The figures are a further sign of how Asia is the fastest-growing financial market.

The Asia-Pacific region is way out in front of Europe and North America in the number of investment professionals taking Chartered Financial Analyst® exams late last year, new figures from the CFA Institute show. The data mirrors how the region’s financial services sector is expanding rapidly versus other parts of the world.

Some 45 per cent of those who took the Level I exam last December have passed, now progressing to the second level of the CFA Program. The total number of people taking the Level I exams rose by 13 per cent from a year earlier.

To earn the CFA charter, candidates must pass all three levels of the exam. Fewer than one in five candidates who begin the programme end up successfully earning the CFA charter. Successful candidates take an average of four years to complete the CFA Program.

The 10 countries and regions with the largest number of candidates tested are: Mainland China (23,646); the US (12,375); India (8,151); Canada (4,983); Australia (4,803); the UK (4,382); Hong Kong SAR (2,506); Singapore (1,416); South Africa (1,327), and South Korea (985).

Candidate growth continues to be strongest in the Asia Pacific region, where 45,559 candidates tested, a 19 per cent increase compared with December 2017. In total, nearly 59 per cent of global CFA Program candidates were from Asia-Pacific compared with nearly 24 per cent (18,871) from the Americas region and nearly 17 per cent (12,815) from the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Talent management remains a serious issue in the world's wealth management sector. This publication tracks existing and new post-graduate and MBA-level courses in the field. See here.