Twenty-five Financial Planners received their Level 6 Diploma in Financial Advice, or were officially presented with their Chartership in financial services, at a ceremony at London’s Guildhall last week.

The Level 6 qualification, equivalent to a degree, is aimed at more senior financial advisers looking to expand their knowledge and test their experience of working in the field.

They were among 50 graduates collecting professional LIBF qualifications or certifications in banking or financial services.

The graduation ceremony celebrated 150 higher education students from the Walbrook Institute London. The ceremony has been held at the Guildhall for over 15 years.

First founded in 1879 as the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Walbrook Institute London has delivered banking and financial education in the city for over 145 years.

This year marks the first graduation under the institution’s new name, after it adopted the Walbrook Institute London name in April 2025. Walbrook continues to offer professional financial services qualifications under the LIBF name.

In July the LIBF announced that it was changing the way it assesses its Advanced Diploma in Financial Advice to move it towards more practical elements.

In August it introduced new assessments for all Advanced DipFA modules to make them more accessible and, ‘give experienced financial advisers an opportunity to show how they put their learning and skills into practice’.

The Pension Transfer assessment is split into two 1.5 hour exams which focus on material relevant to each unit. Rather than a single pass/fail 3 hour exam, the LIBF says the new format is more manageable and should reduce stress for learners.

For all other modules, as well as a one-hour exam, the LIBF has introduced timed assessments using case studies. Learners have two weeks to familiarise themselves with the case study, and then have four hours to complete an open book timed assessment that reflects the way that they would advise that client in real life, confirming which sources they used for their insights and recommendations.

The LIBF has also removed grading on forum contributions and video presentations.

The LIBF is a professional body which awards a range of qualifications in banking and finance, including the Level 6 Diploma in Financial Advice (Adv DipFA) and the Diploma in Paraplanning. The body also awards Chartered status with some qualifications.

The professional body has been offering the Advanced DipFA qualification since 2012. In 2024 it launched a new format of DipFA. This included mandatory modules in Taxation, Trusts and Tax Compliance and Managing Investments, alongside options to study other specialisms in retirement planning, pension transfers, later life planning or mortgage advice.

The London-based LIBF is a wholly-owned UK subsidiary of the Walbrook Institute London and the International University of Applied Sciences, the university arm of IU. It was acquired by German educational technology provider IU Group for an undisclosed sum March 2023.