Wealth Management Trends 2015

Celent explores areas in which wealth managers and vendors are lagging and/or missing opportunities to position themselves for long-term growth.

In the report Wealth Management Trends 2015, Celent presents the most relevant market and technology trends over the past year that will continue into the near- and medium-term future.

The main trends highlighted in the report include:

• Realignment of the wealth management business.
• Ongoing disruption of advisor-based model.
• Next-gen clients arising.
• Digitization and channel expansion.
• Creating efficiencies with platform consolidation and middle/back office improvements.
• Increasing focus on advisor and end user tools.
• Mutualization of costs.

“Wealth managers are reorienting their businesses towards stable fee generation, and broadening their services with new delivery models and channels,” says Isabella Fonseca, a research director with Celent’s Wealth Management practice and coauthor of the report.

“Shifts in the core client base, changing expectations, adoption of passive investing, and regulations have led to a fragmented market. Additionally, advances in digital technology have empowered clients to expect omnichannel and flexible delivery of low-cost services across the preferred channel regardless of firm segmentation, with collaboration tools, reporting, and aggregation,” says Will Trout, a senior analyst with Celent’s Wealth Management practice and coauthor of the report.

This report differs from others the industry; it presents Celent’s analysis by rating each trend and technology in three domains: disruptive potential, maturity of technology, and widespread adoption.

“Some of the most disruptive technologies are still rated low in terms of maturity and adoption, whereas technologies and services that have widespread adoption are typically complementary to pre-existing models of service and delivery,” says Ashley Globerman, an analyst with Celent’s Wealth Management practice and coauthor of the report.