In November pass rate is down from 37% for those who sat for the exam in August.
Richard Fairbank and other industry leaders spoke at an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs.
The factors drawing in the retail crowd now are also likely to pull in other investors.
The latest results show improvement from historically low pass rates across all levels of the CFA exam last year.
Inflation hasn't been steep enough to keep consumers from traveling or making discretionary purchases.
Pandemic-related disruptions led to exam cancellations in five cities.
The young and wealthy instead see more potential in assets like cryptocurrency, real estate and private equity.
The bank has invested in digital and other products in recent years to offset some of the rising costs.
The Green Impact Exchange would require public companies to show and stick to their ESG efforts.
The move is to recognize tenure at the company at certain career milestones, and to attract and retain talent.