Global study finds 78% use AI for investment insights

BridgeWise has published its State of AI for Wealth in 2026 report, which found that 78.3% of respondents already use AI tools for investment-related queries.

Based on a survey of 2,100 people across 19 countries, the report points to broad use of AI in investment research. Nearly half of respondents (45.7%) said they always or often consult AI when seeking investment information, while 10.7% said they use it for every investment query.

The findings suggest AI use in wealth and investment research has moved beyond early experimentation. Another 65.1% of respondents said they are likely to replace parts of their manual investment research with AI tools within the next year.

Regional split

The report also introduced a Global Wealth AI Optimism Index covering the 19 countries in the study. The benchmark measures four areas: adoption, confidence, perceived advantage, and momentum to replace traditional research methods with AI.

By that measure, the Middle East ranked as the world's top region. It placed ahead of Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe in both current adoption and future momentum.

Latin America also ranked strongly, placing first for confidence in AI accuracy and for the view that AI gives investors a strategic edge.

This regional pattern is notable because North America and Europe are often seen as leading financial markets. The survey indicates that respondents in the Middle East and Latin America report stronger current enthusiasm for AI in investing than users in those more established markets.

User behaviour

The study also breaks usage down by frequency and age. Among respondents aged 18 to 35, 57.8% identified as frequent AI users, compared with 26.9% of those over 50.

BridgeWise data also identified a group called "Untapped Believers". Around 29.3% of respondents who do not currently use AI for investment research said they already trust its accuracy.

That suggests the barrier for some non-users may not be distrust of the technology. Instead, it may be a lack of suitable, easily accessible tools within existing wealth management and investment platforms.

The research covered employed adults aged 18 to 75 with active bank accounts, with equal male and female participation. Respondents came from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Research shift

The findings point to a possible shift in how investors gather information. If the 65.1% figure reflects actual behaviour, a large share of investment research could shift from manual processes to AI-assisted search and analysis.

For financial institutions, this may affect how they present research, recommendations, and client tools. It also raises questions about how firms in regulated markets will respond as demand for AI-based information becomes more visible among both retail and professional investors.

BridgeWise develops AI tools for equity and fund analysis and serves more than 100 institutional clients and 35 million end users in more than 15 languages. It has offices in Japan, Singapore, the US, London, Brazil, Thailand, Israel, and Dubai.

Its partners include Japan Exchange Group, S&P Global Market Intelligence, SIX, B3, eToro, TASE, and Rakuten Securities. Those relationships place it within a network of exchanges, data providers, and investment platforms already involved in digital investment services.

Gaby Diamant, Chief Executive Officer of BridgeWise, said the survey reflects a widening gap in how investors and institutions approach research and decision-making.

"The competitive divide in wealth management will no longer run between humans and machines. It will run between those who have access to specialized, wealth-native intelligence that surfaces opportunities invisible to generic AI engines, and those still navigating an increasingly complex global market with tools that were not built for it. The data from this study confirms the demand is already there. The mandate now is to meet it with AI that is explainable, accurate, and purpose-built for finance from the ground up," Diamant said.