History
Financial Markets Association of Singapore
Formed in 1972, we are the standard bearer for financial markets’ professionals in Singapore. Our history has been inextricably linked to Singapore’s emergence as a leading financial centre in the world.
Financial Markets Association of Singapore (formerly known as ACI Singapore) is affiliated to ACI – The Financial Markets Association (ACI FMA), a Paris-based global umbrella body of financial markets associations, ACI FMA, founded as Association Cambiste Internationale and has more than 8,000 international members worldwide in more than 60 countries, making it the largest international association in the wholesale financial markets and was founded in France in 1955 following an agreement between foreign exchange dealers in Paris and London. Singapore has always been an active participant in the ACI Global arena with elected representatives in the ACI FMA Standing Committees. Our Singapore Committee members have been elected to various global committees over the years and presently to the ACI FMA Board of Education, Working Regulatory Committee, Investment Committee, and Women’s Committee hence having the biggest representation from Asia to the ACI working committees.
Our Singapore Association was officially renamed to Financial Markets Association of Singapore (FMAS) on 31st March 2021 to reflect a stronger focus on the domestic agenda while still affiliated to global ACI FMA entity. FMAS Executive Committee had recommended that the association adopts a progressive mentality and refocus our efforts to promote the association’s key objective of fostering collaboration within the financial market ecosystem within Singapore. This includes promoting and supporting all participants who supports the front office of financial market in Singapore, such as the treasury middle and back office, the risk and compliance professionals and recognised market operators in the ecosystem. In addition, it was recommended to expand our membership criteria and allow these participants supporting the front office to join our membership. By allowing more support function role employees to join FMAS, they will in turn benefit from the association’s activities that includes improving standards, increase collaboration, education, networking and promote charity fundraising initiatives, with a clear mandate to add value to our industry as a whole.
Since the end of 2009, FMAS, first in partnership with the Singapore Management University, had developed a Financial Markets training roadmap for Financial Markets professionals in the front, middle, and back offices in training in that area. But since 2019, FMAS has taken the training and development in-house and is now recognised as a key Financial Markets training provider in Singapore. This underpins FMAS’s commitment to continuing education and professional development for our members and the financial markets industry in Singapore.
As the Industry representative for Financial Markets professionals, FMAS is proud that for the past 31 years to have been able to raise over $14.6 million for the less fortunate in our society through our annual Charity fundraising initiatives. All funds raised is distributed from the FMAS Trampoline Fund through a grant call. This charity drive is now well recognised as a fixture in the annual calendar, and is widely and actively supported by our members and the wider financial markets fraternity.
In 2021, FMAS organised the inaugural Asia Financial Markets Forum 2021, an event especially relevant to the treasury and markets function in banks, financial institutions and corporates who face major challenges in how to stay ahead of the ever-changing environment. The headwinds created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of artificial intelligence has further accelerated the transition towards a more digital customer base and workforce, leading to a world where growth prospects are highly challenged and this makes it more important to have a forum to share the information and progress in markets with all. FMAS hopes that by establishing this as an annual forum, it would help to bring in the fraternity of top thought leaders and establishes lasting networking within our financial markets eco system.