Singapore investors outpace global counterparts in AI adoption for finance, but remain cautious at the point of decision

Singapore's mass affluent and high-net-worth investors are using AI for finance and investment (76%) at a higher rate than the global average (73%), yet they continue to look to financial advisers to validate AI-generated insights before making investment decisions, according to new research by HSBC from Ipsos.

HSBC’s new survey of more than 600 Singapore investors conducted in January and February 2026 point to an investor base that has embedded AI in its research workflow while placing a continued preference on expert human advice at the moment of decision.

These findings come as HSBC Singapore accelerates the roll-out of adviser-enabled AI, including Wealth Intelligence, launched in September 2025, and AI Prepare, launched in May 2026. Wealth Intelligence gives relationship managers access to insights and research from more than 10,000 sources, helping advisers arrive at client conversations better informed. AI Prepare generates a comprehensive client engagement pack in seconds, bringing together the client’s full financial picture. This reduces manual preparation for relationship managers, allowing them to focus on delivering personalised advice and strengthening client trust.

Meanwhile, HSBC and Google Cloud announced a multi-year strategic AI partnership on 17 June 2026, with hyper-personalised wealth management support among its three initial focus areas. The partnership is expected to enable more than 200 new AI use cases across HSBC's global operations within two years.

The generational spread of that adoption is one of the more striking Singapore-specific findings. Gen X investors report AI use in finance at 72%, against a global equivalent of 65%. Among Baby Boomers, the gap is wider: 72% in Singapore versus 59% globally. AI engagement here is not concentrated among younger investors; it cuts across age groups in a way that distinguishes Singapore from most of the other nine markets surveyed.

AI adoption does not translate into reliance. Only 8% of Singapore investors say AI was the single most influential source in their last major investment decision, against 12% globally. And while 43% say AI has increased their appetite for taking calculated risks, that figure sits below the 49% global average, consistent with Singapore's positioning as a more measured market alongside the US (44%), UK (39%) and Taiwan (43%).

Investors use AI to research and analyse (69%), for strategy support (44%), and to stress-test their own ideas (34%), then bring those findings to a professional adviser for reassurance (79%) and strategic expertise (71%). Four in ten Singapore investors (40%) say their ideal approach is hybrid, with 57% preferring AI and advisers working together, above the global figure (50%). That preference holds across generations: 45% of Singapore Gen Z investors favour the sequence for generating new investment ideas, ahead of their global peers at 38%.

Ashmita Acharya, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, HSBC Singapore, said: "Our new data tells us is that Singapore's investors are using AI in their financial decision-making with discipline. They are doing more of their own analysis, arriving at conversations better prepared, and expecting more of the professional advisers who help them as a result. That is not a challenge to the adviser relationship model; it is setting a higher bar for what good advice looks like.

Our investment in adviser-enabled AI, including Wealth Intelligence, AI Prepare, and our broader partnership with Google Cloud, gives our relationship managers the tools to work at the same level of rigour as the clients they serve, and to bring something to the conversation that AI alone cannot; deep experience, empathy, clear judgement and accountability for the outcome."

Among high-net-worth investors (those with USD 2 million or more in investable assets), AI adoption reaches 90%, compared with 82% globally. Singapore's wealthiest respondents attribute an average 40% of their investment returns over the past 12 months to AI influence, above the 31% average across all Singapore investors surveyed. At the same time, two thirds (65%) say AI makes them feel more in control. These are clients who are already measuring AI's contribution to their portfolio performance; what they are looking for from their bank is a relationship that matches their level of sophistication.

HSBC’s new survey included 9,993 mass affluent and high-net-worth investors across ten markets. The Singapore dataset comprised 609 respondents (weighted), surveyed between January and February 2026.

Media Enquiries

Carina Koh carina.koh@hsbc.com.sg
Urvashi Raizada urvashi.raizada@hsbc.com.sg