AI delivers returns for wealth managers, FNZ study finds

FNZ has published a global study on artificial intelligence in wealth management that suggests AI has moved into the mainstream of the sector and is already delivering financial returns for many firms.

The report, titled The AI-Powered Investment Firm, is based on a survey of more than 500 financial institutions across 16 markets. The firms together manage US$74.2 trillion in assets, which the study says is about 44% of assets under management held by financial institutions worldwide.

The findings indicate that most senior executives now see AI as central to their future business models. FNZ said 73% of respondents view AI as critical to the future of their business. It said 63% believe AI will "revolutionize" the wealth and asset management sector.

The survey also points to early financial payoffs from AI projects. FNZ reported that 88% of executives see positive returns from AI investments. Almost one in five said returns exceed 7%, which the study links to growth, efficiency and risk reduction. Most firms in the survey, at 62%, said they recouped their AI investment within two years.

AI leaders identified

FNZ worked with research firm ThoughtLab on the project. The study identifies a subset of "AI leaders" that report stronger results from AI spending than peers.

The analysis links this leadership group with earlier and larger commitments to AI. These firms reported more decisive moves to embed AI into strategy and culture. The report says they tend to link AI investments directly to revenue growth, operational efficiency and risk management targets.

The study states that timing matters. It says firms that adopt AI early show better outcomes than slower adopters across a range of performance measures.

Platforms and data

The research highlights technology and data infrastructure as a dividing line between leaders and laggards. FNZ said 87% of AI leaders have made moderate or significant progress in building integrated, cloud-based IT platforms.

These platforms connect data across the organisation. They also underpin governance and automation. The report says this kind of infrastructure allows firms to scale AI beyond pilots and proofs of concept.

The study warns that firms without modern platforms risk blocking AI roll-outs. It states that "no platform, no payoff" is a central finding. It links weak infrastructure with limits on real-time data use and slower process automation.

Governance focus

Regulation and internal control frameworks emerge as a second major theme. According to the research, 81% of AI leaders have implemented formal AI governance frameworks and policies.

These frameworks cover issues such as fairness, reliability and regulatory alignment. The study finds that firms see governance as a way to expand AI use, not only as a constraint.

Almost two-thirds of respondents, at 62%, believe clearer risk-management guidelines will enable greater AI deployment over the next three years. The report says firms that invest in governance use it as a signal to clients and regulators.

Advisers augmented

The survey suggests that wealth managers expect AI to change adviser roles rather than remove them. FNZ said 73% of firms believe AI will deliver a step-change in human productivity.

Executives in the study expect AI systems to handle more routine and administrative tasks. These tasks include trade and transaction execution, where 40% see AI taking the lead. Other areas include client onboarding, cited by 36%, and performance monitoring, cited by 35%.

Firms expect advisers to spend more time on relationship management, complex judgments and strategic planning. This shift sits at the centre of FNZ's argument that AI will reshape the economics of advice.

Roman Regelman, Group President at FNZ, said the findings show that AI is already reshaping industry structures.

"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 advisers to do what only humans can do: understand goals, build trust and provide holistic guidance," said Regelman, Group President, FNZ.

FNZ's AI push

The study forms part of a wider AI strategy at FNZ. The company has been expanding its use of AI tools within its own platform and through partnerships.

FNZ has a strategic partnership with Microsoft that covers cloud and AI technologies. The company has also launched FNZ Advisor AI. This is an AI-based product that FNZ says supports advisers with client engagement and more personalised advice delivery.

FNZ frames these initiatives as a way for clients to move from AI experimentation towards broader adoption. The firm said this applies across the wealth and asset management value chain.

Regelman said FNZ sees the current period as a structural moment for the sector. "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," said Regelman.