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Asia Becomes the Epicenter of Global Wealth: World Wealth Managers Shift Focus and Opportunities Soar

Title: The Changing Landscape of Wealth Management: Strategies for Success

Introduction:
Wealth management, once perceived as a static process of accumulating assets, is now experiencing dramatic shifts in the global economy. The baby boomer generation is passing on their wealth, the technology industry is transforming the financial landscape, and the economic rise of Asia is creating new fortunes. In this rapidly changing environment, wealth managers must adapt and navigate regional, generational, and sectoral changes to stay relevant and successful.

1. The Dynamic Nature of Wealth:
– Wealth is constantly on the move, flowing between buyers and sellers, debtors and creditors, owners and heirs, and taxpayers and the public purse.
– The traditional concept of wealth as a reserve locked behind bolted doors is outdated in today’s fast-paced world.

2. Current Trends in Global Wealth:
– Baby boomers, the wealthiest generation in history, are transferring their wealth to the next generation, leading to a significant shift in assets.
– The technology industry’s explosive growth is simultaneously siphoning and destroying funds at an unprecedented pace.
– The economic rise of Asia, particularly China and its neighbors, is creating new fortunes and driving wealth accumulation in the region.

3. The Changing Landscape for Wealth Managers:
– After a decade of expanding financial markets, overall asset growth has stalled, making regional, generational, and sectoral shifts even more significant.
– The Boston Consulting Group predicts a recovery in global personal assets, with an average growth rate of 5% in the five years leading up to 2027.
– Asian financial assets are expected to experience the fastest growth, with an average annual increase of 7.8%, surpassing the global average.

4. Emerging Wealth Management Centers:
– Multinational financial centers dominating the wealth management sector will witness faster growth in Asian centers compared to North American or European counterparts.
– According to the Boston Consulting Group, Switzerland, the current largest wealth management hub, will be overtaken by Hong Kong by 2025, while Singapore will remain in third place.
– The Gulf States are also projected to experience exceptional growth, driven by oil-fueled local fortunes and a transfer of Russian money out of Europe.

5. The Imperative for European and North American Banks:
– Dominant European and North American banks in the wealth management market are advised to invest in emerging Asian centers.
– Credit Suisse’s emphasis on retaining resources in Asia following its bailout acquisition of rival bank Julius Baer highlights the importance of Asian expansion.
– Local banks are also partnering with Western banks to enhance their services, posing both opportunities and risks for wealth management firms.

Additional Insights:

1. Understanding the Asian Wealth Management Boom:
– Rapid economic growth in Asia, driven by emerging markets and a rising middle class, has fueled the need for comprehensive wealth management services.
– Asian clients often prioritize relationship-based banking, personalized services, and global investment opportunities.
– Expanding in Asia requires a deep understanding of cultural nuances, regulatory frameworks, and local market conditions to build trust and cater to the unique needs of Asian clients.

2. The Role of Technology in Wealth Management:
– The transformative impact of technology on wealth management cannot be overstated.
– Fintech and digital platforms offer innovative solutions, allowing wealth managers to provide more accessible and efficient services.
– Robo-advisors, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology are revolutionizing the industry.
– However, balancing technology with a human touch remains crucial, as clients still value personalized advice and a trusted relationship.

3. Sustainable and Impact Investing:
– Wealth management is undergoing a paradigm shift, with a rising demand for sustainable and impact investments.
– Clients increasingly seek to align their investments with their values and make a positive social and environmental impact.
– Wealth managers need to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into their investment strategies and offer sustainable investment options to meet client expectations.

4. The Importance of a Holistic Approach:
– Wealth management is not solely about financial assets; it encompasses a broader view of clients’ goals, values, and aspirations.
– By adopting a holistic approach, wealth managers can provide comprehensive solutions, including estate planning, philanthropy, succession planning, and family office services.
– Collaboration with experts from various fields, such as tax advisors, lawyers, and philanthropic consultants, is crucial to deliver tailored solutions.

Conclusion:
In the era of rapid globalization, evolving economic trends, and technological advancements, wealth managers must adapt to stay ahead. The changing landscape of wealth management demands a proactive approach, with a focus on emerging Asian markets, embracing technology, offering sustainable and impact investing options, and adopting a holistic approach to meet clients’ evolving needs and aspirations. By positioning themselves for success in this dynamic field, wealth managers can thrive in the ever-changing world of wealth management.

