In a global study of 500 investment firms, including 155 across Asia Pacific, FNZ and ThoughtLab found that APAC emerged as the most mature region for AI adoption. Country-level analysis shows particularly strong results across several Asian markets, with Singapore, China/Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan all ranking above the global average.
The findings suggest that leading firms across the region are placing greater emphasis on leadership alignment, organizational readiness, governance, and workforce transformation than their global peers.
While investment firms globally recognize AI's transformative potential, the findings suggest that many of Asia's leading firms are taking a more deliberate and structured approach to implementation. They are investing in the foundations required for long-term success, aligning leadership around a common vision, and already planning for the next wave of AI-driven transformation.
Three themes help explain why APAC leads globally, and why Asian markets are driving that advantage.
1. Asia's AI Advantage Is Being Built on Strong Foundations
The research found that Asia Pacific achieved the highest overall AI maturity score of any region in the study. The maturity framework evaluates firms across strategy, culture, technology, data, governance, talent, and business outcomes. While the underlying benchmark is APAC, the country-level maturity data shows the advantage is concentrated in Asian markets.
Rather than viewing AI as a standalone technology initiative, many firms across the region appear to be treating it as a broader business transformation agenda.
Several factors may be contributing to this momentum in Asian markets, including fast-growing wealth markets, pressure to scale efficiently, digital-first operating models, and opportunities to modernize technology environments.
Asia’s AI advantage is becoming increasingly clear, with the APAC data showing the strongest momentum in markets such as Singapore, China/Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan. Across the region, firms are combining fast-growing wealth markets, strong technology talent, digital-first operating models and a willingness to embrace new ways of working. Singapore is a good example of how responsible innovation can be supported through practical governance and assurance initiatives, including the Model AI Governance Framework, AI Verify and the Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI. Together, these conditions are helping firms move from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide transformation.
Sanjeev Chatrath, Managing Director, Asia, FNZ
One of the strongest signals from the research is that firms across Asia Pacific are preparing for organizational change, not simply technology adoption. While 76% of firms globally believe AI will require organizations to redefine existing roles, that figure rises to 84% in Asia Pacific.
Country-level analysis reinforces the Asia-led nature of APAC’s maturity advantage. Singapore, China/Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan all ranked above the global average, highlighting the strength of several Asian markets within the APAC dataset.
This suggests that many firms in the region recognize AI's impact will extend well beyond productivity gains. It has the potential to reshape operating models, workforce structures, decision-making processes, and how value is created across the enterprise.
The result is a region that is increasingly moving beyond pilots and proof-of-concepts toward enterprise-wide AI transformation.
Regional Snapshot
APAC recorded the highest AI maturity score of any region in the study.
Asia Pacific represented 155 financial institutions (31% of the global sample).
The APAC sample includes Australia/NZ, China/Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Singapore, China/Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan all ranked above the global average
Asian markets are the primary driver of APAC’s maturity advantage
2. APAC’s AI Leaders Are Reinventing the Business, Not Just Deploying AI
The most striking finding from the research was not the technology itself.
It was how APAC AI leaders are preparing their organizations for the changes AI will bring.
Among AI leaders in Asia Pacific, 86% are ensuring their data, technology infrastructure, workflows, and employees are AI-ready, compared to 77% globally. Meanwhile, 65% are developing and communicating a top-down AI vision, compared to 59% globally.
These findings suggest that the most successful firms are focusing less on isolated AI projects and more on organizational readiness.
Leading firms recognize that AI performance depends on the quality of the data, systems, governance frameworks, and operating models that sit behind it. They are investing in modern technology platforms, preparing employees for new ways of working, and ensuring business and technology strategies are aligned.
The region is also placing greater emphasis on governance. Compared with global peers, APAC’s AI leaders are more likely to define and monitor risks associated with emerging AI technologies (70% versus 57%) and to implement robust AI testing and auditing processes (65% versus 58%).
Taken together, the findings point to a common theme: the firms moving fastest on AI are investing in the organizational foundations that allow innovation to scale responsibly and sustainably.
Importantly, this focus on readiness and governance appears to be translating into business outcomes. APAC AI leaders are more likely than their global peers to report that AI is creating greater shareholder value, with 68% citing this benefit compared with 55% globally.
The lesson is clear: success with AI is increasingly determined not by access to technology, but by the ability to create an organization that is ready to use it effectively.
3. APAC Leaders Are Preparing for the Next Wave of AI Innovation
Most organizations begin their AI journey with efficiency-focused use cases. Automating manual tasks, streamlining workflows, and improving employee productivity remain important priorities.
APAC leaders, however, are already preparing for what comes next.
The research shows strong expected growth in advanced AI capabilities over the next three years. Adoption of Generative AI among Asia Pacific leaders is expected to increase from 43% today to 75%, while Agentic AI is expected to double from 11% to 22%. Significant growth is also anticipated in machine learning, natural language processing, and multimodal AI.
As firms expand their AI capabilities, Generative AI is expected to play an increasingly important role across both client-facing and operational functions. Customer relationship management and data security and privacy emerged as two of the strongest future applications among Asia Pacific leaders, highlighting a growing focus on delivering more personalized client experiences while strengthening trust, governance, and resilience.
This reflects a broader shift in how firms view AI. Rather than focusing exclusively on automation and productivity, organizations are increasingly exploring how AI can improve decision-making, deepen client relationships, enhance security, and support the delivery of more personalized services.
While Generative AI is expected to drive the next wave of adoption, firms are also beginning to prepare for the opportunities presented by Agentic AI as capabilities continue to mature. Over time, these technologies could help coordinate workflows, automate complex tasks, and unlock new levels of operational efficiency across the wealth management value chain.
From AI Adoption to AI Transformation
The findings suggest that Asia's AI advantage is not being built on technology alone. While the benchmark is APAC, the country-level data shows that Asian markets are driving much of the region's maturity advantage. Leading firms are pairing AI investment with leadership alignment, workforce transformation, governance, and long-term strategic planning, thinking beyond individual use cases to create sustainable competitive advantage.
As Generative AI and Agentic AI become mainstream, the firms most likely to succeed will be those that view AI as a business transformation opportunity rather than a standalone technology initiative. That shift is already underway across many of Asia's leading wealth and asset managers.
For wealth and asset managers, the question is no longer whether AI will transform the industry.
The question is which firms will move quickly enough to turn AI ambition into lasting competitive advantage.
Want to see how Asia Pacific compares with the global market, and why Asian markets are helping drive the region’s AI advantage?
The research was conducted in late 2025 and provides a benchmark of firms' AI readiness at the time. We plan to update the research as AI continues to evolve.