Wealth management is entering what many observers are calling a defining period. Clients expect the convenience of digital platforms combined with the reassurance of trusted, personal advice. Regulators are tightening expectations around suitability, disclosure and consumer outcomes. Markets remain volatile, and AI promises faster insight – but only to firms whose data infrastructure is fit to support it.
In this environment, the quality of your data is not simply an operational concern. It is a strategic one.
The pressure is converging from multiple directions
A 2026 survey of 124 wealth management executives found that cybersecurity ranked as a top-three concern for the third consecutive year, and that nearly two-thirds of respondents said cybersecurity measures, data privacy initiatives and account management platforms are actively reshaping how their firms operate[1]. At the same time, the FCA has made clear that its Consumer Duty programme will continue to intensify through 2026, with specific supervisory focus on wealth managers’ identification of vulnerable clients, the risks of providing unsuitable advice, and how firms assess fair value for their clients[2].
The picture is one of compounding demands: regulators expecting more demonstrable evidence of good outcomes, clients expecting more personalised and timely service, and technology offering new capabilities that only function well when built on clean, well-governed data.
The data landscape in most wealth firms
For all the talk of digital transformation, many wealth management firms are still contending with a fragmented data estate. The typical picture includes multiple portfolio systems and reporting tools that do not communicate with one another, separate CRM platforms operating across teams or regions, email and document repositories that are poorly indexed and difficult to search, and historical client files that remain on paper or as basic scans rather than structured, searchable data.
The consequence is a familiar one: it is hard to get a single, trusted view of each client – their holdings, risk profile, stated preferences, advice history and communications over time. As Elixirr’s 2026 wealth management analysis puts it, the root cause of firms’ data problems is often not a lack of investment in AI but rather broken data architectures built up through years of incremental decisions, resulting in fragmented data estates, duplicated systems and manual reconciliation[3]. Industry leaders such as BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase have found that investing in AI tools without first addressing underlying data quality is ultimately futile[3].
AI-enabled insight and service
The potential of AI in wealth management is considerable. It can help firms identify opportunities, flag portfolio risks, surface relevant client insights and automate parts of the advice and review process. A recent Fidelity survey found that more than two-thirds of wealth management firms are already using generative AI in some form[4], and McKinsey estimates that AI tools could ultimately boost productivity in the sector by between 25% and 40%[4].
But AI does not replace human judgement – it amplifies it. And to do that safely and effectively, it needs clean, well-integrated data on clients, portfolios and past interactions. The Wipfli survey found that while 89% of wealth management respondents use AI and data analytics to support decision-making, most have not reached true enterprise readiness, with data quality and integration with existing systems among the most frequently cited barriers[1]. Experimentation is widespread; strategic deployment is not.
Firms that resolve this gap stand to gain a meaningful advantage. Deloitte research suggests that firms leveraging AI in the investment process can grow assets under management by 8% and raise overall productivity by 14%[5].
Cybersecurity as a differentiator
High-net-worth clients are acutely aware of cyber risk. They want more than reassurance in the form of a policy statement – they want demonstrable evidence that their data and assets are protected. By 2026, firms will need to show concrete controls around data access, encryption, vendor management and incident response.
The regulatory backdrop reinforces this. The FCA is working alongside the Information Commissioner’s Office to develop joint guidance, expected in early 2026, on how wealth firms can balance their obligations to vulnerable clients with data protection and GDPR requirements[6]. Firms that have not yet integrated data governance into their day-to-day operations – rather than treating it as a compliance add-on – risk falling behind both regulatory expectations and the expectations of their most valuable clients.
Personalisation grounded in history
True personalisation in wealth management depends on understanding the full story of a client relationship: how their circumstances have evolved over time, what has previously been recommended, what documentation was signed and when, and what has changed since. Much of that history sits in older files, legacy systems and correspondence that has never been fully digitised or structured.
Without bringing that data into the modern estate, AI and analytics tools will always have blind spots. Oliver Wyman’s 2026 wealth management outlook highlights the growing importance of what it calls a “unified client brain” – a single intelligence layer that consolidates client information and enables analytics-driven decision-making, moving firms from backward-looking reporting to continuous, real-time understanding of client needs[7]. Achieving that requires deliberate investment in data consolidation and enrichment, not just in the AI tools that sit on top of it.
The Avaloq survey reinforces the client perspective: 66% of investors said that access to analytics and portfolio visualisation was essential to developing trust in their adviser, while 25% of investors globally said they would consider moving to a different wealth manager if their current firm failed to modernise its technology[5].
Turning fragmented records into a coherent client picture
For wealth managers, one of the most consequential steps toward competing effectively in 2026 is joining up client information across the entire relationship history. That typically involves scanning and digitising historical client files and agreements, capturing core data from those documents – mandates, restrictions, consents and suitability assessments – and linking everything to current CRM and portfolio systems. It also means integrating communication channels such as email, secure messaging and call notes into a unified client view.
Once this foundation is in place, the practical benefits compound quickly. Firms become better positioned to demonstrate suitability over time to regulators, respond promptly and accurately to FCA data requests, offer timely and relevant insights to clients, and apply AI and analytics tools in a controlled, auditable way. With the FCA’s Consumer Duty supervisory workplan making clear that it will scrutinise the quality of firms’ outcomes monitoring and evidence of good client outcomes throughout 2025 and 2026[2], the ability to demonstrate a coherent, documented client history is no longer a nice-to-have – it is a regulatory expectation.
How Dajon supports wealth managers
Dajon works with wealth management firms to build the data foundations that make digital transformation achievable rather than aspirational. We help firms to digitise and structure historical client documentation at scale, migrate and consolidate client and portfolio data from legacy platforms, and design data integration and capture workflows that support AI, advanced analytics and regulatory reporting. We also help firms to embed governance and cybersecurity into the way data is handled and shared across the organisation.
With the right data foundations in place, you can enter the next phase of competition positioned to offer sharper insight, more personalised service and stronger reassurance to clients – without losing control of risk or compliance.
- State of the Wealth Management Industry 2026 Wipfli[↩][↩]
- Our Consumer Duty focus areas FCA[↩][↩]
- Wealth Management Trends for 2026 Elixirr[↩][↩]
- Wealth Management Trends for 2026 Fidelity Institutional[↩][↩]
- Wealth Management Trends 2025 Empaxis[↩][↩]
- Consumer Duty 2025/26: FCA focus areas Voyc AI[↩]
- 10 Wealth Management Trends for 2026 Oliver Wyman[↩]