Singapore’s mass affluent and high-net-worth investors are adopting AI for financial decisions faster than the global average, but continue to rely on human advisers before committing to major decisions, according to new research commissioned by HSBC.

The Human-AI Advantage study, conducted by Ipsos, surveyed more than 9,900 investors across ten markets, including 609 in Singapore. It found 76% of Singapore investors use AI for finance and investment tasks, ahead of the 73% global average, with adoption reaching 90% among those holding over US$2 million in investable assets.

Older generations driving adoption

The Singapore data breaks from the assumption that AI use in finance skews young. Gen X and Baby Boomer adoption both sit at 72% locally, well above their global counterparts at 65% and 59% respectively.

AI first, human validated

Despite high usage, only 8% of Singapore investors say AI was the single most influential factor in their last major investment decision. Instead, 40% describe a hybrid approach: using AI to research and stress-test ideas before bringing them to a human adviser for validation.

“Our new data tells us that Singapore’s investors are using AI in their financial decision-making with discipline,” said Ashmita Acharya, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, HSBC Singapore.

Bank investment follows suit

The findings coincide with HSBC Singapore’s rollout of adviser-facing AI tools, including Wealth Intelligence, launched in September 2025, and AI Prepare, launched in May 2026. HSBC also announced a multi-year AI partnership with Google Cloud in June 2026, aimed at enabling more than 200 new AI use cases across its global operations within two years.