Our story begins on 30 November 1904 when eight accountants met and formed ACCA. 

Their intention was ‘to give everyone who intended to take up the profession, and could prove by examination their fitness and experience, an opportunity of joining an Association which would provide them with a qualification they could use’. This founding value of ACCA remains as relevant today as it was then. 

Within three years of our launch, we had members in five countries. By 1910, exams were available outside the UK. Branches were opened in the 1930s and 1940s as membership became established worldwide. Between 1950 – 1970, ACCA acquired nearly 25,000 new students and members. Membership grew by 600% between 1970 and 2002. And now we have over 233,000 members and 536,000 future members.

Join ACCA’s founder Arthur Priddle in 1904 as he tells the story of ACCA’s many achievements.