Certified URDG 758 Specialist (CURDG)
A new global benchmark for URDG 758 expertise
URDG 758 is the globally recognised set of rules governing demand guarantees, developed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to ensure consistency, clarity, and fairness in international trade. Yet demand guarantees (also called bank guarantees) remain misunderstood — often confused with standby letters of credit or suretyships — resulting in errors, disputes, and increased legal and operational risk.
Without a clear, practical understanding of how to apply URDG 758, organisations face unnecessary complexity, delays, and exposure in high-value transactions.
The Certified URDG 758 Specialist (CURDG) programme establishes a new global benchmark for applying the rules in practice — offering a complete pathway for URDG 758 expertise that combines real-world, practitioner-focused training with a globally recognised certification.
Curriculum
This certification programme includes 10-12 hours of online learning in the URDG 758 Practitioner course, followed by a final certifying exam which is also online. You may also opt to purchase the exam on its own.
Course Modules
You have six months access to all six modules.
Lesson 1: Demand Guarantees and URDG 758
- Demand guarantees and counter guarantees
- Parties involved in a guarantee
- Key features of Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG 758) and International Standard Demand Guarantee Practice for URDG 758 (ISDGP 814)
- Roles and responsibilities of trade finance officers, including structuring demand guarantees, conducting document examinations, resolving disputes, and liaising with all relevant parties.
Lesson 2: Roles of a Trade Finance Officer
- Roles and responsibilities, and the skills required of a trade finance officer facilitating Guarantees
- Insights from the Course Author: Understanding the need for URDG 758 and ISDGP 814 in trade finance practice
Lesson 3: The Underlying Contract and the Demand Guarantee
- Importance of a sales contract
- Important terms in the sales contract and their relation to the demand guarantee
- Examining the underlying contract and credit worthiness
Lesson 4: Key Terms and Conditions
of a Demand Guarantee
- Content of instructions and guarantees
- Crucial terms and conditions in the demand guarantee
- Dealing with non-documentary conditions
- Insights by the course author: best practices in drafting and managing demand guarantees
Case Simulation 1: Contract Negotiation
- Details of the contract and the responsibilities of the parties involved
Lesson 5: Drafting and Sending the Demand Guarantee
- Demand guarantee workflow
- Misleading terms and conditions
- SWIFT MT 760
- Choosing the Advising Bank
Lesson 6: The Advising Bank’s Role and the Beneficiary Review
- Role of the Advising Bank
- Beneficiaries and their duty to review the guarantee
- Amendment process
- Insights by the Course Author: Comparing URDG 758, ISP98, and UCP 600
Case Simulation 2: Reviewing the Terms and Conditions
- Clarifying vague and unclear terms in the application
- Meeting with the Advising Bank
- Amending the guarantee
Lesson 7: Presentation of a Demand for Payment
- Workflow of a demand for payment
- Crucial details for beneficiary to review
- Format and delivery instructions
- Role of the advising party in a demand for payment
Lesson 8: Examining the Presentation of a Demand for Payment
- Disclaimer on effectiveness of documents
- FAQs on demand presentation
- Requirements for demand
- Advising party’s role in certifying signatures
- Next steps for a compliant and non-compliant presentation
- Insights by the Course Author: Key Timing and Presentation Challenges for Guarantors under URDG 758
Case Simulation 3: Finalising the Demand for Payment
- Submitting the demand for payment
- Demand guarantees application, presentation, and payment process
- Key responsibilities of the guarantor
Lesson 9: Counter-guarantees Subject to URDG 758
- Application of URDG 758 and ISDGP 814
- Nature, purpose and independence of a counter-guarantee
- Parties involved in a counter-guarantee
- Checklist before issuing a counter-guarantee
- Issuing a local guarantee backed by a counter-guarantee
- Request for payment
- Insights by the course author: How set-off works when claiming counter-guarantees
Lesson 10: Payment Issue 1: Local Law and Court Order
- Law vs URDG 758
- ICC Opinion Document 470/TA.907
- Clarity of Court Orders
- Notifying Beneficiaries
- Withdrawal of Orders
- Guarantee terms ignoring the law
Lesson 11: Payment Issue 2: International Sanctions
- Sanction Clauses
- Local Law over ICC Rules
- Relevant ICC documents and opinions
- Insights by the course author: Invoking URDG Article 34: When guarantors can rely on mandatory law
How the exam works?
Exam content
The exam will test your understanding of all articles under ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG 758).
