SLASSCOM partners with ACCA

SLASSCOM, Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies partnered with the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) the global body for professional accountants, with the aim of developing the capacity of the BPO industry in Sri Lanka and to leverage the ACCA network to promote Sri Lanka as an outsourcing destination.

The MOU was signed between Madu Ratnayake, General Secretary SLASSCOM and Country Manager for ACCA Sri Lanka and Maldives Aruni Rajakarier.

The signing of the agreement is to collaborate in promoting Sri Lanka as a global sourcing destination for Finance and Accounting BPOs and to increase the number of qualified Accounting and Finance professionals in the country as Sri Lanka has the World's second largest pool of UK qualified accounting professionals.

Country Manager for ACCA Sri Lanka and Maldives Aruni Rajakarier said, ACCA Sri Lanka is very happy to collaborate with SLASSCOM as there are many areas we can work on together in taking the BPO sector forward in Sri Lanka.

As Finance and Accounting has been identified as one of the targeted centres of excellence for this sector, there is a lot of scope for working together as employers around the world understand and respect the ACCA qualification, particularly for its coverage of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)as many countries around the world prepare for compliance with IFRS. Similarly, ACCA is confident that this alliance will be a strategic relationship that will enable us to grow our presence in Sri Lanka and we look forward to working together to promote the BPO sector, creating new opportunities in the country.

Sri Lanka is fast emerging as a niche Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Finance and Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) with us having the second largest pool of UK qualified accounting professionals in the world.

Recent Global Services magazine survey ranks Sri Lanka among the top 20 centres of excellence for FAO in the world.

Leading global companies such as WNS, Amba Research, Quattro and HSBC have set up their FAO centres in Sri Lanka among several other local and international companies to take advantage of the growing pool of highly qualified accounting professionals in Sri Lanka.

"ACCA focuses on professional values, ethics, and governance, and deliver value-added services through 57 global accountancy partnerships, working closely with multinational and small entities to promote global standards and support we are pleased to be engaged with ACCA promoting Sri Lanka and its advantages in the IT/BPO arena.

The partnership will promote Accounting, BPO and IT as a career choice among the student population and the business community with a view to increase the number of qualified accounting professionals suitable to serve BPO organizations promoting Sri Lanka as an outsourcing destination for Finance and Accounting Business Process Outsourcing, said Madu Ratnayake General Secretary SLASSCOM.

SLASSCOM acts as the catalyst of growth for the Sri Lankan IT and BPO industry by facilitating trade and business, propagation of education and employment, encouragement of research and innovation, and by supporting the creation of a progressive national policy framework.