CFA Saudi: 2,720 candidates registered for 2025 exams; females make up 25%

Fahad Kurdi, Board Member of CFA Society Saudi Arabia

Fahad Kurdi, Board Member of CFA Society Saudi Arabia, said that the total number of candidates registered for the CFA exams in the Kingdom for 2025 reached 2,720, distributed across the three levels, with 2,018 candidates in Level One, 432 in Level Two, and 270 in Level Three.

He told Argaam exclusively that female candidates represent 25% of total registrations, reflecting the growing participation of women in the financial sector, in line with the women’s empowerment objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

Kurdi also explained that the society’s membership base currently includes 754 members, of whom 693 are CFA certified, highlighting that the society has recorded a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16% over the past ten years, which reflects the increasing demand for specialized expertise in financial analysis and investment management.

He noted that the society will award the CFA charter to 115 new members this year, the highest number in its history in the Kingdom, compared to 106 members in 2025, 82 in 2024, and 57 in 2023, reflecting the accelerating pace of professional qualification.

This year’s research competition saw participation from 30 teams representing universities across the Kingdom, with a noticeable improvement in report quality and depth of analysis, said Kurdi.

He added that the society organized more than 30 various events during 2025, supported by six sponsors from the financial sector.

These indicators reflect the development of the Kingdom’s professional environment and support the objectives of the Financial Sector Development Program, which aims to deepen capital markets and enhance the efficiency of national talent, thus strengthening Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness as a regional and global financial hub, according to the official.