How long does this certification take?

The programme takes 11 Weeks and can be completed self-paced or with live virtual sessions.

Is this certification globally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications carry CPD credits and are internationally recognised.

What level is this certification?

This is a Advanced Level certification.

Email info@certifications.ac, WhatsApp +254 722 223 084, or fill in the enrolment form on this page.

What is included in the fee?

All study materials, study guide, examination, digital certificate and badge. Live option adds tutor sessions and priority support.

Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert in Jordan

Q: What is the Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert?

The Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert is a globally recognised professional certification by the Global Leadership Institute (GLI), designed to equip professionals with advanced competencies in Banking & Microfinance.

Course Curriculum

Programme Modules

Click any module to explore the detailed curriculum topics included in this certification.

Foundations and Strategic Context of Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert

Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert: industry context, trends and professional standards
The role of finance in organisations and value creation
Financial, management and cost accounting distinguished
The finance operating model and business partnering
Accounting concepts, principles and the regulatory landscape
Financial statements and the accounting equation
Stakeholders and users of financial information
Ethics and professional standards in finance
Corporate objectives and shareholder value
The finance function and digital transformation
Building a finance career and professional development

Reading Financial Statements

Reading financial statements as a manager
Accrual accounting and the profit-cash gap
Audit evidence, sampling and professional scepticism
Credit assessment and the five Cs
Process efficiency and cycle-time metrics
Benchmarking finance against best practice
Quality, accuracy and error reduction
Continuous improvement and lean finance
Cost-to-serve and value-for-money analysis
Finance maturity assessment
Driving measurable financial improvement
Capstone scoping: a real financial problem or decision
Data gathering and financial analysis
Building a model, budget or business case
Risk assessment and sensitivity analysis

Budgeting and Variance

Budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis
Accrual accounting and the profit-cash gap
Investment appraisal and the cost of capital
Analytical techniques and bias
Preparing financial statements
Financial reporting frameworks (IFRS/GAAP)
Interpreting financial statements
Reporting quality and governance
Portfolio management and reporting
Credit risk measurement
Portfolio diversification and limits
Concentration and sector risk
Management accounts and dashboards
Stress testing credit portfolios
Collections strategy

Internal Control and Fraud

Internal control and the fraud triangle
Audit evidence, sampling and professional scepticism
AML, KYC and financial crime prevention
Budget vs actual and variance
Cost and profitability analysis
Credit bureaus and data
Regulatory capital for credit
Recovery and legal remedies
Credit risk governance
Forecasting and planning
Cash and liquidity management
Working capital optimisation
Short-term funding and money markets
Data visualisation for finance
Decision support and insight

Investment and Cost of Capital

Investment appraisal and the cost of capital
Treasury, liquidity and currency exposure
Budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis
Data analytics and predictive finance
Cloud finance and system integration
Cybersecurity and financial data protection
Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches
Attachment and developmental theory
Professional roles, boundaries and settings
Ethical principles and codes of practice
Fraud risk, prevention and detection
Reconciliations and the financial close
Peer support and consultation
Audit evidence, sampling and testing
Sustaining ethical, effective practice

Regulation and Compliance

Financial regulation and prudential supervision
AML, KYC and financial crime prevention
Expected credit loss and portfolio quality
Digital and internet banking
Ethical frameworks and codes of practice
Duty of care and risk management
Record-keeping and data protection
Operational risk management
Complaints, accountability and fitness to practise
Legal responsibilities and professional bodies
Regulatory compliance in operations
Evidence-based improvement
Process improvement and automation
Service levels and quality
Data security and confidentiality

Profit, Cash and the Gap Between

Accrual accounting and the profit-cash gap
Reading financial statements as a manager
Treasury, liquidity and currency exposure
Managing risk and difficult cases
Consumer, SME and corporate credit
Lessons learned and development
Driving effective, ethical outcomes
Designing and facilitating groups
Approval processes and delegation
Cash forecasting and positioning
Psychoeducation and workshops
Treasury technology and systems
Risk, return and diversification
Working with organisations on wellbeing
Designing an intervention or programme

