More CFAs buoy hopes for finance

China is expected to overtake the United States to become the largest pool of chartered financial analysts within two decades, a vital step on its road to being a global financial power.

Paul Smith, Asia-Pacific managing director of the CFA Institute, which organizes the test for such credentials, said there are about 3,300 CFA charter holders in China, and that number is expected to hit about 4,000 in the next two months.

There are 60,000 charter holders in the US, and 123,000 worldwide who have passed all three levels of the exam and collected four years of related experience.