Standards International is the first dedicated certification body to be accredited to certify ISO 22222 by UKAS

Standards International has been accredited by UKAS, and is the first dedicated ISO 22222 certification body to achieve this status.

The ISO 22222 standard provides an internationally agreed benchmark for personal financial services. By achieving the standard, personal financial planners can demonstrate a recognised level of competence and ethical behaviour, thus giving consumer’s confidence in the quality of the service they provide.

Jon Murthy at UKAS said, "Gaining UKAS accreditation involves a rigorous process, and I am pleased to say that Standards International met our stringent requirements, proving that they have the competence, specialised knowledge and experience to certify financial planners to ISO 22222."

Melanie Blackmore, quality director of Standards International, said, "We are the only certification body specialising solely in ISO 22222, and are delighted to be the first such body accredited by UKAS. The importance of this standard to the financial services should not be underestimated.

“I believe that ISO 22222 will improve consumer confidence in the financial services sector at a time when the economic climate is having an adverse effect on many people’s personal finances. For the first time, consumers will be able to seek advice from financial planners who have been certified to an internationally recognised quality standard. ISO 22222 guarantees a consistent and high level of service, by clearly defining the financial planning process and what is expected of the financial planner in terms of ethical behaviour and competence.

“Standards International has already certified 40 financial planners with a further 25 taking part in the certification programme ISO 22222 and we continue to see a strong demand from financial planners seeking certification.”

Andrew Reeves, director of The Investment Coach Limited, was the first UK adviser to be certified to ISO 22222 by Standards International. “Having been through the process personally,” he said, “I can endorse all the hard work put in by the team at Standards International. The net result to the consumer is a more efficient process in receiving holistic financial planning. That has got to be the biggest positive.”

Michelle Hoskin, business development director at Standards International, said, “We continue to work with some of the professions leading planners and our challenge now is to make consumers aware of the standard, when seeking advice they should always check whether a financial planner has achieved the certification.”

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