Singapore investors use AI widely but still seek advisers

HSBC research shows investors in Singapore are using artificial intelligence for finance and investment tasks at a higher rate than the global average. Even so, most still turn to human advisers before making major investment decisions.

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.

Adoption was especially high among wealthier clients. Among investors with USD $2 million or more in investable assets, 90% in Singapore said they use AI for finance and investment, compared with 82% globally.

The findings also showed strong use among older investors, suggesting AI in finance is not limited to younger age groups. In Singapore, 72% of both Gen X and Baby Boomer investors said they use AI for finance tasks, compared with 65% and 59% globally.

Measured use

Despite broad uptake, Singapore investors remain cautious about acting on AI alone. Just 8% said AI was the single most influential source in their last major investment decision, below the global figure of 12%.

Many respondents use AI at the research stage rather than as a final decision-maker. The survey found that 69% use it to research and analyse, 44% for strategy support, and 34% to stress-test their own ideas.

That feeds into a hybrid model in which investors combine machine-led analysis with professional advice. Four in ten Singapore investors said they prefer to use AI first and then consult an adviser before committing, while 57% favour AI and advisers working together, above the global figure of 50%.

The importance of human input was clear in the reasons investors gave for consulting advisers. Among Singapore respondents, 79% said they seek reassurance from a professional adviser, and 71% cited strategic expertise.

Risk appetite also appeared more restrained than in some other markets. While 43% of Singapore investors said AI had increased their appetite for taking calculated risks, this was below the global average of 49%.

Bank response

The data comes as HSBC expands the use of AI tools for its own wealth managers in Singapore. These include Wealth Intelligence, which gives relationship managers access to research and insights drawn from more than 10,000 sources, and AI Prepare, which compiles a client engagement pack from a customer's financial information.

These tools are intended to help advisers enter client meetings better prepared as investors arrive with more of their own research and higher expectations. HSBC has also announced a multi-year AI partnership with Google Cloud, with wealth management as an initial focus area.

"Our new data tells us 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," said Ashmita Acharya, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, HSBC Singapore.

Wealth clients

Among high-net-worth respondents in Singapore, the survey found that AI was already perceived to have a material effect on portfolio outcomes. This group attributed an average 40% of their investment returns over the past 12 months to AI influence, above the 31% average across all Singapore investors surveyed.

Two-thirds of high-net-worth respondents also said AI made them feel more in control of their investments. That suggests the technology is becoming embedded not only in research habits but also in how affluent clients assess their own decision-making.

Singapore stands out for combining high adoption with relatively low willingness to rely on AI in isolation. For banks and advisers, that points to a client base that is comfortable using digital tools but still expects accountability and judgement from a person when money is at stake.

The preference for a blended model was also visible among younger investors. The survey found that 45% of Gen Z investors in Singapore favour using AI to generate new investment ideas before validating them with an adviser, ahead of 38% of their global peers.

Across the wider dataset, Singapore emerged as one of the more deliberate markets in its use of AI for wealth decisions, pairing high usage with continued demand for human validation at the point of commitment. Only 8% of Singapore investors said AI was the single most influential source in their last major investment decision.