Malaysia’s Wealthy Investors Embrace AI

A new global survey commissioned by HSBC has found that Malaysia ranks among the top three markets for the adoption of AI in finance, with 85% of affluent and high-net-worth investors using the technology.

The figure places Malaysia level with mainland China at 85% and just behind India at 86%, significantly above the global average of 73%.

But despite the rapid rise of AI, Malaysian investors are showing little appetite for handing over financial decision-making entirely to machines.

More than half, or 58%, of respondents said their preferred approach to future financial decision-making would involve a combination of AI capabilities and human professional expertise.

The findings are based on a survey of nearly 10,000 affluent and high-net-worth investors across 10 global markets, commissioned by HSBC and conducted by Ipsos.

AI is increasingly becoming part of everyday financial decision-making for Malaysian investors, who are also using the technology for work and career purposes as well as personal development.

However, when it comes to investment decisions, human expertise remains firmly at the centre of the process.

Financial professionals and institutions remain the leading source of investment ideas for Malaysian respondents, cited by 65% of investors. They are also regarded as the most influential factor in investment decision-making at 39%, more than double the influence attributed directly to AI tools at 16%.

The findings suggest that while investors are embracing AI for speed, analysis and access to information, they continue to value the reassurance, judgement and strategic perspective provided by experienced financial professionals.

Among those who turn to financial professionals and institutions, 85% cited reassurance as a key reason, while 76% pointed to strategic expertise.

Investors also highlighted the importance of human oversight in identifying potential mistakes in AI-generated information, providing personalised interpretations of complex data and applying professional judgement and validation.

Linda Yip, Country Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, HSBC Malaysia, said the future of banking would increasingly depend on combining technological capability with trusted human relationships.

“Technology gives us speed, but human connection builds trust. The future of banking lies in a seamless partnership between AI-driven insights and human expertise. By pairing advanced analytics with human relationships, we aim to support our clients with the confidence to navigate, invest and pursue growth in an increasingly complex financial landscape.”

The adoption of AI is particularly strong among younger generations.

Millennials aged between 30 and 45 recorded the highest usage of AI for financial and investment decisions at 89%, followed closely by Gen Z investors aged between 21 and 29 at 86%.

Generation X investors aged between 46 and 61 followed at 85%, while 78% of Baby Boomers aged between 62 and 69 reported using AI in financial and investment decision-making.

The figures indicate that AI adoption has spread across all generations of affluent investors, rather than remaining confined to younger, technology-focused demographics.

Yet the desire for professional involvement remains strong across the market.

For Gen Z investors, AI is particularly valued for analysing portfolio performance, cited by 61%, and generating new investment ideas, cited by 57%.

Among Millennials, 53% use AI for portfolio analysis, while the same proportion turn to the technology to generate investment ideas.

The survey also points to a shift in investor confidence and risk appetite as AI becomes more widely used.

Some 57% of Malaysian respondents said AI makes them feel more in control of their investments, compared with 21% who said it makes them feel less in control.

Meanwhile, 54% said AI makes them more willing to take calculated risks, more than double the 25% who said the technology makes them more cautious.

HSBC Malaysia is responding to the growing role of AI in wealth management through the introduction of Wealth Intelligence, a generative AI-enabled platform designed to analyse and summarise information from a range of investment and market data sources.

These include HSBC Chief Investment Office house views, market commentary and analysis of unit trust funds.

The platform is intended to support Relationship Managers with personalised, data-driven insights that can help make customer conversations more timely, relevant and informed.

HSBC said the Wealth Intelligence platform is designed for internal use by Relationship Managers and does not itself provide investment advice or recommendations directly to customers.

The survey highlights what could become one of the defining trends in the future of wealth management: AI may transform how investors access information and analyse opportunities, but for Malaysia’s affluent investors, human judgement, trust and professional expertise remain essential.

Rather than replacing the financial adviser, AI appears to be creating a new model where technology and human insight increasingly work side by side.

The HSBC survey was conducted online by Ipsos Asia Limited between 6 January and 6 February 2026 and involved 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth investors aged between 21 and 69 across mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK and the US.