A boom in the compliance side of the financial industry could bring a jobs bonanza to Bermuda, a US expert said yesterday.

Walter Zebrowski, chairman of the US-based international Regulatory Compliance Association (RCA) is to hold a special conference next year to highlight the increasing role of compliance — and the potential career opportunities for Bermudians.

Mr Zebrowski — in Bermuda for meetings with Government Ministers and business chiefs — said his “unique organisation” offered graduate level education in the field for training and professional development.

He added: “Post-financial crisis, compliance is driving everything. It’s also driving another business opportunity. That’s why asset management in particular and compliance in asset management is exploding.

“There is a jobs crisis in Bermuda — with our curriculum you can train up staff for asset management — and financial services more broadly — very quickly.

“It reduces the cost structure and at the same time creates jobs for Bermudians.”

Mr Zebrowski said: “We facilitate the provision of accurate, peer-reviewed information for compliance officers, operations executives, in-house counsel and regulators. It’s a very fast and efficient way to obtain knowledge.”

Mr Zebrowski said the RCA had taken the best of conference companies and academic institutions and combined them.

He added: “You end up with the outputs people really want.

“This curriculum is specifically geared to train up individuals to find more affluent careers in compliance and regulation.

“There are recruiters that actively recruit from this curriculum in the US for top-paying jobs.”

Mr Zebrowski added that US global banking giant JP Morgan, although it had shed staff in other areas, had recently recruited 4000 experts in compliance.

He said: “As Bermudians learn more about this initiative, they may find themselves able to obtain jobs abroad as well.”

The RCA, which has 78,000 members, and regularly features some of the most senior regulators in the US as speakers, including Luis Aguilar, Commissioner of the powerful Securities & Exchange Commission.

The organisation is backed by major international firms like financial services firms KPMG, PwC, EY, Deloitte, all of which already have offices in Bermuda, and legal services companies like Appleby and Conyers Dill & Pearman.

Mr Zebrowski said that the regulation, operations and compliance meeting, to be held next April at the Fairmont Southampton, would feature 500 alternative investment managers with the top 200 firms to highlight compliance and risk challenges for the future, as well as raise funds for the work of the RCA.

Mr Zebrowski added: “I’d like to make a call to the commercial community in Bermuda to help support this fundraiser and I’d to thank those Bermuda companies that already have.”

More information on the RCA courses is available at www.rcaonline.org.