Anyone can claim to be a qualified adviser. Very few make it easy for you to check. This page sets out exactly what I'm qualified in, what each qualification actually requires, and how you can verify all of it independently, starting with the CISI's own public register.
Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) Licence
The SCA is the UAE's regulator for investment and securities advice. Holding an SCA licence means I'm authorised to advise UAE residents on investment structures directly, rather than operating outside the UAE's regulatory perimeter— which is how a meaningful share of "offshore adviser" activity in the region actually works.
Insurance Authority (IA) Licence
The IA regulates insurance-based products in the UAE, which covers a large part of what estate and legacy structuring actually uses— Whole of Life insurance in trust and PPLI among them. An IA licence means I can advise on and place these products for UAE residents on a fully regulated basis.
You can search the CISI's public member directory directly to confirm membership:
This is the minimum qualification the UK's Financial Conduct Authority requires before anyone can give regulated, individual financial advice. It covers the regulatory framework, ethics, taxation, investment principles and risk that any advice to you has to be built on. For you, it means the advice you receive is held to the same regulatory bar as any advice given in the UK, wherever in the world you're based.
The CII is the UK's professional body for insurance and financial services. Membership requires meeting its qualification standards and committing to its Code of Ethics and annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD), ongoing study to stay current as regulation, products and markets change. For you, it means the advice you get today reflects current standards, not what was current when I first qualified.
CISI is one of the largest professional bodies for the securities and investment profession globally, with members regulated under its Code of Conduct and Complaints Procedure. Membership is independently verifiable through the CISI's public member directory — see below.
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