The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants reported a 5.5 percent increase in membership over the past year.
The ACCA now has more than 198,000 members and 486,000 students across 180 countries. It operates a network of 101 offices and centers in 52 countries to support its members.
The organization is facing renewed competition from the American Institute of CPAs, which recently formed the Association of International CPAs in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. The AICPA, for its part, claims 650,000 members and students in 179 countries, with offices in 35 locations around the world.
The ACCA has been building alliances with other groups over the past year, including the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand. CA ANZ has been building its presence over the past year as well, recently launching a campaign to entice members from a rival group, CPA Australia, after longtime CEO Alex Malley and several of CPA Australia’s directors stepped down amid an outcry over revelations about their salaries, according to the
“During 2016-17 we have seen a number of major initiatives come to fruition—from our strategic alliance with CA ANZ to the launch of our ground-breaking ‘Professional accountants—the future’ research, which examined the prospects of the accounting profession,” said ACCA chief executive Helen Brand in a statement. “We also announced major, future-proofing changes to the ACCA Qualification based on our findings. I’m pleased to see that these developments are being well-received by members, who have reported the highest level of satisfaction since 2013. Additionally, we are continuing to see our global community grow which has benefits for ACCA students and members the world over. I look forward to continuing our strong momentum in the coming year and onwards. We will continue to invest in our diverse body of members and students to ensure that the ACCA Qualification and accountancy profession remains relevant and in-demand in a rapidly changing world.”
The ACCA plans to release further details on its performance for 2016-2017 in August when it publishes its sixth integrated report.
