ICPA

What ICPA does

ICPA (International Compliance Professionals Association) is a U.S.-based non-profit professional association founded in 2001/2002 by Ann Lister and Lynda Westerfield in the wake of 9/11, initially as an informal email list serving international trade compliance practitioners. It has grown into a global community of more than 3,000 members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, with approximately half of members being licensed customs brokers subject to U.S. Customs and Border Protection continuing education requirements. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors drawn from compliance leaders at large multinationals and is operationally run by a small 1-10 person team out of Springtown, Texas, with a Delaware registered agent.

ICPA's product surface is built around a website-based membership platform (icpainc.org) that hosts a moderated Ask the Membership Q&A database, a searchable Resource Library of conference presentations and compliance content, a Member Directory, a Job Board, and a Cvent-powered CE Accreditation Portal. Its core offerings include tiered membership dues ($50-$125 for individuals, $200-$3,000 for service providers), CBP-accredited Continuing Education accreditation for licensed customs brokers ($25-$100 per activity), and a portfolio of annual conferences and regional events (Spring Conference, Summer Alaska Cruise, Global Trade Pathways, Global Trade Insights in Dublin). Following the February 2026 acquisition of International Trade Certification (ITC), ICPA extended its offerings into formal certification designations for trade compliance practitioners. Distribution occurs primarily through the website, 19+ Regional Trade Communities across North America, Focused Trade Groups by vertical (Chemical, Consumer Products, Export Controls/Sanctions, Forced Labor, Trade Management Software), webinars, and the Simply Trade Podcast.

ICPA's revenue mechanics are diversified across three streams: (1) recurring annual membership dues across multiple tiers, (2) per-activity CE accreditation fees from education providers seeking CBP credit, and (3) conference registration, sponsorship, and ancillary event fees (including Kidz Kamp). Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with growth fueled by a Founder's Award referral program, LinkedIn/Facebook groups, and a free first-year individual membership for eligible new importer/exporter employees. The organization does not disclose revenue but operates at a small scale consistent with a niche professional association, with growth driven primarily by community expansion, geographic reach into Europe and Canada, and product extensions via the ITC acquisition.

Name

ICPA

Legal name

International Compliance Professionals Association

Website

https://icpainc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICPA is a U.S. non-profit professional association serving 3,000+ international trade compliance practitioners worldwide through tiered memberships, CBP-accredited continuing education, moderated Q&A, conferences, and local regional trade communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Compliance Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Coordination, Recognition & Meta-Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAH)

Keywords

• Trade compliance association
• Customs broker education
• International trade networking
• Continuing education accreditation
• Compliance professional community

Headquarters

HQ city

Springtown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ICPA generates primary revenue through annual membership dues at various tier levels. Individual memberships range from $50-$125/year, while business/service provider memberships range from $200-$3,000/year. The Global Partner tier at $3,000 and Service Provider tier at $1,250 represent the highest revenue per member.
2. CE Accreditation Fees: ICPA serves as one of five approved accreditors for U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Continuing Education program for licensed customs brokers. Fees range from $25 for speaker preparation (1 CE credit) to $100 for seminars/conferences or self-guided courses. This creates a recurring revenue stream tied to the CBP triennial reporting cycle (2024-2027 requiring 20 credits).
3. Conference and Event Revenue: ICPA organizes annual conferences (Alaska Cruise 2026, Global Trade Pathways Conference in Texas, Global Trade Insights Conference in Dublin), spring conferences, webinars, and training events. Conference revenue includes registration fees, sponsorship fees, and associated events like Kidz Kamp.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICPA is a non-profit professional membership association that delivers networking, education, and continuing-education accreditation services to international trade compliance professionals worldwide. Its core offerings include tiered annual memberships, a moderated Q&A platform, a resource library, annual conferences and regional/local chapter meetings, a CBP-authorized CE Accreditation Program for licensed customs brokers, and trade certifications (post-ITC acquisition). The organization serves over 3,000 members globally, connecting importers, exporters, customs brokers, consultants, attorneys, and academics.