Summary:
The wealth management industry is undergoing significant changes due to shifting economic trends, the transfer of wealth between generations, and the rise of Asian markets. Wealth managers must adapt to these changes by investing in emerging Asian centers, leveraging technology, offering sustainable and impact investing options, and adopting a holistic approach to cater to clients’ varied needs. Success in this dynamic field requires staying ahead of the latest trends and providing comprehensive, personalized solutions that align with clients’ values and aspirations.

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We tend to think of wealth as a reserve: an accumulation of assets, stored in property, financial instruments, gold, and cash. Locked in a safe, if you prefer, behind bolted doors. And stationary.

But in reality, money is always on the move: from sellers to buyers, from debtors to creditors, from owners to heirs, and from taxpayers to the public purse. And now everything is changing faster than ever.

Asian fortunes will grow faster in the next five years.  Slope charts showing financial assets, liabilities, and real assets for global regions

The richest generation in history, the baby boomers, are steadily coming out of the death spiral and passing their money on to (mostly) their children. Meanwhile, the explosive expansion of the technology industry (most of it in the United States) is siphoning and destroying funds at a hyperactive pace at the same time. And the economic rise of China and its neighbors is creating huge new fortunes in Asia.

Hong Kong is expected to overtake Switzerland as the world's leading cross-border wealth management center.  Chart showing cross-border wealth management by country.  Hong Kong will have the most assets under management by 2027, surpassing Switzerland

After a decade of expanding financial markets that propelled the wealthy in many parts of the world, overall asset growth has stalled, making regional, generational and sectoral shifts even more significant than before, especially all for wealth managers.

Creation of global wealth.  Charts showing the number of high net worth individuals with assets of at least $1 million, ultra-high net worth individuals of at least £30 million, and billionaires.

Not surprisingly, the world’s wealth managers are also on the move. The Boston Consulting Group’s latest annual report on global wealth, released this summer, is aptly titled reset course. The title reflects both the short-term pressures on wealth managers to adjust client portfolios after being hit by the tough markets of 2022, and the long-term need to respond to changes in global wealth.

The number of ultra-rich is expected to rise the most in the United States and China.  Chart showing projected population growth of ultra-high net worth individuals of at least £30m (2022-27)

Overall, BCG forecasts that personal assets around the world will recover from their marginal 1 percent expansion last year to an average of 5 percent in the five years to the end of 2027, close to their long-term rate of this century.

But in Asia (excluding slow-growth Japan), fortunes are expected to rise the fastest, buoyed by an average annual increase of 7.8 percent in financial assets, well above the world average of 5.3 percent.

As a result, the multinational financial centers that dominate the global wealth management business will see Asian centers grow faster than their North American or European rivals. In particular, according to BCG, Switzerland, the current largest hub, will be overtaken by Hong Kong by 2025. Singapore It is expected to expand even faster, but from a smaller base, so it will remain in third place, the report says.

The Gulf States will also see exceptional growth, projected at 9.6 percent a year, compared to 9 percent for Singapore and 7.6 percent for Hong Kong (and a global average for cross-border wealth centers). of 4.9 percent). The Middle East is benefiting not only from the oil-fuelled rise in local fortunes, but also from a major transfer of Russian money out of Europe in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.

As BCG carefully points out, the Gulf’s advantages include “low regulatory barriers to launching businesses.” So it’s a good place to bring money from other countries, to get away from everything from bureaucracy and high taxes to political instability.

The bottom line for the European and North American banks that dominate the top of the wealth management market is clear: keep investing in the emerging centers of Asia. It is no coincidence that, as USBThe world’s largest wealth manager says Credit Suisse, the rival it bought in a bailout earlier this year, is placing special emphasis on retaining the defunct bank’s resources in Asia.

Its competitors, like Julius Baer, ​​are also expanding in the region. And local banks are constantly raising the quality of their services, sometimes through partnerships with Western banks.

The deal is not without risk. But when the world of wealth is in motion, the risk is even greater if you don’t move with it.

Stefan Wagstyl is the publisher of FT Wealth and FT Money. Follow Stefan @stefanwagstyl

This article is part of FT Wealtha section that provides in-depth coverage of philanthropy, entrepreneurship, family offices, as well as alternative and impact investing.



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