Design thinking is, at its core, a process of empathizing with the user. The methodology has been successfully used in many industries to drive human-centred innovation, resulting in the creation of pioneering products like the first mouse for Apple.

In the competitive world of wealth management, staying attuned to evolving investor sentiment is a prerequisite for success. Amid a sluggish global economy and market uncertainty, investors are increasingly seeking income and demonstrating a willingness to embrace risk. Avaloq recently surveyed 3,000 affluent to ultra-high net worth individuals across six European and Asian markets, shedding light on these shifts and the opportunities they present for wealth managers.

For years, digital assets have offered an attractive alternative to traditional investments. A recent survey by Avaloq confirms that investors remain positive about digital assets, despite the recent crypto winter and the collapse of notable exchanges and crypto-native firms. Today, of the investors Avaloq surveyed in Germany, Switzerland and the UK, 42% say they invest in cryptocurrencies – 4 percentage points higher than in the previous year's study. This is supported by data from the European Union, which shows that the market capitalization of digital assets increased eightfold from 2020 to 2022.

In today’s digital world, embracing accessibility is not just about ticking legal checkboxes – it is the key to fostering inclusivity, empowering individuals with disabilities and providing equitable access to financial services for all. Online banking, as the gateway to economic empowerment, must be seamlessly navigable by all individuals. The EU Accessibility Act (EAA), introduced in 2019, amplifies this need, setting a deadline of 28 June 2025 for banks and wealth managers within the European Union (EU) and those serving EU-based clients to prioritize and implement accessibility measures.

In recent years, Japan's wealth management industry has navigated significant changes, facing both unique challenges and unprecedented opportunities. In 2022, Japan's Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, noted that over half of Japanese individuals' JPY 2,000 trillion (USD 14.4 trillion) financial assets are held in bank deposits and cash, resulting in slower asset growth compared to the US and UK. This situation presents both a missed opportunity and future potential.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has gained significant attention lately. The increasing number of creative AI solutions, including well-known ones like ChatGPT, demonstrates the growing awareness among the public regarding AI's potential to enhance productivity.

Gery Zollinger, Head of Data Science and Analytics at Avaloq, an NEC Company, recently shared his views on where artificial intelligence (AI) adoption currently stands in the wealth management sector, how the technology is already being harnessed in the front office and where we can expect to see new use cases emerge.

With the sudden arrival of global lockdowns three years ago, organizations quickly discovered the risk of location dependence and had to act swiftly to simplify client engagement over the internet. This paved the way for an impressive acceleration in digital transformation. Cloud computing technology has been particularly influential in facilitating this trend, with the switch to the cloud allowing companies to offer location-independent services.

The report shines a light on the fundamentals of investor behaviour across six markets in Europe and Asia. It is based on original research carried out by Avaloq in 2023. We conducted an online survey among 3,000 mass-affluent to ultra-high net worth individuals aged 18 and above in Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore to understand what motivates them, which investment methods they use, what their attitude to risk is, which types of investment they favour and which sources inform their investment decisions.

The financial assets of Japanese individuals total JPY 2,000 trillion, with over half of it held in cash. However, rising inflation and regulatory changes present opportunities for diversification and modern wealth management. With an aging population and wealth gradually shifting to the next generation, the time is ripe for financial institutions in Japan to embrace digitalization and tap into this potential.

See how AI models and the regulation around them have evolved, and learn how financial organizations can ensure the use of a more ethical, unbiased AI system.

The Greater Bay Area and its financial market is changing drastically at an incredible speed. The pool of investible private wealth may double, as the Chinese government runs several initiatives and programs to enhance financial ties in the region.

Take a closer look at investors’ relationship with their relationship manager. What is it they want in an advisor and what would make them leave for another? Who are so-called ‘Loyals’ and ‘Switchers’? And how do investors with financial advisors really feel about the use of artificial intelligence in the advisory process?

Why, how, and in what do people invest? We surveyed 1400+ affluent-to-UHNW investors across 10 countries in Europe and Asia to find out. Explore the fundamentals of investor behaviour in our latest research and see how these insights can help guide your organization.

In this white paper, we outline our vision of non-bankable asset (nBA) investing and the opportunities as well as challenges of nBAs as an alternative investment vehicle. We also describe how financial institutions can take advantage of tokenization for nBA investing.

With the apparent advantages of using data-driven insights to develop their business, many wealth managers are beyond the point of just thinking about data science. This report helps wealth managers with examples of tangible AI use cases and explains how the initial challenges in data science projects can be overcome.