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The ICMA-Certified Sustainable Finance Professional is a specialised qualification for individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of sustainable capital markets and develop the practical skills needed to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
This certification combines two highly regarded ICMA courses — the Sustainable Bond Certificate and Transition Finance — providing a comprehensive view of sustainable debt instruments, market standards, investor expectations and transition planning.
Who is it for?
This programme is designed for finance professionals across the sell-side, buy-side, and official sector who are involved in — or transitioning into — sustainable finance. It is especially relevant for:
- Sustainable finance and impact specialists
- Fixed income bankers, originators and syndicate professionals working on labelled bond issuance
- Investors and portfolio managers integrating sustainability criteria or investing in Green, Social or Sustainability-Linked bonds
- Policymakers, regulators and public finance professionals developing sustainability frameworks
- Legal, reporting and external review professionals involved in sustainable bond issuance
Designed for professionals with several years’ experience working in capital markets, this programme is equally suited to people developing their organisation’s sustainable finance strategy or supporting clients and issuers in aligning with the ICMA Principles, equipping you with the tools, context and credibility to lead in this fast-evolving space.
How does it work?
The certification is built around two complementary ICMA courses:
Sustainable Bond Certificate - a deep dive into the principles, structures, and regulatory context of Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked bonds — including practical insights, case studies and market standards like the ICMA Principles and Climate Transition Finance Handbook.
Transition Finance - a targeted exploration of how sustainable bonds and other instruments can finance credible decarbonisation strategies, covering transition planning, global taxonomies, investor expectations, and regulatory disclosures.
Participants can take both courses back-to-back or separately within a 12-month period. Upon successful completion of both exams , candidates will receive the ICMA-Certified Sustainable Professional certificate.
How much does it cost?
Courses can be taken in-person, via livestream or a combination of both:
- In-person courses only – participants attend both courses in-person. ICMA members EUR 5,500; Non-members EUR 6,500 (SAVE 25-30% on individual course prices)
- In-person and/or livestreamed courses – participants attend courses either in-person OR via livestreamed format. ICMA members EUR 4,500; Non-members EUR 5,500 (SAVE 25-30% on individual course prices)
Assessment
The ICMA-Certified Sustainable Professional programme consists of two separate exams comprising multiple choice questions. The pass rate for these exams is 75%, with a score of 90% or more earning a distinction. You will have six months from the finish date of each course in which to book and complete an online, fully invigilated exam.
Following the successful completion of your final exam you will receive an ICMA-Certified Sustainable Professional certificate, a secure digital credential that you can share on social media which can be verified online ensuring transparency of your qualification.
More information regarding your specific exam will be available in the Exam Orientation page on Moodle, the ICMA training platform.
For more information about ICMA digital certifications, please visit https://www.icmagroup.org/executive-education/icmacertified
Programme Recognition
ICMA is an FCA-approved qualifications provider, approved by the Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong as provider of Continuous Professional Training (CPT) and a member of the CPD® Certification Service.
This programme is certified by ICMA and the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading and accredited by CPD® Certification Service.
ICMA recommends that 70-80 learning hours can be associated with this programme, based on attended/undertaken hours of study required to successfully complete the learning outcomes.
An ICMA-Certified Sustainable Professional certificate will be awarded to those who successfully pass both exams for this programme – see Assessment section for more details.
Please note that your programme certificate of attendance or completion should be sufficient to satisfy any professional development requirements – if you require further evidence, please contact us at education@icmagroup.org.
i Please note that given the nature of this industry-certification, the pass rate of each exam is 75%
