The
Chartered Financial Analyst (
CFA) Program is a professional credential offered internationally by the American-based
CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research, or AIMR) to investment and financial professionals. A candidate who successfully completes the program and meets other professional requirements is awarded the "CFA charter" and becomes a "CFA charterholder". As of July 2014, there are approximately 120,000 CFA members in 35 countries. The top employers of CFA Charterholders globally are
UBS,
JP Morgan,
Citigroup,
Morgan Stanley, and
BlackRock.