KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10): Malaysia ranks among the top three global markets for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in finance, but over half of the country's high-net-worth investors still prefer a hybrid approach that integrates AI with human expertise when making financial decisions, according to HSBC.

A survey commissioned by the bank and conducted by research firm Ipsos revealed that 85% of affluent Malaysian investors use AI for financial tasks. This ties Malaysia with mainland China and puts it second only to India (86%), easily outpacing the global average of 73%.

HSBC’s survey covered 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth individual investors aged 21 to 69, with investable assets of at least US$100,000 and US$2 million respectively.

Conducted by Ipsos Asia for HSBC from Jan 6 to Feb 6, 2026, the online survey covered 10 markets, including Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the UK and the US.

However, high adoption has not replaced the need for human guidance. Over half of local respondents prefer a human-AI synergy when managing their money.

"Technology gives us speed, but human connection builds trust. The future of banking lies in a seamless partnership between AI-driven insights and human expertise," HSBC Malaysia country head of international wealth and premier banking Linda Yip said in a statement on Monday.

That said, traditional financial advisors and institutions remain the most trusted resource for local investors as they lead the primary source for investment ideas (65%) and exert more than double the influence on final decisions (39%) compared to stand-alone AI tools (16%).

On the heavy reliance on human advisors, a dominant number of investors cited the need for reassurance, while 76% valued strategic expertise. Key reasons include having a professional spot errors in AI data, interpret complex markets, and offer validated judgement.

Similarly, AI usage among younger generations remains strong with the millennials taking up the stop spot followed by Gen Z, Gen X and Baby Boomers at 85% and 78% respectively.

Regardless of age, most investors favour a hybrid setup, particularly for evaluating portfolio performance and surfacing new investment opportunities.

Overall, the shift in sentiment towards AI remains positive, with 57% of investors reporting that AI tools help them feel more in control of their portfolios, and 54% stating it makes them more comfortable taking calculated risks.

To support this demand for a combined approach, HSBC Malaysia has launched Wealth Intelligence, a generative AI platform that aggregates internal house views and fund analytics to help relationship managers better advise their clients.