Article 1 Application of URDG
Article 2 Definitions
Article 3 Interpretation
Article 4 Issue and effectiveness
Article 5 Independence of guarantee and counter-guarantee
Article 6 Documents v. goods, services or performance
Article 7 Non-documentary conditions
Article 8 Content of instructions and guarantees
Article 9 Application not taken up
Article 10 Advising of guarantee or amendment
Article 11 Amendments
Article 12 Extent of guarantor’s liability under guarantee
Article 13 Variation of amount of guarantee
Article 14 Presentation
Article 15 Requirements for demand
Article 16 Information about demand
Article 17 Partial demand and multiple demands; amount of demands
Article 18 Separateness of each demand
Article 19 Examination
Article 20 Time for examination of demand; payment
Article 21 Currency of payment
Article 22 Transmission of copies of complying demand
Article 23 Extend or pay
Article 24 Non-complying demand, waiver and notice
Article 25 Reduction and termination
Article 26 Force majeure
Article 27 Disclaimer on effectiveness of documents
Article 28 Disclaimer on transmission and translation
Article 29 Disclaimer for acts of another party
Article 30 Limits on exemption from liability
Article 31 Indemnity for foreign laws and usages
Article 32 Liability for charges
Article 33 Transfer of guarantee and assignment of proceeds
Article 34 Governing law
Article 35 Jurisdiction
When you register for the CURDG you will get access to five sample exams which you can use to prepare for the final assessment.
Exam structure
There are 90 multiple choice questions to complete within 2 hours.
To pass the exam and earn your ICC certificate of achievement you need to score at least 80%.
The exam is live-proctored online so you can take it anywhere with a stable internet connection. You can find out more about how this process works here.
Your purchase of the CURDG includes one attempt at the exam. If you fail, you can purchase a retake for US$100.
Who is this course for?
Treasury managers / Heads of treasury
Senior corporate professionals responsible for structuring and approving demand guarantees across contracts, bids, and projects. Focused on managing risk, negotiating terms with banks, and ensuring compliance — but often reliant on external interpretation of URDG 758.
Treasury analysts / Finance managers
Corporate finance professionals responsible for executing and managing guarantee issuance. Supporting bank interactions, reviewing drafts, and coordinating internally — often experiencing rework, delays, and misalignment with bank expectations.
Trade finance operations managers
Managers overseeing guarantee issuance and processing within banks. Facing inconsistent application of URDG 758, operational risk in complex transactions, and challenges in training and standardising team capability.
Trade finance officers / Guarantee specialists
Frontline banking professionals handling the drafting, review, and processing of guarantees. Often lack structured training in URDG 758, leading to uncertainty in interpretation and increased risk of errors in high-value transactions.
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FAQs
You can obtain the Certified URDG 758 Specialist (CURDG) certification in two ways:
- By purchasing the CURDG on its own. This includes ICC’s URDG 758 certifying exam and 5 sample exam papers. This option costs US$199.
- By purchasing the CURDG Bundle. This includes everything included in option 1, plus the 10-12 hour URDG 758 practitioner course and the URDG 758 and ISDGP 814 eBooks. This option costs US$399.
Option 1 is best for those who already feel very confident about their URDG 758 knowledge and how to apply it, while option 2 suits those who need to enhance their understanding of the URDG rules or refresh their knowledge before getting it certified.
Yes. If you are already confident in your URDG 758 understanding you can take the CURDG exam on its own for US$199. You can register here.
If you do not feel confident about passing the exam first time, we strongly recommend that you enroll on the full CURDG Bundle which includes the URDG 758 Practitioner course as well as the final CURDG exam. This will help you bring your understanding up to the level required to pass the exam. Register for the Bundle here.
Your purchase includes 1 attempt at the exam. Retakes can be purchased for US$100 by contacting helpdesk@iccacademy.com.sg.
If you do not feel confident about passing the exam first time, we strongly recommend that you enroll on the full CURDG Bundle which includes the URDG 758 Practitioner course as well as the final CURDG exam. This will help you bring your understanding up to the level required to pass the exam.
Depending on your level of existing understanding it will take between 10-12 hours of active learning to complete the modules.
The final exam is 2 hours.
Yes, if you complete the course you will earn 10 CPD hours towards recertifying ICC Academy and LIBF certifications.
If you enrol on the CURDG Bundle you have 6 months access to all the content within the course and to take the final exam.
If you register just for the CURDG exam, you have 3 months to take it.
Due to the immediate availability of our course content upon registration, ICC Academy has a strict no-refund policy for our courses and certifications. For more details, please refer to our Terms and Conditions.
