Tuesday 2nd December, London and New York: FNZ, the global wealth management platform, today announced the launch of a landmark global study, The AI-Powered Investment Firm, revealing the scale and speed at which artificial intelligence is transforming the global wealth and asset management industry.
Developed in partnership with leading research firm ThoughtLab, the study draws on insights from over 500 financial institutions representing US$74.2 trillion in assets under management (AuM) across 16 international markets, equivalent to 44% of total AuM held among financial institutions worldwide. This breadth makes it one of the most comprehensive AI analyses in the sector to date.
Key highlights
AI now mission-critical: 73% of financial executives say AI is critical to the future of their business, with 63% agreeing it will revolutionize the wealth and asset management sector.
Vast majority of firms seeing positive returns on investment: 88% of executives report positive returns on their AI investments, with almost one in five (19%) recording large positive returns of over 7%, through growth, efficiency and risk reduction. Most companies (62%) say they recouped the value of their investment within two years.
Platform and governance as core differentiators: 87% of AI leaders have made moderate or significant progress on integrated, cloud-enabled IT platforms, while 81% have implemented AI governance frameworks and policies and 62% say clearer risk guidelines will further accelerate adoption.
Advisors augmented, not replaced: 73% of firms believe AI will drive a step change in human productivity, freeing advisors to focus on relationships, strategy and complex judgment while AI handles routine and administrative tasks.
A practical AI playbook, not just another report
The study goes beyond high-level commentary to offer an actionable roadmap for firms that want to lead in the next age of AI. It identifies a group of “AI leaders” already realizing outsized returns from their investments and distils the practices that set them apart.
The analysis highlights four critical strategies for firms looking to excel in the agentic AI era:
Adopt AI early to unlock ROI: Early adopters are already seeing measurable performance benefits. Firms moving decisively on AI achieve stronger outcomes in revenue growth, operational efficiency and risk reduction than slower-moving peers. Committing early, investing at scale and embedding AI into business strategy and culture are central to success.
Build an AI-ready IT and data foundation: The research underscores that “no platform, no payoff”. Without the right infrastructure, AI initiatives struggle to scale beyond pilots. Among AI leaders, 87% have made moderate or significant progress in building integrated, cloud-enabled IT platforms that connect data, strengthen governance and provide the flexibility needed to automate workflows, power real-time insights and deliver better outcomes for clients.
Embrace governance to shape the future of AI: Firms recognize that effective governance is essential to unlocking AI at scale. 62% believe clearer risk management guidelines will enable greater use of AI over the next three years. The study finds that 81% of AI leaders have already implemented formal AI governance frameworks and policies, turning compliance into a source of competitive advantage by demonstrating fairness, reliability and regulatory alignment.
Enhance, not replace, the advisor: The findings confirm that AI is fundamentally about augmenting, not replacing, human expertise. As AI capabilities mature, firms expect advisors to spend more time on high-value client engagement and complex decision-making, while AI increasingly takes the lead in operational areas such as trade and transaction execution (40%), client onboarding (36%) and performance monitoring (35%).
Extending FNZ’s AI leadership journey
The global study is the latest milestone in FNZ’s broader AI journey and its mission to open up wealth through technology.
The study complements FNZ’s strategic partnership with Microsoft and the launch of FNZ Advisor AI, a next-generation artificial intelligence solution that enables advisors to work more efficiently, engage clients more effectively and rapidly scale the delivery of personalized advice.
By combining its end-to-end platform with Microsoft’s cloud and AI capabilities, and deploying solutions such as FNZ Advisor AI, FNZ is helping financial institutions move from experimentation to industrial-scale AI adoption across the entire value chain.
Roman Regelman, Group President at FNZ, said:
AI is no longer a side project for the wealth and asset management industry, it is rapidly redefining the economics of advice. What this study shows, with real data, is just how far the leaders have already moved. They are building modern platforms, industrializing data and governance, and using AI to free advisors to do what only humans can do: understand goals, build trust and provide holistic guidance.
“At FNZ, we see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to open up wealth. Our partnership with Microsoft and the launch of FNZ Advisor AI are about turning this roadmap into reality for our clients, helping them move from experimentation to scaled, responsible deployment of AI across the entire value chain. The firms that act now will set the standard for the next decade.”