Learning and Research

Cognitive load and learning science
The evidence base for effective learning
Learning needs analysis (TNA)
Writing learning objectives and outcomes
Designing for different learning modalities
Learning materials and job aids
Questioning, discussion and active learning
Blended and hybrid learning design
E-learning authoring and development
Learning management systems (LMS)
Multimedia and video for learning
Training needs analysis
The learning and development profession
Learning strategy and business alignment
Learning cultures and the learning organisation

Financial Practice

Tax compliance and returns
Tax risk management
Managing tax audits and queries
Tax provisioning and reporting
Keeping current with tax change
Types of banks and financial institutions
Financial inclusion and the evolving customer
Trade finance and letters of credit
Audit programmes and fieldwork
Audit committee reporting
Audit opinions and reporting
Financial reporting standards (IFRS/GAAP)
Short-term financing and money markets
Financial risk management and derivatives
Interpreting financial performance

Banking and Financial Services

Negotiation with banks, investors and suppliers
Investment of surplus funds
Investment and disinvestment decisions
Financial inclusion and serving underbanked markets
Digital finance, mobile money and payment operations
Insurance, risk transfer and retained risk
Payment regulation and oversight
Payment innovation and fintech
Payment risk types and management
Emerging payment technologies
Roles, conduct and professional standards in banking
Credit and counterparty risk
Development banking principles
Digital and alternative-data credit
Financial risk: credit, market, liquidity, operational

Risk and Control

Corporate governance and the finance role
Regulatory compliance and professional duty
Interest-rate risk and hedging
Governance of controls and reporting
Statutory compliance and filings
Managing tax risk and audits
Payables, procurement controls and supplier fraud
Tax compliance and the tax risk agenda
Regulatory and compliance requirements
Tax administration and compliance
Ethical, risk and feasibility considerations
Financial risk types and management
Market risk and VaR
Evidence-based practice
Risk assessment and safety planning

Legal and Regulatory

Goal setting and contracting
Regulatory capital and ratios
Managing audit and regulator relationships
Regulatory reporting and disclosure
Payroll, statutory deductions and employment cost
Legal and other requirements
Contract types and risk allocation
Contract administration and variation
Contract performance and exit
Contract governance and compliance
Real estate regulation, licensing and professional conduct
The regulatory landscape and central banking
Regulatory duty and accountability
Regulatory compliance and central-bank rules
Regulatory reporting and audits

Data and Reporting

Managing complexity and comorbidity
Workplace and organisational contexts
Accountability and follow-through
Wellbeing and resilience coaching
Measuring coaching outcomes
Strengths, flow and engagement
Assets, liabilities and equity reporting
KPIs and performance reporting
Reporting automation
Working papers and evidence
Findings, rating and reporting
Substantive and analytical procedures
Board reporting and investor relations
Board and executive financial reporting
Financial storytelling and data visualisation

Analysis and Decisions

Costing methods and relevant cost for decisions
Meaning, purpose and values
Outcome and process measures
Ratio and trend analysis
Valuation and security analysis
Recommendations and decision support
Trend, common-size and comparative analysis
Pricing, contribution and product decisions
Make-or-buy and outsourcing decisions
Job safety analysis (JSA) and task risk
Root-cause analysis techniques
Credit analysis and the 5 Cs of credit
Financial statement and cash-flow analysis
Problem loans, restructuring and recovery
Stress testing and scenario analysis

Operations and Process

Portfolio quality and risk
Finance transformation and target operating models
Process re-engineering and shared services
Transaction lifecycle and processing
Cheque clearing and processing
Advisory and non-financial services
Digital financial services
The HR function: roles, operating models and value creation
Quality assurance and standards
Continuous improvement of finance processes
Evidence-based practice and research literacy
Design thinking for service
Service analytics and dashboards
Customer service technology stack
Emerging service technologies

Leadership and Management

Cash flow forecasting and liquidity management
Receivables, payables and inventory management
Data, records and confidentiality tech
Practice management systems
SME portfolio management
Team leadership within finance
Change management in finance
Working capital management and the cash cycle
Grant compliance and restricted funding management
NGO financial management and budget-versus-actual discipline
Procurement and asset management under donor rules
Procurement and contract management
Vendor selection and management
Issue and problem management
Servant leadership and self-organising teams

