Indian-origin teen becomes world's youngest CA at 16, now works as research analyst

A 16-year-old Indian-origin man has made history by becoming the world's youngest Chartered Accountant. Lakshmanan Meyyappan has entered the Guinness World Records as the world's youngest male Chartered Accountant (CA).

He achieved the feat in Dubai at the age of 16 years and 141 days, according to Guinness World Records.

"The youngest chartered accountant (male) is Meyyappan Lakshmanan (India, b. 11 January 2005), who was 16 years and 170 days old when qualified in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 30 June 2021," reads the Guinness World Records website.

Meyyappan's interest in finance developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, shortly after he completed his Class 10 board examinations. He began preparing for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification at the age of 15 and completed the course in roughly a year.

Since then, he has continued to strengthen his academic and professional credentials. Meyyappan later obtained the CFA charter and is currently studying for an MSc in Finance.

He is now based in Dubai, where he works as a Senior Research Analyst at Century Financial. His responsibilities include conducting investment research and analysis, as well as supporting decision-making in financial markets.

Beyond finance, Meyyappan designs watches

Away from his professional career and academic pursuits, Meyyappan has another interest — designing and making watches.

In a LinkedIn post reflecting on his progress, Meyyappan recalled how different things were five years ago. He said he could not have imagined completing his Class 10 board examinations without feeling anxious at the time.

He expressed gratitude for later earning both ACCA membership and the CFA charter.

Meyyappan said it still felt "surreal" that he had become an ACCA affiliate at 16 and completed all levels of the CFA by the age of 18. He also joked that the Covid-19 lockdown period had proved helpful by giving him more time to focus on his studies.

'I have never approached qualifications as a race'

However, he stressed that setting a record was never his primary motivation for pursuing the qualifications.

"This milestone means a lot to me, but I have never approached qualifications as a race," he said, as quoted by Khaleej Times.

Instead, Meyyappan said he wanted to gain a practical understanding of finance and develop abilities that would continue to be useful in the long term.

"When learning is driven by curiosity rather than speed, the outcome is far more meaningful," he added.