Bitcoin CPD for Australian financial advisers.
Bitcoin for Financial Advisers is a self-paced online course for Australian financial advisers, accredited by the FAAA for 5.0 CPD hours: 2.0 technical competence, 0.5 regulatory compliance and consumer protection and 2.5 general (accreditation 36157, Foundation learning rating). A$495, one payment.
The course is written and presented by Michael Paige, a former associate adviser and equity analyst. It is for advisers who want to answer client questions about Bitcoin from understanding rather than headlines. It is education, not a product recommendation: it does not tell you to recommend Bitcoin, and it does not change your authorisations or your licensee’s approved product list.
Refunds within 7 days of purchase, provided you have spent less than one hour on the course material and have not claimed a certificate. Refund and access terms
The course at a glance
| Provider | BlockWise |
|---|---|
| Accreditation | FAAA, accreditation 36157, approved 25 August 2026 to 25 August 2027 |
| CPD hours | 5.0: 2.0 technical competence, 0.5 regulatory compliance and consumer protection, 2.5 general |
| Learning rating | Foundation |
| Format | Six recorded video modules, self-paced; about five and a quarter hours of viewing |
| Assessment | 15 multiple-choice questions; pass mark 75 percent; up to three attempts |
| Certificate | Issued when you meet the course requirements. It shows the accreditation number, the hours by area and the learning rating |
| Access | 12 months from enrolment |
| Price | A$495, paid once |
| Refunds | Within 7 days of purchase, if you have spent less than one hour on the course material and have not claimed a certificate. This does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law |
How the hours fit your CPD year
Under the CPD standard that ASIC administers, financial advisers must complete at least 40 hours of CPD each year. In some circumstances, such as working part-time for the whole CPD year, it can be 36 hours, with the licensee’s prior written consent.
There are minimum hours in four areas:
- technical competence: 5 hours;
- client care and practice: 5 hours;
- regulatory compliance and consumer protection: 5 hours;
- professionalism and ethics: 9 hours.
Advisers who give tax (financial) advice to retail clients need a further 5 hours in that area. The rest of the 40 hours is qualifying CPD, and at least 70 percent of the minimum hours must be activities your licensee approves.
This course contributes:
- 2.0 hours of technical competence, two fifths of the annual minimum in that area;
- 0.5 hours of regulatory compliance and consumer protection;
- 2.5 general hours towards the balance.
Your licensee approves the activities that count and keeps the records with you, so confirm with your licensee before you count the hours. ASIC’s CPD guidance sets out the rules in full.
How the 5.0 hours are allocated
This is the FAAA’s own breakdown for accreditation 36157.
| Module | CPD hours | Knowledge requirement | Legislated CPD area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The history of money | 0.75 | Economic environment | General |
| 2. How today’s monetary system works | 1.0 | Economic environment | General |
| 3. The consequences of today’s money | 0.75 | Economic environment | General |
| 4. What is Bitcoin? Properties, network and criticisms | 1.25 | Alternative assets | Technical competence |
| 5. Institutional research and portfolio implications | 0.5 | Alternative assets | Technical competence |
| 6. The adviser’s role: custody options, best interests duty and regulatory considerations | 0.5 | Regulatory environment | Regulatory compliance and consumer protection |
| Assessment | 0.25 | Alternative assets | Technical competence |
| Total | 5.0 | Economic environment 2.5, alternative assets 2.0, regulatory environment 0.5 | General 2.5, technical competence 2.0, regulatory compliance and consumer protection 0.5 |
Logging the hours
- Complete the six modules and pass the assessment.
- Download your completion certificate. It shows the accreditation number, the hours in each area and the learning rating.
- Add it to your CPD record under the areas shown, and give your licensee a copy if they ask for one.
Is this a crypto CPD course?
It is a Bitcoin course. Rather than surveying the wider crypto market, it goes deep on one asset: how money works, what Bitcoin is, the evidence for and against it, and where an adviser’s professional boundaries sit. Module 4 explains how Bitcoin differs from the wider crypto market, and module 6 covers custody options, the best interests duty and regulatory considerations. Your certificate shows the 5.0 FAAA-accredited CPD hours by area.
What the course covers
- The history of money. Monetary foundations: what money is for and how it has changed.
- How today’s monetary system works. The system in context.
- The consequences of today’s money. Purchasing power and its trade-offs.
- What is Bitcoin? Its properties and network, and the common criticisms examined.
- Institutional research. Reading the evidence: what published research does and does not show.
- The adviser’s role. Custody options, the best interests duty and regulatory considerations, applied to client conversations and record-keeping.
The final assessment checks your understanding. See the full course, or watch a 90-second excerpt from module 4.
Choosing Bitcoin or crypto CPD: what to compare
When you compare courses on Bitcoin or digital assets, these are the questions worth asking, with our answers.
| Question | Bitcoin for Financial Advisers |
|---|---|
| Who accredited it, and under which number? | The FAAA, accreditation 36157 |
| How many hours, in which areas? | 5.0: 2.0 technical competence, 0.5 regulatory compliance and consumer protection, 2.5 general |
| Is it about one asset in depth, or a survey? | Bitcoin in depth, with how it differs from the wider crypto market |
| Who teaches it? | Michael Paige, former associate adviser and equity analyst |
| Does it promote products or platforms? | No. It names no products to buy and does not recommend an allocation |
| How is completion shown? | A 15-question assessment, then a certificate for your CPD record |
| How long is access? | 12 months from enrolment |
Checking with your licensee
Most licensees ask advisers to confirm a CPD activity before they count it. This email gives your compliance team the facts they usually ask for. Copy it, or open it in your email app and add their address.
Subject: CPD activity for approval: Bitcoin for Financial Advisers (FAAA 36157)
Hi,
I’d like to complete the following CPD activity this CPD year. Could you confirm it fits our CPD policy?
- Course: Bitcoin for Financial Advisers, by BlockWise, self-paced online
- Accreditation: FAAA, accreditation 36157, Foundation learning rating, approved 25 August 2026 to 25 August 2027
- CPD hours: 5.0 in total: 2.0 technical competence, 0.5 regulatory compliance and consumer protection, 2.5 general
- Assessment: 15 multiple-choice questions, 75 percent pass mark, with a certificate on completion
- Cost: A$495
- Details: https://blockwise.au/cpd/
The course is education only. It does not recommend any product or allocation, and it does not change my authorisations or our approved product list.
Thanks,
For practices and licensees
Each adviser enrols in their own learner account and receives their own certificate. If several advisers in your practice or licensee plan to enrol, email hello@blockwise.au with the number of advisers and what you need for CPD records.
This activity meets the guidelines for qualifying CPD, and has been accredited for continuing professional development by the Financial Advice Association Australia but does not constitute FAAA's endorsement of the activity. Accreditation number 36157 for 5.0 hour(s).
General information and professional education only. BlockWise holds no Australian financial services licence and does not provide financial product advice. Acceptance of CPD hours remains subject to your licensee’s CPD policy.
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