Wealth
Schroders Targets Ultra-Wealthy Clients With New Global Advisory Service
Schroders Wealth Management has debuted a global advisory service tailored for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, marking a pivot toward complex, cross-border financial planning. The platform, which went live in the UK and Switzerland yesterday, aims to streamline intergenerational wealth transfer and tax-efficient structuring for the firm’s most affluent global clients.
Leadership Shifts Across UBS, HSBC, and Major Legal Firms
A wave of senior appointments across the financial and legal sectors marks a significant reshuffling of talent in London and Switzerland. From UBS securing new investment banking leadership to HSBC doubling down on its artificial intelligence strategy, these moves reflect a broader industry push toward digital integration and specialized private equity expertise.
UK Financial Regulator Maps AI Risks in Retail Banking
Eleven million UK adults—roughly one-fifth of the population—are poised to adopt autonomous AI agents for financial tasks, according to a landmark report by the Financial Conduct Authority. Led by director Sheldon Mills, the study serves as a global regulatory first in assessing the shift toward agentic finance.
Beyond the Balance Sheet: A New Framework for Financial Wellbeing
After years of chasing conventional financial markers, London-based firm First Wealth is shifting its focus toward a proprietary framework designed to measure life satisfaction rather than just portfolio returns. The firm’s new guide, Measure Wealth by Wellbeing, encourages clients to evaluate how their assets actually influence their personal quality of life.
UK Financial Services M&A Value Hits £33.7 Billion on Wealth Deals
A dramatic eight-fold surge in transaction value defined the first half of 2026 for UK financial services, as wealth and asset management firms led a wave of high-stakes consolidation. Data from EY reveals that while deal volumes climbed by 25 percent, the sheer scale of megadeals pushed total value to £33.7 billion.
Standard Chartered and BlackRock Partner on Asia-Pacific Fund
Standard Chartered has launched the Signature Select APAC Allocation Plus sub-fund, utilizing BlackRock’s multi-asset management expertise to offer investors broad exposure across the Asia-Pacific region. The fund marks the bank's third launch of the year and its eighth addition to the Singapore-registered Variable Capital Company platform.
When Clients Bring AI to the Financial Planning Table
Wealth managers are increasingly finding themselves in a position similar to physicians whose patients arrive armed with AI-generated research. As clients lean on large language models to parse complex tax documents and investment data, the traditional advisor-client dynamic is shifting from information delivery to expert verification.
Private Equity Continuation Funds Poised for Triple-Digit Growth
A record $109 billion in global continuation investment volume for 2025 marks a definitive shift in private markets. Schroders Capital now forecasts these GP-led secondaries will exceed $330 billion by 2035, signaling that the mechanism has evolved from a temporary exit strategy into a permanent industry pillar.
J Safra Sarasin Takes Full Control of Saxo Bank
Exercising a long-standing call option, Swiss private banking group J Safra Sarasin is moving to acquire the remaining 28.69 per cent stake in Saxo Holding AG held by Kim Fournais. The deal brings the Copenhagen-based investment firm under full ownership of the bank, marking a shift toward total consolidation.
Schroders Divests Benchmark to Söderberg & Partners
Schroders is offloading its UK financial advice arm, Benchmark, to Sweden’s Söderberg & Partners. The move aligns with a broader strategy to streamline operations and concentrate resources on wealth management, specifically its Cazenove Capital unit and international wealth divisions, even as Schroders itself faces a pending acquisition by Nuveen.
Wealth Management Hiring Roundup: Ogier, Crestbridge and HL
A flurry of senior personnel shifts is reshaping the wealth management landscape, with major firms in the UK and offshore jurisdictions bolstering their leadership ranks. From regulatory expertise at Ogier to a significant technology-focused overhaul at Hargreaves Lansdown, firms are aggressively positioning for mid-year growth.
Wesleyan Expands Smoothed Investment Range for UK Advisors
UK financial services mutual Wesleyan has introduced two new With Profits funds, extending its range of smoothed investment products for wealth advisors. The additions—the With Profits Cautious Fund and the With Profits Adventurous Fund—aim to provide tailored risk profiles for clients looking to buffer against daily market volatility.
Aberdeen Investments Finalizes $2 Billion Closed-End Fund Acquisition
Aberdeen Investments finalized its acquisition of closed-end fund assets from Boston-based MFS Investment Management on July 2, absorbing a portfolio valued at approximately £1.5 billion. The transfer, completed after the New York Stock Exchange closed, marks the firm's tenth acquisition of this type since 2000, bolstering its US market presence.
Cameron Senior Takes Reins at ZEDRA Crown Dependencies
After a planned succession process, global professional services firm ZEDRA has appointed Cameron Senior to lead its Crown Dependencies business. Senior, who joined as deputy regional head in early 2026, will now oversee the firm’s strategic operations in a region that has served as a cornerstone of its business for a decade.
Barclays Monaco Head Favors Tech-Driven US and Emerging Market Equities
As geopolitical instability ripples through global energy markets, Valerie Genin of Barclays Private Bank in Monaco is steering client portfolios toward US and emerging market equities. Despite the volatility triggered by Middle East tensions, she remains optimistic about technology-led growth while emphasizing the defensive utility of private markets and fixed income.
