Affluent and high-net-worth investors in Malaysia are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) tools for finance and investment, but they still rely heavily on the critical oversight that comes from human professional judgement. This is why more than half, or 58% still want human-AI synergy in making financial decisions.
A new survey of around 10,000 affluent and high-net-worth individuals across 10 markets, commissioned by HSBC and conducted by Ipsos Asia Limited, shows AI has become a widely used tool among these investors.
Malaysia ranked among the top three markets for AI adoption in finance at 85%, level with mainland China (85%) and trailing only India (86%).
Aside from finance, these investors are also using AI for work and career (64%) and for personal development (64%).
Despite the strong interest in AI for finance, these investors still rank financial professionals and institutions as the leading source of investment ideas (65%) and the most influential factor in investment decisions (39%), more than double the influence of AI tools (16%).
When asked why investors turn to financial professionals and institutions when making financial decisions, 85% cite reassurance and 76% cite strategic expertise. This includes spotting mistakes in AI-generated data (31%), providing personalised interpretation of complex data (31%) and applying judgement and validation (30%).
HSBC Malaysia country head of international wealth and premier banking Linda Yip said, “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.”
Across the generations surveyed, Gen-Z (aged 21-29) and Millennials (aged 30-45) make up the heaviest users of AI for financial and investment decisions, at 86% and 89% respectively, followed by Generation X (aged 46 to 61) at 85% and Baby Boomers (aged 62-69) at 78%.
While AI use is high across generations, the data shows it does not remove the need for professional insights within any age group. 58% of respondents in Malaysia say their ideal
future financial decision-making approach is driven by the Human-AI partnership. For Gen Z, this includes analysing portfolio performance (61%) and generating new investment ideas (57%); for Millennials, the pattern is similar at 53% for both tasks.
AI use also appears linked to shifts in sentiment among these investors. 57% say it makes them feel more in control of their investments, compared with 21% who say it makes them feel less in control. More than half (54%) say AI makes them more willing to take calculated risks – more than double the 25% who say it makes them more cautious.
HSBC Malaysia is advancing the Human–AI hybrid approach through the launch of Wealth Intelligence, a generative AI-enabled platform that analyses and summarises insights from data sources. These include HSBC Chief Investment Office house views, market commentary and comprehensive analysis of unit trust funds, helping Relationship Managers work toward more effective and valuable customer conversations.
