The Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland (ACOI) is the professional body for compliance professionals. With over 3,000 members, it is the premier provider of education and professional development in compliance, providing an authoritative voice on matters relating to regulatory compliance and business ethics in industry in Ireland. The purpose of the ACOI is to equip Compliance Professionals and those who deal with compliance and regulation with the necessary competence and skills to undertake their roles in a professional manner. It provide its members with accredited graduate and post graduate education in the various fields of compliance and business ethics, though our academic education partners. The ACOI Licentiate (LCOI) designation satisfies the Central Bank of Ireland’s Minimum Competency Code and all LCOI’s are recognised by IFCA members as Internationally Certified Compliance Professionals (ICCP). In addition, both the LCOI and FCOI (Fellowship) designations are considered the benchmark designations to demonstrate competence to work in Compliance in financial services.

ACOI has an extensive Continued Professional Development (CPD) offering and members holding our designations must complete annual CPD to maintain that designation. ACOI offers members a wide range of benefits that enhance their professional knowledge and provides opportunities to share their experiences with fellow members. Further information on benefits of membership can be found
here.

The Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland (ACOI) was established in November 2002 as a ‘not for profit’ company limited by guarantee. The ACOI has three objectives:

To promote the advancement of knowledge, information, views and ideas in the field of regulatory compliance and business ethics.

To provide training and education, and conduct examinations in regulatory compliance and business ethics.

To promote high ethical standards among all persons engaged in regulatory compliance.

The Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland (“ACOI”) is a company limited by guarantee. Its Registered Number is 379249 and its Registered Office is 5 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2.The ACOI is a registered charity, Charity Registration Number 20065072 and Revenue Commissioners (CHY) Number 17471.

The ACOI’s Board of Directors are K. Jacobs (President), S. Canning, C. Hudson, C. Whyte, M Stewart, D. Whyte. The ACOI’s Company Secretary is K. Houghton. Further information can be found under Council of ACOI. 

Structure

The day to day affairs of the ACOI are managed by the Executive and overseen by a Council which consists of up to eight elected members who govern the Association. The work of the Council is supported by its sub-committees on Finance, Risk and Administration (FRAC), Audit, Membership, Ethics, Education and Professional Development Services (EPDS). The ACOI also benefits from its network of working groups focused on Consumer Protection, Data Protection & Information Security, Financial Crime Compliance, Fintech / Regtech, Funds, Pensions and Prudential Regulation & Governance. ACOI is a company limited by guarantee not having a share capital. Its registered office address is 5 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 and registered number is 379249. To read the ACOI Constitution,click here

Our Mission

Central to ACOI’s mission is equipping Compliance Officers and those who deal with compliance and regulation in financial services with the necessary competence and skills to undertake their roles in a professional manner.

We provide our members with accredited graduate and post graduate education in the various fields of compliance and business ethics. To maintain and update our members’ skill levels, we provide ongoing professional development.

We provide a forum for networking for our members. We keep members abreast of relevant industry developments and seek to provide ongoing useful assistance to them in their careers.

We consult with regulators on behalf of members where we think our association has constructive input to contribute.

We promote high ethical standards among all persons engaged in regulatory compliance.

Our Values

We aspire to put the education and professional development of our members first. Our aim is to equip members with the necessary skills to be:

  • diligent in understanding and keeping up to date with key areas of financial services legislation and regulation;
  • constructive in their engagement with employers or clients, proactively assisting them in the implementation of processes and procedures to facilitate compliance with relevant laws and regulations;
  • proactive in their assessment of key compliance risks; independent in their testing and monitoring of compliance standards and
  • fair, honest and transparent in all their dealings, particularly in their reporting to stakeholders on standards of compliance with laws, regulations and codes of behaviour within financial services firms.

ACOI is a founding member of the International Federation of Compliance Associations (IFCA)

The Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland (ACOI) is a founding member of the International Federation of Compliance Associations (IFCA) which was founded in Dublin in December 2010. The other founding member countries are Australia, United States and South Africa. Since 2010, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland and South Korea have also joined IFCA. The International Federation of Compliance Associations is the umbrella organisation for professional bodies that specialise in the practice of compliance. Membership comprises of national compliance bodies from around the world that have been established for the benefit of their members. The purpose of the alliance is to co-ordinate and collaborate in ways that benefit business ethics and compliance professionals worldwide. The IFCA will seek ways to leverage the respective strengths of member associations, by cooperating in the design, development and distribution of surveys, research, white papers and benchmarking studies that can enhance the business ethics and compliance profession. More information about IFCA can be found at http://www.ifca.co