US-based Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute plans to open an India centre in Mumbai by the third quarter of 2014. In this interview, Paul Smith, managing director (Asia-Pacific) of CFA Institute, tells FE?s Abhishek Chakraborty that the India centre will create awareness about the brand in the country and also further financial literacy. Excerpts:

Why is the CFA programme considered gold standard globally?

Since it was first introduced in 1963, CFA designation, or CFA charter, has become the most respected and recognised investment credential in the world. The CFA programme is a graduate-level curriculum that covers concepts and skills that investment professionals will use at all stages of their career, bridging academic theory, current industry practice, and ethical and professional standards to provide a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills.

Which all colleges have incorporated your programmes?

Over 125 distinguished colleges and universities around the world have incorporated a majority of the CFA programme curriculum into their own courses. These include institutes such as the University of Oxford?s Sa?d Business School; New York University; INSEAD; Peking University; and Nanyang Technological University. Currently, CFA Institute has more than 120,000 members in 145 countries and territories around the world.

What are your India plans?

We intend to launch an operational business in India in the Q3 of 2014. The office will be based in Mumbai. The purpose is to act as the focal point of the CFA Institute outreach efforts in India. Outreach focuses on employers, regulators and educators. Its purpose is to improve brand awareness of CFA Institute with these groups and to engage with them in educational events and thought leadership projects in the investment management industry.

The CFA Institute office will also help provide logistical support to the Indian Association of Investment Professionals (IAIP), which has chapters in seven cities across India offering continuing professional education and networking events.

How relevant are your courses in the Indian context?

We believe that India is the one of most exciting markets globally for our programmes as India has a growing financial market and a leading business outsourcing services industry in the Asia-Pacific region. We strive to provide professional and relevant education programmes that help nurture investment professionals and all professional disciplines in the financial services industry outside of investment role; for example, IT, compliance, legal, client services, sales and marketing.

What role the CFA Institute can play in increasing the financial literacy in India?

Raising financial literacy is a Herculean task that requires collaborative efforts. At the CFA Institute, we take the lead in the investment industry to set the standards in education, professional development and ethics for the ultimate benefit of society. One of the initiatives that CFA Institute has spearheaded is the Future of Finance project, which is divided into six focus areas?financial knowledge, putting investors first, regulation and enforcement, retirement security, safeguarding the system, and transparency and fairness.

In addition, we are currently working with the IAIP?our member society in India?to develop an ?Investors? guide to shareholder meetings in India?. The aim is to create awareness among both retail and institutional investors about their roles, rights and responsibilities and also the recent corporate governance reforms in India.

Please tell us something about your Claritas programme.

The Claritas Investment Certificate is a global self-study education programme designed to give all professional disciplines in the financial services industry outside of investment roles?such as client services, compliance, HR, IT and operations, sales, marketing, administration and legal?a clearer understanding of the investment industry and their professional responsibilities within it. It focuses on the essentials of finance, ethics and investment role and requires approximately 100 hours of study and generally can be completed within six months. There are no education or experience requirement?it is open to all.