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How Jackson Ng is Driving Practical AI Innovation to Transform Asian Wealth Management
Jackson Ng of Azimut highlights practical AI use in wealth management, focusing on client profiling, portfolio optimization, and human-AI collaboration. Agility and oversight remain key.

Helping Asian Wealth Management Communities Interact
Jackson Ng of Azimut Investment Management: Driving Practical AI Innovation in Wealth Management
May 14, 2025
Artificial intelligence is shifting how wealth management operates. Jackson Ng, COO and CTO of Azimut Group in Singapore and Regional Head of Fintech, Asia, shared his clear and practical views on this shift during the Hubbis Digital Dialogue on April 17. His focus was on how AI can deliver real value, cutting through hype to highlight outcome-driven applications. Ng emphasized that wealth managers must stay focused, agile, and practical in adopting AI to create meaningful benefits.
Enhancing and Creating Value Through AI
Ng pointed out that AI’s influence extends well beyond technology sectors. While many believe human relationships in wealth management cannot be replaced, recent trends suggest AI is increasingly playing roles even in areas like companionship and therapy. Citing a Harvard Business Review report titled “How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025,” he noted how behaviors are changing fast.
He distinguished between two ways AI is used: enhancement and value creation. Enhancement covers improving existing processes like automation, fraud detection, and risk management, making them faster and more efficient. Value creation, however, is where AI truly impacts growth—through client profiling, portfolio optimization, and behavioral analytics. Ng stressed the importance of focusing on value creation. Understanding clients deeply and using AI to optimize portfolios and analyze behavior can significantly improve wealth management services.
Azimut’s AI Innovations: Client-Centric Technology
Ng shared insights about Azimut Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools aimed at advancing personalized asset and wealth management. This includes three main platforms:
- Goal-Based Financial Planning AI: This model prioritizes clients' financial wellness, aligning portfolios with both short- and long-term goals rather than just returns. It profiles clients, understands their objectives, and analyzes portfolio data to identify tailored investment solutions.
- Data-Driven Decision Support: A system designed to help wealth managers sift through investment options efficiently, spot opportunities, and access institutional expertise.
- Generative AI Chatbot: Trained on Azimut’s proprietary data, this tool allows wealth managers worldwide to get reliable, context-aware insights and answers to complex financial queries instantly.
A Vision for Agentic AI: Transforming Client Service Models
Looking ahead, Ng highlighted the potential of agentic AI—systems that can not only analyze data but also take autonomous actions. He predicted that AI agents will soon become colleagues in the workplace.
Ng encouraged a mindset of collaboration with AI agents, not fear. He compared this upcoming change to the early skepticism around digital banking, which gave way to widespread use as trust grew. Wealth management will likely see a similar shift, driven by client demands for smarter, more autonomous service models.
The Need for Agility and Human Oversight
Ng emphasized that despite AI’s increasing capabilities, human oversight remains essential, especially in finance. He shared how he uses AI tools like ChatGPT for writing and brainstorming, and Google’s NotebookLM for research, but always stays involved to verify AI’s reasoning.
This approach blends machine intelligence with human expertise to provide smarter, faster, and more personalized services without compromising trust.
Building the Future: A Client-First Approach to AI Innovation
Ng’s outlook on AI in wealth management is grounded in practical optimism. He envisions AI as a partner that enhances, rather than replaces, human advisors. The goal is scalable, accessible personalized advice, where firms that adopt AI thoughtfully gain a clear competitive advantage.
His advice to wealth managers is straightforward:
- Set clear objectives
- Prioritize value creation
- Leverage AI thoughtfully
- Embed human-centric safeguards
Ng concluded that while the exact path AI will take is uncertain, its impact on wealth management will be profound. Success will go to those who adapt with focus and purpose.
For managers interested in practical AI skills and tools, exploring targeted AI training can be a valuable step. Resources such as Complete AI Training offer courses designed to build relevant expertise in this evolving area.