People and Development

Appraisal of development projects
Managing resistance and upskilling teams
Managing team performance and dynamics
Cross-functional and matrix teams
Leading remote and hybrid teams
Team diversity and inclusion
High-performance team rituals and cadence
Creating a coaching culture
Delegating for development
Managing resistance and capability building
Category management and strategy development
Building a coaching culture
Measuring coaching and mentoring impact
Capability and skills frameworks
Leadership and management development

Communication

Investor relations and market communication
Presenting financial information clearly
The media and telecommunications landscape
Psychometric and screening tools
Communicating financial results
Professional case study and presentation
Communicating with families and carers
Psychoeducation and public communication
Professional documentation and presentation
Integrated marketing communications
Professional presentation and pitching
Facilitation, training and public presentation skills
Communicating technical information to diverse audiences
Professional report writing and presentation
Communication and interpersonal skills

Stakeholders and Clients

Stakeholder mapping for the finance function
Business partnering and influencing
Wealth, SME and corporate relationships
Stakeholder mapping and engagement
Stakeholders, agency and accountability
Trends: ESG, transparency and stakeholder capitalism
Shareholder and stakeholder rights
Employment relationship and the psychological contract
Influencing and safety leadership
Influencing and persuasion
Negotiation and conflict resolution
Property viewings, offers and negotiation to close
Professional writing and reports
Managing boundaries and dual relationships
Client feedback and satisfaction

Markets and Customers

Managing difficult conversations
Transfer pricing and international tax
Fees, pricing and interchange
Transfer pricing basics
Transfer pricing documentation
Strategic customer relationships
Comparable sales analysis and market evidence
Insurance products and lines of business
Insurance pricing, premiums and loadings
Policy administration and customer service in insurance
Destination, venue and experience products
Productivity and efficiency improvement
Buyer behaviour and the customer journey
Voice of the customer and feedback
Pricing tours, events and sponsorships

Technology and Systems

Innovation and fintech partnerships
Automation, RPA and the digital close
Digital currencies and CBDCs
Digital tax administration
Building trust and engagement
Digital finance and automation roadmaps
Ethics of technology in practice
Agile and digital transformation projects
Automation in project delivery
Emerging project technologies
Digital disruption and modern go-to-market
Digital banking platforms and APIs
Payment technology and switches
Automation, RPA and straight-through processing
Cybersecurity and fraud technology

Strategic Context

Financial strategy and capital allocation
Mergers, funding and growth strategy
Leading groups and workshops
Hedging strategies and instruments
Strategic alignment of investments
Competitive analysis and differentiation
Product and portfolio strategy
Go-to-market and channel strategy
Brand and reputation as strategic assets
Growth strategy and demand generation
Measuring growth and transformation impact
Financial inclusion strategy
Strategic analysis: PESTLE, SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces
Real options and strategic investment
Sustainability strategy and materiality

Projects and Delivery

Leading finance projects and change
Forecasting and planning (FP&A)
Tax planning, avoidance and evasion distinguished
Tax planning vs avoidance vs evasion
Planning and understanding the entity
Project finance structures
Crisis, resilience and contingency planning
Project budgeting and financial control
Financial risk in projects
Realising and measuring project value
Capstone scoping: a real project or programme
Building project relationships
Scheduling and planning tools
Project data, reporting and analytics
AI and predictive project analytics

Performance Measurement

Performance measurement and attribution
Performance and SLAs
Projects, programmes and portfolios
Project management standards (PMI, PRINCE2)
Social performance and outreach
Investment principles and objectives
Metrics and reporting
Performance measurement and KPI dashboards
Continuous feedback and performance conversations
The project environment and stakeholders
Leading and lagging metrics
Project KPIs and performance metrics
Quality and delivery metrics
Managing schedule and budget performance
Agile metrics and velocity

Procurement and Suppliers

Value-chain and supply-chain finance
Project roles and the project manager
Procurement and stock management for health commodities
Conflicts of interest and procurement ethics
Procurement and contract value
Supply analysis, gaps and scenario planning
Procurement and supply chain: scope and value
The procurement cycle and operating models
Procurement’s contribution to organisational strategy
Public versus private procurement
Supply markets and the enabling environment
Fair trade and responsible supply
Vendor, venue and supplier contracting for events
Water supply systems: sources, treatment and distribution
Project governance and assurance

