From New York to Kazakhstan, 4,477 investment professionals in 78 countries have passed the third and final level of examination and met all other requirements to be awarded the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst credential.

The 4,477 new CFA charterholders increase the total number worldwide by 11%, to 49,026, in 110 countries. The newest charterholders are among 5,924 investment professionals who passed the third and final level of the three-year series of CFA exams this year. As the remaining 1,447 candidates meet the other requirements for the CFA charter – including completion of at least three years of professional investment experience – they too will be awarded the CFA charter.

Administered by the Association for Investment Management and Research, the self-study CFA curriculum and examination program is widely considered the most rigorous in the investment profession. The CFA exams cover ethical and professional standards, accounting and financial statement analysis, quantitative methods, economics, corporate finance, portfolio management, analysis and valuation of equity, debt, derivatives and alternative investments, and other topics.

Of the 4,477 new CFA charterholders, 2,201 are from the U.S., 527 are from Canada and 743 are from the Asia Pacific region. The balance comes from more than 70 other countries in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and South America.

Interest and demand for the CFA examinations next year continues to be strong in Asia Pacific. Through Nov. 30, the total Asia Pacific enrollment figures for all three levels of the exam have increased to 27,329. The largest concentrations of enrolled candidates for the May/June 2003 examination numbers are from Hong Kong (5,581), Korea (4,210), China (3,908) and Singapore (3,404).