Most wealthy Malaysian investors now use AI tools, survey finds

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) — About 85 percent of affluent and high-net-worth investors in Malaysia use artificial-intelligence tools for finance and investment, ranking the country third among ten markets surveyed, according to the bank HSBC.

Malaysia’s figure was level with mainland China and behind only India at 86 percent, and above the ten-market average of 73 percent, HSBC said in releasing its survey of wealthy individual investors. 

Adoption was highest among millennials (aged 30 to 45) at 89 percent. Beyond finance, Malaysian respondents also used AI for work and career, and for personal development, each at 64 percent.

Despite heavy adoption, investors still trust people more than machines. 

Financial professionals remained the leading source of investment ideas, cited by 65 percent, and the most influential factor in decisions at 39 percent — more than double the 16 percent who cited AI tools. Respondents valued human advisers for reassurance, for spotting errors in AI-generated data, and for interpreting complex information.

AI did shape investor confidence: 57 percent said it made them feel more in control, against 21 percent who felt less so, and 54 percent said it made them more willing to take calculated risks. 

HSBC Malaysia said it is pursuing a “human-AI hybrid” approach through a new platform, Wealth Intelligence, that summarizes market data to support adviser conversations. Country wealth head Linda Yip said technology provides speed while human connection builds trust.