Product overview

ICPA (International Compliance Professionals Association) is a non-profit membership organization serving the global trade compliance community, not a traditional product software company. Its service portfolio centers on community, education, and professional development for international trade compliance professionals. The core offerings include a membership platform with a member directory and job board, the CE Accreditation Program (one of five CBP-authorized accreditors for licensed customs broker continuing education), a moderated Ask the Membership Q&A platform, a Resource Library with searchable compliance content, and networking services through conferences, Regional Trade Communities (19+ local groups), and Focused Trade Groups. Supplementary services include a File Uploader for Q&A submissions, CE Training Tools (podcasts, webinars), and Customs Broker License Exam Prep Courses. Following the February 2026 acquisition of International Trade Certification (ITC), ICPA expanded into professional certification designations for trade compliance practitioners. The organization connects over 3,000 members worldwide and facilitates knowledge-sharing across import/export compliance, classification, valuation, trade agreements, and regulatory topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DATA Groups: Designated Area Trade Association - local networking groups for global trade professionals operating in specific geographic regions
• Focused Trade Groups
• Regional Trade Communities (RTC)
• DATA Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ members worldwide, with approximately 50% being licensed customs brokers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• International Trade Certification (ITC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026ICPA acquired ITC, a non-profit organization known for assessing proficiency of trade compliance professionals since 1995. This merger follows decades of cooperation between the two organizations. The acquisition allows ICPA to leverage ITC's deep bench of working professionals and certification-by-examination framework, while ICPA's global events expertise helps ITC reach underserved markets with new content delivery and specialized CE opportunities.
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024ICPA is one of five designated Partner Accreditors authorized by CBP to accredit continuing education activities for licensed customs brokers. CBP published Final Rule 88 FR 41224 requiring 36 hours of CE per triennial period. ICPA's CE Accreditation Portal enables education providers to submit activities for CBP-approved CE credit. The partnership is central to ICPA's continuing education mission.
• Braumiller Law GroupminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Offers events and webinars that qualify for customs broker continuing education.
• C.H. Robinson InternationalminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Major logistics provider offering training content.
• ECS - Export Compliance SolutionsminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Specializes in export compliance training.
• Foryn (Masters Method)minorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Offers the Foryn Method courses for trade compliance training.
• Masters MethodminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. International trade compliance training programs.
• Magnolia Global Trade SolutionsminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Global trade solutions training provider.
• Morgan LewisminorOthersApproved Education Provider for ICPA CE credits. Major law firm with trade compliance events and training.
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) - Office of TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBP's Office of Trade hosts CE webinars for licensed customs brokers. ICPA references and promotes CBP's CE webpage and resources, and features CBP's webinars on the ICPA platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Braumiller Law Group: Trade-focused law firm that is itself an ICPA-approved CE education provider. Comparable niche positioning serving the same customs broker and trade compliance audience with training content and member services.
• Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (SandlerTrade): Major trade and customs law/advisory firm that produces training, webinars, and CE content for customs brokers. Competes with ICPA's CE accreditation pipeline as both an education provider and a knowledge source for the same member base.

Broad incumbents

• CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals): Large, established association for supply chain management professionals, with overlap on the trade compliance sub-discipline. Operates broader in scope (end-to-end supply chain) but competes for the same corporate training and education dollars.
• Descartes Visual Compliance: Provider of trade compliance software (export controls, denied party screening, classification). Competes indirectly with ICPA's educational and resource offerings by embedding knowledge into subscription software that practitioners use daily.
• Thomson Reuters (Trade & Compliance Practice): Major vendor of trade compliance software, regulatory content, and training. Direct overlap with ICPA's content/training offerings, but delivered via for-profit software rather than an association model. Listed on ICPA's sponsor roster.
• APICS / ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management): Global association for supply chain and operations professionals, with adjacent trade compliance and customs content. Larger and more established than ICPA, but competes for the same professional-development wallet.

Direct peers

• AAEI (American Association of Exporters and Importers): Trade association serving U.S. importers and exporters, focused on trade policy advocacy, compliance education, and member services. Highly comparable in target audience (importers/exporters) and value proposition (networking + education) to ICPA.
• International Compliance Association (ICA): Global membership body for compliance, AML, and financial crime professionals, with growing international trade compliance programming. Direct functional peer offering certifications, training, and a member network.
• NCBFAA (National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America): Largest U.S. trade association representing customs brokers, freight forwarders, and NVOCCs. Closest direct peer to ICPA in mission, member base, and advocacy focus on customs brokerage and international trade compliance.

Others

• World Trade Organization (WTO) — Trade Policy Courses: Intergovernmental organization offering trade policy and compliance training programs globally. Thematically adjacent — supports the same knowledge ecosystem for trade compliance practitioners — but does not directly compete for ICPA's individual membership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/54643228810
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/359824
• Xx.com/icpasocial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICPA