ACCA and SMU Academy have unveiled the Advanced Certificate in Finance Leadership for Technological, Sustainability and Geopolitical Disruption at the ACCA Annual Conference in Singapore.
Available from January 2027, the six-module professional programme prepares finance leaders to navigate a business environment being reshaped by technological change, the sustainability transition and geopolitical tension.
Built around the three Ts of Technology, Transition and Tension, the programme brings these interconnected challenges together across 12 days of on-campus and online learning. Participants will examine macroeconomic trends, AI applications in finance and accounting, intangible assets and intellectual property, ESG reporting, sustainable finance, finance leadership and cross-border risk management.
The programme responds to a documented capability gap. Research by ACCA and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand found that 72% of respondents had only basic generative AI proficiency or none at all. Data quality and a lack of skills were also among the main barriers to producing better business insight.
Steve Lee, Portfolio Head for Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania at ACCA, said:
These are not separate problems. They arrive together, and they arrive quickly.
The certificate is the second joint programme developed by ACCA and SMUA, following the Advanced Certificate in Strategic Digital Transformation in Finance introduced in 2019. It combines SMUA's academic rigour and applied learning with ACCA’s global industry insights.
Jack Lim, Executive Director of SMU Academy, said
Technology, sustainability and geopolitics no longer affect businesses separately. Finance professionals need to understand how these forces interact.
The CPD-accredited programme is designed for accountants, finance managers, controllers, data analysts, transformation managers, and risk, compliance, audit and governance professionals.
Supported by the SWDA, the programme is eligible for funding for Singaporeans. Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may also use their SkillsFuture Credit for self-sponsored participation.
More details about the press release can be found here.
Find out more about the programme here.
