SAQ certification: interview with Maryse Gabbay and Thierry Lacraz

May 8, 2025

As regulatory requirements intensify and skills needs evolve, ISFB is strengthening its SAQ certification offering. In this interview, Maryse Gabbay and Thierry Lacraz review the highlights of the April 4 event and present the main new features of the 2025/26 program, designed to offer greater flexibility, pedagogical coherence and operational impact.

On April 4, some thirty HR representatives from ISFB member establishments gathered at the Institute to attend an ISFB SAQ event organized jointly with Genève Place Financière. What were the highlights?

ISFB has been active in SAQ banking certification since 2018 and, as a professional association, we wanted to present our new approach to SAQ training and certification to our members.

The event also enabled guests to discover the latest developments and information on market framework conditions (Genève Place Financière), regulation (BDO), and certification (Swiss Banking and SAQ). The main points to note were that tightening regulatory requirements, combined with increasing market instability, are forcing financial institutions to maintain a high level of competence, in line with current regulations.

What's new in the CWMA ISFB 2025/26 program?

Until now, our SAQ certification program has been built around 5-day face-to-face courses, covering the 5 most complex chapters of SAQ certification, or those that generate numerous questions during the written exams.

In September, we will be adding a further 5 days of face-to-face training to include the other 9 chapters of the SAQ program. This comprehensive program is aimed at all those who wish to follow an interactive face-to-face training course on all the key topics in private banking. It is offered at a particularly competitive price.

What's more, we have considerably expanded our range of re-certifying training courses to offer establishments modular, seasonal and themed packages. This gives HR managers and participants greater flexibility and relevance in choosing their re-certifying training. 4 packages are offered throughout the year: one in the digital field, one in the financial field, one in the regulatory field, and one in the relational field.

What improvements have been made in terms of course materials and support for participants as they prepare for certification?

We have enriched the material made available to candidates, available on their ISFB Moodle space, in which participants will be able to find :

1. Powerpoint documents that cover the theoretical aspects of each chapter. These are not just a few slides in bullet point form, but a teaching aid that includes the basic knowledge needed to prepare for the exam. It's a natural complement to the face-to-face course, providing practical examples and encouraging interactivity.
2. They will also find audio supports, created from the Powerpoint documents, with commentary by the lecturers. Presented in the form of capsules of around 20 minutes per chapter - a format favored by many candidates - these recordings make it possible to listen to a summary of the course at any time or place.
3. Finally, if they so wish, participants can benefit from personalized support from a private technical coach on the subjects they deem most sensitive.

You mentioned the "customer" experience. What about certification?

We're keen to ensure that every candidate feels that their professional skills have really improved, and that both they and their employer benefit from a positive "customer" experience.

To achieve this, we have developed a number of concrete steps throughout the curriculum.

1. At the very beginning, we put candidates through their paces in the real-life conditions of the written exam, with a comprehensive pre-positioning test covering all 14 chapters of the program. We give them the detailed results of this test. In this way, from the very first days, they have a clear picture of their knowledge and shortcomings, and can orientate their training accordingly.
2. We also have 2 mock tests and 2 half-days of revision at the end of each course block just before the official exam. No one arrives at the exam unprepared for the written exam format.
3. We take feedback from each candidate at the half-way stage and take it into account to adapt to the needs of the participants.
4. Last but not least, we make sure that there is a good match between course content and exam questions. This is a kind of bonus for those who have spent a lot of time following and revising our programs, and is also an essential pedagogical principle: you are tested on what you have studied.

What are your other SAQ-related projects?

1. We find the ecosystem created by SAQ very interesting, with the principle of a common knowledge base followed by ongoing training. As of September 2025, we are therefore launching a new comprehensive Private Banking training course for all those who wish to acquire advanced knowledge in the field but are not necessarily eligible for SAQ certification.
2. This certificate will cover the 14 chapters of the SAQ Body of Knowledge, enabling eligible participants to obtain their SAQ CWMA Certificate once they have passed the exams.
3. Participants who only partially meet the eligibility criteria for Certification will be issued a CWMA SAQ Attestation. Participants who do not meet any of the eligibility criteria for Certification will have the opportunity to take specific exams to obtain the Private Banking Advanced Certificate.
4. ISFB is acutely aware of the importance of private banking to the Swiss financial center, and is keen to contribute to this joint effort.

This new, comprehensive Private Banking training curriculum also offers HR managers a great deal of flexibility when considering the training and skills development of their staff.

It enables them to provide comprehensive training in all the fundamental aspects of private banking to employees from all sectors and professions who are not eligible for SAQ certification.

As soon as they become relationship managers and/or participate in the management of a customer portfolio, they will obtain their SAQ certification simply by passing their oral exam.

Maryse Gabbay

Certifications Manager

Thierry Lacraz

SAQ CWMA Preparation Program Manager

Member services related to the topics covered in this interview