The CFA Institute: striving for excellence in times of uncertainty

In a world of ever-increasing financial volatility, it has become all the more important for investors to unite on acredible platform.

The CFA Institute is one such institutionthat provides a platform for investors from across the world. The organization boasts over 148,000 members in 158 countries, which includes 141,000 CFA charter holders and 147 member societies.

Standing with the slogan for “creating an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow”, the CFA has emerged as one of the premier global associations for investment management professionals.

Platforms such as these are crucial knowledge centers for investors who are increasingly vulnerable and confused amongst the plethora of options available in today’s market.

Future of Finance

The world of finance is evolving at a breathtaking pace, with the emergence of newer markets and modes of investments. The need fordeveloping skills to meet the ever-growing demand is gaining momentum.

According to a CFP report titled Future State of Investment Profession, there is an increasing need for soft skills, particularly given the increasing effectiveness of technology to replace simple human processes. Meanwhile, leadership skills overall, and the ability to adapt to change and deal with challenging organizational settings, are becoming increasingly important.

With programs such as Chartered Financial Analyst(CFA), Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) and CFA Institute Investment Foundations, candidates prepare themselves for a wide-range of specialties that the CFA Institute says are applicable in every market all over the world.

Diversity

In the finance industry, diversity in work force is a problem that demandsurgent attention, as it will likelybe the key to making greater leaps in the world of finance.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, Ben Gold of QuickBridge Funding said “we need to agree that there’s a lack of diversity and that diversity matters. Then, as a united front, we can begin the important work of hiring and investing in a more diverse group of people. As companies in our industry that invest in diversity inevitably succeed, other companies will quickly see the value and do the same until the past cycle of homogeneity is broken.”

The CFA Institute, with members present across the globe, has emphasized on this issue specifically,particularly with regards to challenges of gender diversity. In the report mentioned above, “women are underrepresented in the investment industry compared with their proportion in the workforce in almost all countries, with just 18 percent of CFA Institute members being women.”

Thisunder-representationled the CFA Institute to launch the Women in Investment Management initiative in 2015.

Sustainable Investing

As per OppenheimerFunds,sustainable investing is a broad term for investment approaches that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and their impact. Through sustainable investing, the investors aim to make a positive impact on society and the environment. They can also potentially improve the risk/return characteristics of their portfolios by factoring environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into their investment decisions.

Sustainable Investing has grown exponentially with assets managed using such approaches reaching $23 trillion at the start of 2016, as reported by TheWashington Post citing a report funded by a group of financial companies including Bloomberg News parent - Bloomberg LP.

CFA charter holders trained to understand what drives value in all dimensions of your financial life, and bound by the highest ethical standards, can provide unrivalled insightswhen it comes to making sound investment decisionsthat are both profitable, and environmentally friendly.