Lombard Odier Sets 10 Investment Convictions for Second Half of 2026
Lombard Odier has signaled a constructive outlook for the remainder of 2026, advising investors to favor emerging market equities and specific cyclical sectors. Despite persistent geopolitical tensions and economic volatility, the Swiss private bank suggests that market conditions remain broadly supportive of risk assets for the coming months.
Julius Baer Taps Former Standard Chartered Executive as New CFO
After a high-profile leadership shuffle at Standard Chartered, Peter Burrill is moving to the Swiss private banking sector. Julius Baer confirmed this week that Burrill will assume the role of chief financial officer on August 17, stepping in to replace outgoing executive Evie Kostakis pending final regulatory clearance.
Luc Bernard Takes Helm at Natixis Services India
After a stint at Natixis Investment Managers in Paris, Luc Bernard returns to Bangalore to lead Natixis CIB’s technology and innovation hub. He steps into the role of CEO at a pivotal moment, as the firm marks the five-year anniversary of its primary Indian operations center.
Canaccord Wealth Targets Growing US Expat Market in Britain
Navigating the collision of IRS worldwide taxation and UK financial regulations has long turned US expatriates into a compliance headache for wealth managers. Canaccord Wealth is now attempting to bridge this gap, launching a managed portfolio service specifically engineered for Americans living in Britain to bypass punitive tax traps.
Private Equity Moves Beyond Institutional Portfolios
Ninety-four percent of wealth managers overseeing £332.7 billion in assets now warn that relying exclusively on public equities leaves investors exposed to significant growth gaps. As private markets become a core component of portfolio strategy, advisors are shifting their stance on what constitutes a well-diversified long-term investment.
FCA Moves to Simplify Investment Cost Disclosures
Thirty percent of non-advised platform users currently remain in the dark about their investment charges, prompting the Financial Conduct Authority to overhaul how firms communicate fees. The regulator is pushing for plain-English disclosures and standardized reporting to help investors understand exactly how costs erode their long-term returns.
HSBC Shuffles Wealth Leadership as Dimitri Anghelakis Takes Trust Role
Dimitri Anghelakis will take the helm of HSBC’s trust and fiduciary services division on August 17, relocating from London to Hong Kong. He succeeds Brent York, a veteran of more than forty years who plans to remain with the bank as an advisor until 2027 to oversee the transition.
Petra Salesny Named CEO of Amundi Alpha Associates
After two decades of shaping the firm’s strategy, founding partner Petra Salesny is stepping into the role of chief executive officer at Amundi Alpha Associates. She takes the helm of the €24 billion private markets unit as it navigates a period of global expansion and shifting investment priorities.
Luc Bernard Named CEO of Natixis Services India
Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking has tapped Luc Bernard to lead its technology and innovation hub in Bangalore. Bernard, who previously served on the center’s board, steps into the role as the firm looks to deepen the integration of its Indian operations into its broader global financial architecture.
Nasdaq Dubai Lists UAE’s First Sovereign Retail Sukuk
The Dubai Financial Services Authority has officially admitted the UAE Ministry of Finance’s inaugural sovereign retail treasury sukuk for trading on Nasdaq Dubai. This milestone marks the first time such an Islamic financial instrument has been structured specifically for retail investors within the DIFC’s regulated market infrastructure.
BlueFive Capital and Al Murjan Forge Global Islamic Finance Alliance
A strategic cross-shareholding deal between BlueFive Capital and Saudi Arabia’s Al Murjan Group has birthed a new global Islamic finance platform. The agreement includes the acquisition of a stake in the Riyadh-based Sidra Capital, which will now operate under the rebranded identity of BlueFiveSidra to expand its international footprint.
Luc Bernard Returns to Lead Natixis Tech Hub in Bangalore
Luc Bernard has been appointed chief executive officer of Natixis Services in India, taking charge of the Paris-headquartered firm’s technology and innovation hub in Bangalore. The move marks a return for Bernard, who previously served on the center’s board of directors from 2021 until his recent tenure in Paris.
Citi Wealth and St. James’s Place Announce Senior Leadership Hires
A reshuffling of executive talent in the wealth management sector sees Citi Wealth promoting internal expertise while St. James’s Place reaches into Legal & General to bolster its investment office, as both firms look to refine their long-term strategies for managing client assets and diversifying investment offerings.
NatWest Finalizes £2.7 Billion Acquisition of Evelyn Partners
NatWest Group has officially completed its £2.7 billion acquisition of Evelyn Partners, a move that reshapes the landscape of the UK wealth management sector. By integrating Evelyn’s £69 billion in assets under management with its own, the bank aims to capture a larger share of the country’s growing investment market.
Swiss Bankers and SIX Launch First Anti-Fraud Summit
Industry leaders met this week at the inaugural Swiss Anti-Fraud Summit, a collaborative initiative spearheaded by the Swiss Bankers Association and infrastructure giant SIX. The event marks a formal shift toward unified defense strategies as financial institutions grapple with the rising complexity of digital fraud and cross-sector security threats.