Visualizing the Rise of Investment Tech

Visualizing the Rise of Investment Tech

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Investors and wealth managers are always looking to capitalize on their investments—and the latest innovations are arming them with more efficient tools to get there.

Fintech solutions are increasingly being adopted among the digitally active population, as 64% of surveyed wealth managers consider digitization essential in 2019.

Today’s graphic from Raconteur highlights the benefits of investment technology, and touches on shifting sentiments in human vs. digital interactions. Where do investors and wealth managers see the next epoch of investment fintech heading?

Fantastic Features: Top Benefits

According to a TD Ameritrade survey of 1,000 investors, a whopping 90% consider getting tailored investing advice to be the most important feature of any tech tool. In second place, 52% place value in easy access to their data.

Here are the other benefits at top of mind for investors when it comes to investment tech:

• 45% seek the best possible returns
• 44% look for customized, quick, and simple analysis
• 39% are interested in customized portfolios
• 39% want the benefit of personalized budgets
• 38% desire regular suggestions for optimizing financial health

But how well are these applications being adopted in everyday investment scenarios?

The Fintech Boom by the Numbers

Investment apps such as RobinHood have drastically risen in popularity, but still lag behind more mainstream segments in the fintech space:

Fintech Categories Ranked by Adoption Rate, 2015 to 2019

Source: EY

Borrowing apps have the lowest global usage rates—only 27% of the digitally active global population—whereas nearly 75% have adopted money transfer and payment apps.

Human vs Machine: The Customer Experience

Do humans or machines have the edge in managing your investments?

The aforementioned survey by TD Ameritrade also asked investors which of the following are performed better by each group, with mixed results:

When it comes to managing tasks such as calculations, updates, and portfolio optimization, the majority of investors consider a computer to be better suited to the tasks at hand. However, when they are discussing investment concerns, personalization, or financial advice, the majority of customers prefer a human opinion.

Interestingly, 81% of U.S. investors believe that investment technology could never replace the “human touch”, compared to 70% of European investors or 64% in Asia.

Wealth Managers are Going Digital

Over time, wealth managers have grown to embrace the digitization of their industry.

The proportion of surveyed high-level executives who see digitization as essential to the industry jumped from just 25% in 2016 to 64% in 2019.

In another recent survey about views on most impactful types of fintech apps, more than 68% of wealth managers agreed that robo-advisors are among the most important developments, with AI-based investing apps following closely behind at 45%.

Towards a More Personalized Future

At the end of the day, investors want better, more personalized advice at their disposal—and for that advice to generate more profitable returns. Along with their wealth managers, investors are increasingly interested in solutions that can simplify portfolio management.

Digitization and automation of manual processes have been a welcome change for many industry professionals. While investment technology is still in early stages, wealth managers can personalize investor experiences through the adoption of tech─and increase their chances of future success by maintaining a seamless customer experience.