The first CCBP certification ceremony was held in Beijing¡¯s financial street on March 31, 2007. Hu Huaibang, CBRC Commissioner of Discipline Inspection and Director of CCBP Experts Committee, together with other officials, issued certificates for the first qualified professionals. So far, 1834 banking professionals have acquired the CCBP certificates.

CCBP, organized by China Banking Association, aims at improving the overall quality and regulating management of Chinese banking professionals. The issuance of the first certificates witnesses a new page of the certification program of Chinese banking professionals.

Hu Huaibang pointed out at the ceremony that, after one year of fruitful experimenting, CCBP has experienced a good start, with attention and supports from all walks of life. Based on that, CBA shall continue to improve the CCBP program through review and reference to experience of institutions and organizations from both home and abroad.

As the core industry of modern economy, banking is characterized by professionalism, rapid innovation and profound social effects, which therefore make special requirements for banking professionals. From the perspective of professional quality, the founding of CCBP is aimed at laying a foundation for the reforms and development of the industry.

China Banking Association organized its first pilot examinations in 11 cities including Beijing and Shanghai on November 18, 2006. 4817 professionals from 126 financial institutions took the exams of wealth management and risk management. 1834 of them have passed both the exam and the quality review, and were the first to be issued the certificate.

There are two kinds of CCBP certificates: the foundation certificate and professional certificates. Based on last year¡¯s experience on the two professional certificates, CBA is going to launch the foundation certificate examination this year. The exam covers the knowledge and skills needed for all banking professionals, with special emphasis on ethnics and compliance. Preparation for the exam has been almost finished, and the registration is estimated to start in mid-April while the exam is going to be taken simultaneously in 36 cities in late July.

Liu Zhangjun, Executive Vice President of CBA pointed out at the ceremony that, the CCBP certification program is a systematic project with wide coverage and great operational difficulties. CBA shall shoulder the responsibility and focus on forming of the development plan, stipulation of working mechanism, market research and promotion, and bring down of costs for professionals to participate in the program.