What is ISTQB Finance Testing?

ISTQB Finance Testing, officially Certified Tester Finance Testing (CT-FT), is a Specialist certification for testing in the finance industry: banks, fintechs, insurers, regulators, and their service providers. ISTQB published version 1.0 of the syllabus in May 2026. It builds on the Foundation Level and adds the domain knowledge financial systems demand.

How is functional testing done in the financial sector?

Mostly with black-box test techniques you know from the Foundation Level, applied to financial rules: boundary value analysis on amounts down to the smallest currency unit, decision tables for combinations of business rules, and state transition testing for account states such as active or blocked. Calculation testing, back-to-back testing, and exploratory testing round this out.

What are the prerequisites for the ISTQB Finance Testing certificate?

A valid ISTQB Foundation Level certificate (CTFL), version 4.0 or earlier. Experience with financial systems helps but isn't required. The training covers the industry knowledge you need.

What does the ISTQB Finance Testing exam look like?

40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. Some questions count for more than one point, and you pass with 30 of 45 points. If you don't take it in your native language, you can request 25 percent more time. The exam runs through an independent certification body, on-site or remotely, and the fee is included in every format.

Who is the training for?

For testers, test analysts, test automation engineers, and test managers in the finance industry. And for everyone else who deals with quality there: business analysts, developers, compliance officers, auditors, and professionals in IT risk, security, and operations.

Which language are the syllabus, exam, and training in?

The syllabus is currently available in English only. The exam is offered in English and German, and I run the course in German or English, depending on the group. The technical terms stay close to the English original, so you can find your way around the syllabus.

ISTQB Finance Testing: Training for the CT-FT Exam

Payments, core banking, regulation: few industries test under stricter rules than finance. In my ISTQB Finance Testing training, you learn to test financial systems in a compliant, risk-based, and automated way and prepare for the CT-FT exam. The syllabus comes from the ISTQB Specialist Working Group, where I serve as Vice Chair.

What to Expect

Three Good Reasons for Finance Testing

Three things the ISTQB Finance Testing training is built on.

Understand the Finance Industry

Learn how payments, trading, insurance, and core banking systems work and why testing them follows its own rules. From PSD2 to DORA to Basel III/IV, you'll see what each regulation means for your test cases.

Learn from a Practitioner

I've been testing software for 25+ years and teaching ISTQB courses since 2008.

Built for Finance Projects

Compliance tests with audit trails, data reconciliation and masking, performance and security, test automation in legacy systems: the topics you deal with every day in finance projects.

Training for the Exam and the Project

You prepare for the CT-FT exam and practice on situations typical for banks, insurers, fintechs, and their service providers.

Finance knowledge for testers: how the industry works and what that means for testing
Compliance, risk, data: exercises along the six syllabus chapters
Exam preparation with practice questions and an exam simulation
About half the time goes to chapters 5 and 6: functional and non-functional testing, and test automation

Richard Seidl on stage giving a software testing keynote

Practical

Testing Financial Systems Professionally

A failed payment run is not a normal bug. In finance, every test case carries regulation and real money. In this training, you'll learn through concrete examples how to prioritize tests by business, technical, and regulatory risk, how to mask and anonymize test data, and how to make test automation work even in grown legacy systems. Pricing on request, depending on group size and format (online/inhouse). A short introductory call is all it takes for a concrete offer. Prerequisite: ISTQB Foundation Level certificate.

ISTQB Finance Testing training in practice

Finance Testing in Detail

The Six Chapters of the Syllabus

The module covers finance testing in six chapters.

Introduction to the financial services industry and its systems
Compliance testing: auditability and traceability
Risk-based testing across business, technical, and regulatory risks
Data testing: accuracy, reconciliation, masking, anonymization
Functional and non-functional testing: performance, reliability, security
Test automation in legacy and modern financial systems

Chapter 5 also has a dedicated learning objective on using GenAI in finance testing.

Finance Testing course content: participants working with finance testing concepts

Success Stories

From the Training Room

Feedback from participants in my ISTQB courses.

"I have never experienced anyone who can bring so much fun and motivation to a subject. Theory is always a dry subject, but thanks to Richie, I had a lot of fun in the seminar and was also able to pass the exam successfully. In addition, the seminar and the way it was conducted motivated me to delve even deeper into software testing."

MK

Martin K. Training participant

"I've rarely met anyone who explains complex testing topics as clearly and thoroughly as Richard (Richie) Seidl. He doesn't just teach theory — Richie listens, asks the right questions, and tailors his content to make it immediately applicable to real-world challenges. His deep experience in the field shines through in every interaction, and his passion for software quality is contagious. If you're looking to improve your team's testing knowledge, skills, or culture, Richie is someone I wholeheartedly recommend."

WC

Wilson Campero Qytera Quality GmbH

"Very lively and genuinely funny. You can tell that Richie is passionate about the subject and brings a lot of real experience to the table."

SA

Stefan A. Training participant

"The sessions are lively and entertaining. Even dry topics come across as genuinely interesting. Every question gets a professional answer that actually makes sense."

TL

Thomas L. Training participant

"Always a pleasure working with Richie. Great input, great training."

MS

Mirko Skodzik IT Products Lead

"I've seen Richie at trainings and talks, and every time it was both informative and genuinely engaging. We keep working together, and it keeps being great. Looking forward to future projects. Thank you, Richie. Warmest recommendation."

PM

Pascal Moll Automation Expert

"During a test automation project from 2021 to 2022, I had the good fortune of working with Richie. His comprehensive expertise and experience in software testing, particularly in test automation, made a strong impression on me. With his guidance, I was able to sharpen my skills and develop a much deeper understanding of test processes. I'm genuinely grateful for the lessons I took away from our collaboration."

OÖ

Oytun Öner Senior IT Consultant, AI Adoption & Test Automation

"Recording the podcast was a lot of fun. The atmosphere was very relaxed, like chatting with a good colleague about the topic you love most. Richie asked exactly the right questions, so I always felt well guided and never had to worry about how the conversation would go."

SL

Stefanie Leitner Principal Software and System Testing

Finance Testing: Formats at a Glance

Two learning paths to the ISTQB Finance Testing certificate, plus e-learning in preparation.

2-Day Intensive

Quick start into finance testing

On Request

2 days live (online or on-site)
ISTQB exam fee included
Materials and script
Full access to e-learning (coming soon)
Exam simulation

Recommended

6-Week Program

Deep dive alongside your job

On Request

6 weeks online, weekly live session (~2h)
ISTQB exam fee included
Materials and script
Full access to e-learning (coming soon)
Tasks and discussion between sessions
Exam simulation

Coming soon

E-Learning

Coming soon

Self-paced at your own speed
ISTQB exam fee included
Interactive learning units
Exam simulation
Lifetime access

Frequently Asked Questions about ISTQB Finance Testing

What people ask before signing up: the certificate, functional testing in finance, prerequisites, the exam, who the course is for, and the language.

Get certified as one of the first?

ISTQB Finance Testing was released in May 2026. Tell me which format suits you: two intensive days online or on-site, six weeks online alongside your job, or in-house for your team. The first call is free.

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