Financial Forensics

The ISCA FFA Qualification pathway was launched on 1 March 2018. The programme was the first applied learning financial forensic qualification developed by a professional body in the region, with inputs from leading financial forensic experts from public and private sectors. The qualification aims to build and shore up capabilities in the financial forensic field for the public and private sectors by providing a pathway that leads to the conferment of the ISCA Financial Forensic Professional (FFP) credential.

The qualification includes the following focus areas:

• Forensic accounting methodology and investigation approaches 
• Digital forensics including data analytics and cyber response
• Financial crime compliance and investigation in the banking and financial sector

Since the launch of the qualification, ISCA has admitted over 100 candidates. 25 of them were in the pioneer batch of graduates. Through the limited period grandfathering scheme, 14 ISCA members were conferred the ISCA FFP credential for their contributions in the financial forensic community.

The Institute is also developing other specialisation pathways in areas that are in demand, such as infrastructure finance and cybersecurity.

Accounting Technicians

The number of students in the ISCA-AAT programme, offered in collaboration with the Association of Accounting Technicians (UK), has also doubled since its launch in 2017. Accounting technicians take on a wide variety of accounting and financial roles such as auditing and assurance, bookkeeping, accounts preparation, costing and credit control, budgeting, and payroll administration and tax returns. The qualification provides them with an alternative pathway to Affiliate (ISCA) membership, and equips them with practical skills, including core technical skills in accounting, tax, law and IT, and problem-solving skills. ISCA CEO Mr Lee Fook Chiew represented the Institute at the Fourth Accounting Technician Roundtable organised by the Association of Accounting Technicians (UK) in Sydney, Australian in November. There, he discussed the joint IFAC and AAT publication, which sought to define and clarify the roles of accounting technicians in the ecosystem and the competencies that they should be equipped with.

Outreach Programmes

In 2018, ISCA connected with over 4,000 potential and existing members through outreach activities such as company visits, info-sessions, panel discussions, and industry talks. These talks, which were conducted at universities, polytechnics, and roadshows, provide a platform where we could share information on the ISCA membership pathways and initiatives.

Awards for Academic Excellence

Top-performing candidates of the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification and ISCA Professional Examination were also accorded awards in their respective programmes.

A total of 27 awards were presented at the New Members Ceremony on 13 March 2018, in recognition of their academic excellence and achievements in accountancy. Students enrolled in accountancy-related degrees at Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore University of Social Sciences were presented ISCA Achievement Awards based on their stellar academic achievements, exceptional leadership qualities and strong community involvement.

Another 12 medals and 13 awards were presented to top-performing accountancy students from the ITEs, polytechnics and universities at their graduation ceremonies.