Ethics and Conduct

Ethics and suitability
Professional ethics and codes (IFAC, ACCA, CIMA)
Ethics and transparency in tax
Ethics in tax practice
Ethics, transparency and reputation
Ethics and duty of care
Professional ethics and duty of care
Ethical decision-making under pressure
Ethics and responsible leadership
Professional standards and ethics (CIPS)
Ethics and professional conduct in security
Ethics and fair customer treatment
Professional ethics in customer service
Responsible and ethical service
Ethics and integrity in banking

People Administration

Communicating risk to the workforce
Workforce and shift management in retail
Workforce management and scheduling
Workforce planning and scheduling
Employee experience and engagement
Customer and employee satisfaction
Employee engagement models and drivers
The employee lifecycle and HR value chain
Cost of workforce and ROI of HR interventions
Workforce planning and the capability gap
Employee relations, discipline and fair process
Employee engagement and what actually drives it
Employee and manager self-service
Workforce reporting and storytelling with data
Employer branding and employee value proposition (EVP)

International and Currency

Foreign exchange and currency risk
International and cross-border tax
Treatment planning and review
Change talk and readiness
Goal setting and action planning
Habit change and behaviour design
Emerging tools and innovation
Working with referrers and multidisciplinary teams
Collaboration and teamwork
Writing advisory reports that drive decisions
Business case and strategic alignment

Change

Measuring transformation impact
Digital and self-service transformation
Measuring CX transformation impact
Digital transformation in banking
Foreign exchange and treasury operations
Foreign exchange and hedging
Change management and adoption
Project governance frameworks
Stakeholder and sponsor management
Digital transformation and IT strategy
Variations, claims and delay: managing change on site
Change control and configuration
Organisational change management
Change and adoption in projects
Measuring change and project impact

Sustainability and ESG

Sustainability of microfinance
Sustainability and responsible finance
Embedding sustainability in sourcing
Mine water, tailings and environmental management
Integrated and sustainability reporting
Sustainability and social impact in projects
Market analysis and environmental scanning
Sustainability and responsible marketing
Carbon markets and climate finance
Monitoring sustainability outcomes
Monitoring, evaluation and sustainability plan
Responsible and sustainable banking
Sustainable and green banking
Control environment and risk assessment
Emerging assurance areas (ESG)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CIAK certification?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with IFRS, GAAP and recognised financial management and reporting standards. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

Who should enrol in the CIAK?

This certification is ideal for Finance Officers and Accountants, Budget and Cost Analysts, Finance Managers and Controllers and Auditors and Financial Analysts, and other professionals seeking to formalise their expertise in financial management, accounting, budgeting and financial analysis with a globally recognised credential.

How long does the CIAK certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 11 Weeks and offers flexible learning modes. Self-paced learners can progress at their own schedule, while live virtual participants follow a structured cohort schedule with facilitator-led sessions.

Is the CIAK internationally recognised?

What is the cost of the CIAK certification?

The Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 399 and Live Virtual at USD 599. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CIAK certification include?

Enrolment includes all study materials and study guides, access to GLI's online learning portal, online examination, digital certificate and badge, physical certificate (posted), CPD credits, GLI alumni network membership, and ongoing facilitator support.

What is the assessment format for the CIAK?

The Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert is assessed through an online examination consisting of multiple-choice questions, case study analysis, and practical application assignments. The assessment is designed to evaluate real-world competency, not just theoretical recall.

What CPD credits do I earn from the CIAK?

The Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, which can be applied towards professional body requirements including recognised international professional associations.

Can I study the CIAK while working full-time?

Absolutely. The self-paced option is designed for busy working professionals and allows you to study when and where it suits you. Live virtual sessions are typically scheduled in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate professional commitments.

What career outcomes can I expect from the CIAK?

Graduates progress towards senior finance, controller and CFO roles. The CIAK strengthens your expertise in financial management, accounting, budgeting and financial analysis and positions you for advancement across corporates, banks, NGOs and public-sector organisations.

Certified Islamic and Alternative Finance Expert