activities and CIMA certification policies and procedures needed to demonstrate that:

• The program is open and transparent
• The program is fair, objective, and impartial
• There are appeals procedures for complaints
• The program is supported by an organization with sound management systems
• The decision-making body for the certification program is autonomous and without undue influence by special interests
• Certification is based on a process that consistently distinguishes those who meet a level of competency and skills as an investment management professional from those who do not.

 During the past several years as IMCA anticipated applying for accreditation, IMCA’s volunteer policy makers set transparent standards for registering education providers, modified the governance structure to address potential conflicts of interest, and separated the education program from the actual certification function.

Attainment of ANSI accreditation of the CIMA certification will grow and protect the integrity of the CIMA certification. IMCA is now positioned at the forefront of financial services credentialing bodies, and the value of CIMA certification is undeniably greater.  Accreditation has been sought out in order to protect the value of CIMA certification from regulatory trends in financial services; to recognize and continue to enhance the quality of our organizational and certification processes; to more effectively position CIMA certification for international growth; and to differentiate CIMA certification from a crowded financial services credentialing market.

Interested in learning more about the CIMA certification program?  Learn more about the CIMA certification program benefits, application process, pass rates, fee schedule, frequently asked questions, or download the application now.

If you are a current CIMA certificant and would like to share our press release with your clients, employers, or other stakeholders, please click here to download our press release.

Over the next several months, IMCA will be creating additional marketing items that can be shared by CIMA certificants with clients, employers, and other stake holders.  If you would like to be notified as these materials are completed, please email jparrish@imca.org.