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The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants continues to see growth in member and student numbers, reflecting the need for professional accountants, especially in the context of the global economic conditions.

The global membership of ACCA now stands at 140,000, a growth of 6.5% from the 31 December 2008 figure of 131,500 members. Student numbers have increased from 366,000 to 404,000, a rise of 10.4%.

"This healthy growth comes during an economically challenging time, but it shows that the finance profession is an attractive global career," states Helen Brand, ACCA chief executive. "Accountants' skills are more important than ever, to restore confidence in the global economy, to help businesses large and small to identify and manage costs and deliver sustainable growth."

Brand says ACCA has made significant contributions to the public debate on matters of world importance, such as the agenda of the G20 nations and in particular their call for the adoption of international accounting standards, COP15 and climate change, the value of audit, financial regulation and access to finance.

Last year, ACCA opened offices in Brussels, Bangladesh, Chengdu and Macau, and also began collaborative work with major organisations such as KPMG, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the IAAER (International Association for Accounting Education and Research). ACCA also partnered with CGA-Canada and CPA Australia for an Economist Intelligence Unit research report into small businesses and access to finance.

ACCA now has 57 global accountancy partnerships with organisations around the world.

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