CFA Institute Builds on Its Long-term Commitment to China with Launch of CFA Society Shenzhen

CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, today announced the establishment of CFA Society Shenzhen, which obtained official Chinese government approval last month. This is the second CFA society established in mainland China, following the establishment of CFA Society Beijing in April 2013.

The key objectives of the establishment of CFA Shenzhen Society, like more than 140 other societies around the world, is to uphold the CFA Institute standard of professional excellence by offering quality membership services and building stronger relationships among the CFA community and the broader investment community, through continuing education and advocating best practices, professional excellence and ethics.

“The opening of our second society in mainland China underscores our long-term commitment to helping advance professional standards in the investment management industry in China and bring value to our CFA charterholders,” said LJ Jia, China Country Head at CFA Institute. “As China’s financial sector continues to grow, driven by innovation, a rapidly growing middle class, and increasing urbanization, the demands for globally savvy finance professionals are increasing. As a leading steward for global financial markets, CFA Institute is well positioned and will continue to collaborate closely with local firms, regulators and members to help support the development of financial talent in China as part of our ongoing effort to bring professionalism, market integrity and ethics to global capital markets.”

China’s growing influence in global financial markets is driving the increasing need for talented investment management professionals to help shape the development of China’s investment management industry. As of today, there are more than 4,000 CFA charterholders in China. Last year alone, there were more than 36,000 CFA exam candidates in China, ranking first in the Asia-Pacific region and second after the United States globally in terms of the number of people taking the exam.

Shenzhen, a major financial center in southern China and one of the wealthiest cities in China with more than 11 million people, was China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and is home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous financial institutions and high-tech companies. The city is located immediately north of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.