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Wealth and asset management leaders launch global study on AI and transformative technologies reshaping the investment industry

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by ThoughtLab
| 08/09/2025 09:00:00

In-depth and unprecedented global study, spanning 16 countries, will analyze how investment firms will harness AI across their front, middle, and back offices to meet rapidly changing customer and employee needs

As AI innovation enters the agentic AI era, ThoughtLab, a leading global research firm, has launched a landmark study with top firms providing services to the wealth and asset management industry, including FNZ, Grant Thornton, ServiceNow and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The research will explore how the latest advances in AI and other transformative technologies will reshape the investment sector.

The new research initiative —The AI-powered investment firm: How wealth and asset management providers will transform their businesses through AI — will deliver a first-of-its-kind actionable roadmap for succeeding in the next age of AI. It will be backed by rigorous analysis, expert insights, best practice use cases, and hard performance data. The study will provide financial services executives with an evidence-based guide for driving business transformation and performance through AI and related technologies, such as end-to-end platforms.

It will show how firms can use AI-enabled digital solutions across their value chains to create personalised customer experiences, build employee and adviser productivity, minimise risks and fraud, generate cost efficiencies, close the advice gap, and ultimately drive new levels of profitability and growth. As part of the initiative, the research team will develop the first industry-specific AI-maturity model for wealth and asset management firms, which can be used to benchmark and optimise AI performance.

AI will give industry executives the tools to navigate profound shifts already transforming the investment landscape, including an US$80 trillion-plus wealth transfer to a new digital generation with high demands for personalisation, product democratisation, new business and service models, and reduced fees. Our pioneering research will provide wealth and asset management executives with the decision support they need to propel true strategic change through AI and other groundbreaking technologies,” said Lou Celi, ThoughtLab’s CEO and program director.

A look into the AI-driven future

This comprehensive research program is being spearheaded by ThoughtLab and end-to-end technology platform FNZ as well as professional services provider Grant Thornton, together with ServiceNow, which offers AI-enabled enterprise software; AWS, a leading provider of cloud computing services and AI technologies; and Wireside Communications, an award-winning, independent public relations agency. It will be rolled out with the collaboration of a coalition of leading wealth and asset management firms, research institutions, and AI experts. The program will include:

  • A global benchmarking survey of 500 financial institutions in 16 markets, across asset levels and types of business, to be conducted from July through August 2025.
  • Insights from an advisory board of executives from top wealth and asset management firms and industry experts from around the world.
  • Analysis of the use of latest AI technologies, such as generative, agentic, multimodal, and edge AI, in combination with adjacent technologies, such as modern IT platforms, blockchain, and data management systems.
  • In-depth interviews with executives from investment firms identified as leaders in AI transformation, as well as with AI regulators and specialists.
  • Rigorous benchmarking and maturity modeling of the AI-enabled strategies, practices, investments, and performance results of surveyed institutions.

The study will answer critical questions on the impact of AI on the wealth and asset management industry, including:

1. How will AI transform investment firms over the next three years? In which ways will AI-powered firms operate differently than others? What will it mean for the future of work?

2. What are the most effective AI use cases for investment firms across the front, middle, and back office? What performance returns are firms seeing from these initiatives?

3. How can AI and related technologies support wealth advisory firms as hyper-personalised services become the norm across all wealth segments?

4. How is the global AI regulatory landscape evolving, and what impact will it have on the ability of investment firms to innovate quickly and responsibly?

5. What steps should investment firms take now to prepare for the next AI era? What does a successful roadmap to AI leadership look like?

6. Which challenges are firms facing on their AI journeys, and how can they overcome them?

As part of this open research initiative, the study group will provide regular updates on the program to the global wealth and asset management community, along with the latest analysis, views from industry practitioners, and useful data resources. The research program will continue over the next five months, with full study findings, actionable insights, and related decision-support tools to be released in the fourth quarter of 2025.

For more information, contact:

Lou Celi, Chief Executive Officer of ThoughtLab
Louceli@thoughtlabgroup.com

Daniel Miles, Chief Economist of ThoughtLab
DanielMiles@thoughtlabgroup.com

Mallory Knabel, Account Executive at Wireside Communications
mknabel@wireside.com

About ThoughtLab
ThoughtLab is an innovative thought leadership firm that provides fresh ideas and rigorous analysis to help business and government leaders cope with transformative change. ThoughtLab specialises in assessing the impact of technology on industries, cities, and markets. Our services include fielding business, consumer, investor, and government surveys; organising executive interviews, meetings, and advisory groups; conducting economic modeling, benchmarking, and performance analysis; and developing white papers, eBooks, and customer-facing analytical tools.