(March 29 -09:40 ET) – The Association for Investment Management and Research is reporting record sign-ups for its Chartered Financial Analyst exam.

AIMR says that 86,421 securities analysts, money managers, investment advisors and students from 143 nations have registered for the 2001 CFA exam. That’s up 15% from last year.

Passing a series of three day-long, practice-oriented exams is one of the major requirements for earning the CFA charter. This year’s exams will be given simultaneously at 210 sites in 74 countries on June 2nd and 3rd.

Of the more than 86,000 candidates registered for this year’s exam, nearly 6,000 are enrolled to write the exam in Toronto, the third largest CFA exam sitting in the world. The largest sites include New York City, with over 7,000 enrolled, and Hong Kong with 6,500 enrolled.

The U.S. has the highest number of CFA candidates with 37,271. Canada is a distant second with 10,283, Hong Kong is third at 6,580. More than 36,000 professionals in 94 countries now hold the CFA charter, 4,800 of whom earned the designation last year alone.

“The CFA charter has become the credential of choice for investment professionals seeking a competitive edge in the global marketplace,” says AIMR president and CEO Thomas Bowman.

“With the growing globalization and interdependence of capital markets, the CFA charter assures clients and employers alike that investment knowledge and ethics meet the highest standards, no matter where in the world the successful candidates practice.”
-IE Staff