Young Hong Kong investors want AI involved in their portfolio decisions, survey says
Some younger wealth-management clients even trust robo-advisers more than humans, according to EY
Nearly three-quarters of Hong Kong millennials not only accept that their wealth managers will use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to construct and adjust their investment portfolios – they expect them to, according to research by EY.
While people in the millennial generation – aged between 25 and 41 – had faith in AI, only 43 per cent of baby boomers – aged 58 and above – felt the same way, according to the 2025 Global Wealth Research Report published on Tuesday.
“When it comes to using robo-advisers, some clients have even said that in certain circumstances they trust the robo-advisers a bit better than human advisers,” said Patricia Tay, EY’s sector leader for Asia-Pacific banking and capital markets.
“While Hong Kong boomers tend to favour traditional advisory models, younger clients – particularly millennials – show a clear preference for AI-powered tools, personalised digital experiences, and greater openness to digital assets.”
The belief in AI was “a significant generational divide in wealth-management preferences among affluent clients in Hong Kong”, Tay added.
The sixth edition of the report polled more than 3,600 people from 30 markets around the world late last year. The respondents ranged from “mass affluent” people with investible assets of US$250,000 to US$1 million to ultra-high-net-worth clients with US$30 million or more.
Hong Kong investors were more fickle about their advisers than their global counterparts, the survey showed. About 35 per cent of 172 Hong Kong respondents said they were likely to switch their primary wealth-management provider in the next three years, higher than the global average of 29 per cent, but in line with the Asia-Pacific average of 36 per cent.