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HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot 2025

Discover the latest global insights and trends on how affluent investors are navigating investment and wealth decision-making, and how these choices are reflected in the way they build their portfolios.

HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot 2025: A Quality of Life special report

The HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot: A Quality of Life special report captures insights from 10,797 affluent investors in 12 markets on their investment behaviours, objectives and attitudes.

This report highlights key findings such as how affluent investors are becoming more intentional in how they manage their wealth, and how investors source knowledge from an information-rich environment across different generations.

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Key findings

Shows three image icons to represent top factors impacting investment behaviour. The first image icon shows cost of living concerns due to high inflation and high interest rates. The second image icon shows ongoing global uncertainty due to global trade wars and geopolitical concerns. The third image icon shows economic uncertainty due to macroeconomic volatility and currency fluctuations. The top factors are factors rated as '5' or '4' on a 1-5 scale from '1 – No impact on my investment behaviour' to '5- Impacts my investment behaviour a lot'.

Top factors impacting investment behaviour

Three big things: The cost of living, global affairs, and macroeconomic issues are top of mind for 8 out of 10 affluent investors.
Bar chart to compare confidence in achieving financial goals by generation between Gen Z and Millennials versus Gen X and Baby Boomers to in terms of their confidence in achieving financial goals by time frame. 84% of Gen Z and Millennials are confident in achieving their financial goals in the short-term (0-3 years) compared to 78% of Gen X and Baby Boomers. 75% of Gen Z and Millennials are confident in achieving their financial goals in the medium-term (3-5 years) compared to 69% of Gen X and Baby Boomers. 80% of Gen Z and Millennials are confident in achieving their financial goals in the long-term (>5 years) compared to 73% of Gen X and Baby Boomers. The confidence % refers to those who rated '5 – Extremely Confident' or '4' in 5-point scale.

Confidence in achieving financial goals in the short-term to long-term across generations

Despite working towards a longer time horizon, younger generations are more confident than other generations that they will achieve their financial goals.
Shows that affluent are investing more to achieve their financial security in which they have cut their cash by 40% over the past year. Looking ahead, however, views on cash are split. The supporting graph shows total cash allocation across generations have been reduced by 13 points from 33% in 2024 to 20% in 2025.

Affluent investors continue to prioritise financial security, putting more of their cash to work

Affluent investors cut cash levels by nearly 40% as interest rates fell, while doubling their allocations to alternatives and gold. However, there is no clear consensus going forward, with half of affluent investors planning to keep their cash allocation unchanged over the next 12 months.
The image is ten graphic icons representing people side by side. Five of the figures are coloured red to show approximately five out of ten plan to own gold within the next 12 months – double the current ownership level. It has a legend on the image to show the comparison between 2024 and 2025. The text reads, 'Gold demand is rising; affluent investors have more than doubled their allocations.' Gold in this sentence refers to gold and precious metals.

Building more diversified portfolios with a wider range of instruments, especially in the younger generations

Younger generations are leading the adoption of alternative investments, showing a growing interest in private markets versus last year. 5 out of 10 affluent investors plan to own alternatives within the next 12 months – double the current ownership level.
Shows 42% of affluent investors with a preference for exposure outside their home market in the next 12 months.

Affluent investors are looking beyond their own borders to build and manage their wealth

42% of affluent investors have a preference for exposure outside their home market in the next 12 months.
Shows a bar chart across four different generations on the average number of information collection channels currently used. The number for Baby Boomers is 3.2. The number for Gen X is 3.7. The number for Millennials is 4.2. The number for Gen Z is 4.1. Across all generations, the number is 3.8. The text reads, 'Younger generations are more likely to look to a wider range of sources to gain insights into wealth management, than older generations.'

Affluent investors cast a wide net for information sourcing

Social platforms and bank digital channels are the top two information sources overall, although Baby Boomers prefer non-bank channels.

Explore the full report

Download the global edition of the HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot: A Quality of Life special report

Download full report (PDF) This link will open in a new window
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