The Client Protection Pathway is…
- completely free of cost.
- a global network of financial service providers who are committed to client protection.
- a roadmap for implementing the Client Protection Standards and staying on track.
- a way to deliver responsible products and to communicate this progress to investors.
For Financial Service Providers
Protecting your clients is essential to your business and to their welfare, but it is not easy. That is why we have designed a roadmap for all financial service providers (of any size, status, or country) to achieve client protection. At every step on the Client Protection Pathway, we have resources and support ready for you.
Joining the Client Protection Pathway demonstrates to donors, investors, the public, and clients themselves that you are serious about ensuring that your financial products and services avoid harming clients.
Protecting clients increases their trust and loyalty — and helps make you the provider of choice. As clients begin to prosper and their financial needs grow, your ongoing commitment to client protection increasingly enhances your word-of-mouth reputation.
Donors and investors may also require you to join the Client Protection Pathway as a minimum precondition for funding.
Joining the Client Protection Pathway is simple and free of cost. First, make sure you are familiar with the Client Protection Standards. Then, fill out the form accessible through the “JOIN NOW” button below.
- You will be invited to sign a commitment to implement client protection.
- You will be asked to submit, now or within 6 months, a proof of a recent client protection assessment, which is the first step towards implementation. We will not share it with external parties, although interested parties may contact you to request it.
- After reviewing your submission, we will email you to inform you that your profile is online here.
For Investors, Networks, Associations, Regulators, and other Stakeholders
For investors, adding client protection criteria to contracts can minimize exposure to both financial and reputational risk. It also demonstrates social responsibility.
If you believe that client protection is a vital element in your contribution to the industry, add your name to the call for action already signed by many prominent funders, networks, and support organizations, who have all encouraged all financial service providers to join the Client Protection Pathway.
Psst! After signing, let your stakeholders know! Our Communication Kit provides suggested key messages and helpful information.
FAQ
General Client Protection Pathway
The commitment is valid as long as the FSP remains active on the CP Pathway. An FSP will be marked “inactive” on our list of Committed Institutions in the following cases:
- If the FSP does not provide any proof of assessment within 6 months of joining the CP Pathway, and / or
- if the FSP does not update its assessment after a period of 2 years (3 years for certification).
Before marking an FSP as inactive, Cerise+SPTF will send several requests for updated assessments during one year.
We accept all the following assessments, completed within the last two years, or a Client Protection Certification completed within the last three years.
- Client Protection Commit Tool
- Client Protection Full Tool
- ALINUS
- SPI Entry or Full
- Code of Conduct Assessment (Cambodia, India, EU)
- Social Rating
- Client Protection Certification (completed in the last 3 years)
Your assessment options are the following:
Self-assessment – One or more of the financial service provider’s internal staff will review all the documentation, interview all department managers and field staff, and meet with clients, to provide an opinion on where the organisation stands towards compliance with each indicator.
Accompanied self-assessment by a qualified auditor – The first time an entity gets an assessment, it is often useful to have a consultant helping them to fill out the tool, understand the rationale of the indicators, and thus have more accurate results. The collaborative aspect of this process helps the institution take ownership of the expected practices and builds familiarity so they can do the work entirely on their own in future years.
External assessment – In this case, the consultant who conducts the assessment brings an objective and expert opinion on the organization’s policies and practices. This option is generally useful if the financial service provider wants to prepare for a certification. The consultant does not need to be a qualified auditor. Read more about experts here.
As with all our resources and initiatives, there is no fee to access the Client Protection Pathway. Only through collective action can we safeguard the stability and vitality of financial services. No single provider can do this alone and we urge global participation from all stakeholders.
SPTF does rely on membership contributions to maintain our programs. Find out more about our modest membership fees here.
In 2023, we piloted tested the DFS Standards. In 2024 we updated and finalized the DFS Standards based on the pilot test results, created the evaluation tool in French, Spanish, and English, and are in the process of writing the scoring guide and training assessors. We have also begun the analysis of which of the DFS Standards should be classified as client protection practices, and at what level (i.e., entry, progress, or advanced) and expect to finalize that work in 2025. Stay up to date by visiting the Digital Financial Services Working Group webpage.
The Client Protection Standards are fully integrated into the Universal Standards. FSPs that want to focus more on the client protection portion of SPM may choose to use the Client Protection Standards which consist in the “do no harm” approach.
Yes. The entire CP Pathway is targeted toward FSPs. However, Cerise+SPTF welcomes the support of investors, funders and regulators.
As a funder, you may want to encourage your investees to join this pathway, and maybe also make it a requirement in your loan agreement. To demonstrate this commitment, you can sign the Joint Statement supporting the industry’s adoption of the Client Protection Pathway.