A Chartered Business Valuator, CBV, is the professional designation CBV Institute grants to a valuator who has completed its program of study, passed its Membership Qualification Exam and logged the required business-valuation work experience — and who is then bound by CBV Institute's Practice Standards on every valuation report they sign.
CBV Institute's own membership page sets out the path: a recognised post-secondary degree, four core courses plus two electives delivered online year-round, and the Membership Qualification Exam, described as "a case-based, four-hour exam that tests your ability to apply valuation skills in real-world scenarios," offered annually in English or French from anywhere in the world. Candidates also need a "minimum of 1,500 hours of business valuation or related experience" — and notably "it is not required that experience be completed under the supervision of a designated CBV." Membership itself is granted only to those "determined to be of good character and reputation."
Once designated, a CBV's work product is governed by CBV Institute's Practice Standards: "Valuation Practice Standards (Practice Standard Nos. 100/110/120/130)… set the minimum requirements for a valuator to establish a credible and properly supported conclusion of value," applying "to independent valuation engagements beginning on or after January 1, 2026," with the earlier standards now archived. "CBVs and Students must comply with and adhere to all Practice Standards… the minimum required standard of care."
CBV Institute's own description of the work covers a wide field: CBV Institute's areas-of-expertise page lists "determination of the value or worth of businesses, business interests and intangible assets and liabilities," work on "mergers, acquisitions and divestitures," and "development and review of valuation policies… for a multitude of purposes, including deal advisory, dispute resolution, litigation support, statutory requirements, financial reporting and governance of investments."
A fund considering a take-private of a portfolio company engages a CBV to issue a fairness opinion on the proposed price. That opinion is issued under CBV Institute's Fairness Opinion report family (Practice Standards 510/520/530), which the Institute describes as "a conclusion as to the fairness of a proposed transaction to security holders… from a financial point of view" — a distinct report type, under distinct standards, from the Expert Reports (310/320/330) the same CBV might instead issue if retained to quantify a loss in litigation.
See also: Discounted cash flow (DCF) · Discount for lack of marketability · Comparable company analysis.
A 30-minute call is enough to tell you whether AI pays for itself here.
Nobody publishes Canadian transaction data, so every valuation in this country quotes an American benchmark. We are building the Canadian one — multiples, asking-to-sale spreads and days on market, by sector and by city. Leave an email and you will see it first.
No pitch, no listings. One email when the first report lands.
