More than nine out of ten (93%) UK wealth management professionals expect AI to become integral to their work within the next two years, up from 87% a year ago.
That compares with 84% globally, according to new research from technology services firm Avaloq.
Confidence in the benefits of the technology is also growing, with 90% of UK wealth managers saying AI will benefit the wealth management industry, up from 82% in 2025 and notably higher than the global average of 76%.
When it comes to clients, the UK is lagging behind global acceptance of AI being used in investment decisions, according to the study.
Just a quarter (25%) of UK wealth managers say their clients are open to AI, compared with more than two fifths (42%) globally. Around a third (35%) of UK managers say clients are open to AI for Financial Planning, also trailing the 44% global average.
Less than half (43%) of UK clients say they would feel comfortable with AI assisting a human adviser in providing investment advice, compared with 52% globally. Almost half (48%) would prefer no AI involvement in investment advice at all, versus 34% globally.
Suman Rao, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Avaloq, said: “AI is rapidly moving from an emerging technology to something UK wealth management professionals expect to become a fundamental part of how they work. However, enthusiasm within the industry needs to be balanced with how clients feel about the use of the technology.
“Building confidence will require firms to be transparent about where and how AI is being used, while keeping human judgement and expertise at the centre of the client relationship.”
• The Avaloq wealth insights 2026 report is based on two surveys of 4,256 affluent and high-net-worth investors and 480 wealth management professionals. For the UK, the research included 400 investors with investable assets of at least USD 250,000 and 40 wealth management professionals.