CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, has announced that a total of 4,463 investment professionals from 12 GCC and Middle East countries have registered for Level I, II and III CFA exams last weekend.

This represents a 6.4 per cent increase from last year, as well as wider regional participation from an additional three countries.

Globally, CFA registered 159,889 candidates from 174 countries for the June exams.

This year’s exams, to be administered on June 6 worldwide, have seen an increase in more than 10,000 registrations compared to June 2014. The number of registered candidates could fill Madison Square Garden in New York more than eight times; Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, twice; and the Beijing National Stadium, location for the 2008 Olympics, more than one and a half times.

The number of exam registrations for this year's exam cycle (December 2014 and June 2015) totals almost 225,000 registrations. Regionally, Asia Pacific continues to be the largest source of candidates, with 69,131 registered for the June 2015 exam, accounting for 43 percent of the total.

The Americas saw the registration of 55,609 candidates, 35 percent of the total, and 35,149 candidates registered in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), accounting for 22 percent of the total. The United Arab Emirates remains the largest source of new registrations from the Middle East, representing 38 per cent of the regional total, followed by Saudi Arabia 17 per cent, Egypt 11 per cent and Lebanon 10 per cent.

“The CFA Program is the definitive path for gaining graduate level, ethically grounded, and real world skills for a career in the global investment management profession,” said Paul Smith, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute.

“The diverse global pool of CFA charterholders is knowledgeable, relevant, and places investors’ interests first. The candidates who sat for the exam last weekend are taking the next step towards earning the CFA charter and to advancing the value of the global profession to make the world a better place for investors.” – TradeArabia News Service