In his responses for the Asian Private Wealth Management Outlook 2026, Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, outlines how UHNW and HNW client expectations are shifting towards greater discipline, evidence-based decision-making, and goal alignment amid persistent volatility and information overload. He highlights a growing demand for clarity over activity, transparency over complexity, and confidence over noise, alongside rising engagement with diversified, goal-driven portfolios. Across advisory design, technology adoption, talent strategy, and long-term growth priorities, Van emphasises Endowus’ focus on conflict-free advice, intelligent use of AI and automation, and a tightly aligned operating model designed to help clients make better decisions and stay invested through changing market regimes.
How are the expectations of UHNW and HNW clients evolving as we enter 2026, and what changes is your organisation making to deliver a more differentiated, personalised and seamless client experience?
As we move into 2026, UHNW and HNW clients are finding more ways to access sophisticated strategies with platforms like Endowus paving the way.
We see more engaged, and also more cautious HNW & UHNW investors looking to preserve wealth with an evidence-based process.
Our Endowus Private Wealth Insights 2025 shows that around 70% of affluent clients rebalance at least quarterly. At the same time, they are increasingly wary of activity for activity’s sake, especially against a backdrop of elevated valuations and persistent volatility.
There’s also a clear disconnect. While most private investors cite retirement, estate and legacy planning as core objectives, just over a third actually align their investment decisions with those goals. That gap has widened as clients face more information, more products, and more noise than ever.
In this environment, the real value lies in clarity and confidence, delivered in a conflict-free way.
In response, we are doubling down on our advisory approach. That means designing portfolios around specific goals and building a user experience and business model centred on understanding, education and alignment. The aim is to help clients make better decisions and stay disciplined when markets test their resolve.
How will your organisation leverage AI, data, automation and digital tools in 2026 to enhance advisory capabilities, improve productivity, and scale high-touch private wealth services?
Endowus integrated AI early on in our business which has helped automate several tasks from responding to client queries, to providing regular reporting on portfolio performance.
We’ve seen the results of this automation where more than 70% of queries are now handled by chatbots, freeing advisors to spend more time where they add the most value, helping clients think clearly during moments of uncertainty and change. It’s also enabled our team to respond to more nuanced and sophisticated requests, exponentially improved clients interaction.
Given the constant evolution of technology, significant focus is on reducing fraction in the advisory process and better enabling the client journey. Portfolio construction, rebalancing, reporting, and scenario analysis should be fast, consistent, and evidence-based.
AI will help us to surface better insights and ask better questions. For example, flagging concentration risks earlier, stress-testing portfolios more rigorously, or highlighting when emotions overwhelm are sense of risk taking.
What are your priorities for attracting, developing and retaining top relationship managers and leadership talent, and how are you reshaping your operating model to support them in 2026?
We are still early in our journey. While we’ve served clients for close to seven years, many of the people who joined us early have grown alongside the firm. Beyond the founders, several members of our client advisory, technology and product teams have been with us for more than five years.
That continuity matters. For example, our engineer turnover rate, are largest business functions, was just 3% on a rolling 12-month basis. These are reflections of a strong belief in the mission of Endowus, to deliver conflict-free wealth management and therefore endowment quality investing to all of us.
A core focus of our talent strategy has been hiring people who are deeply aligned with our purpose. Our ESOP programme plays a meaningful role here, giving employees ownership in our mission and shared success. Employees receive share options upon joining and during performance reviews, recognising their impact.
While this is similar to typical ESOP programs in many other tech companies, we allow employees to have secondary sales every year to alleviate them from the concerns of liquidity and waiting years for the company to go public before realising their returns. That has helped foster a stronger sense of ownership and long-term commitment.
Which investment themes, products and strategies do you expect will resonate most with UHNW and HNW clients in 2026, and why?
Our core philosophy remains – diversification and allocating to specific life needs and goals to formulate your overall asset allocation. 2025 was a timely reminder of its importance, as Asian and Emerging Markets regained prominence and outperformed the US market, which had dominated attention in recent years.
While it’s still early in 2026, volatility remains a defining feature. As a result, our advice continues to centre on building globally diversified portfolios that are resilient and adaptable across different market regimes, and specifically designer for the duration, liquidity and volatility tolerances of your life goals.
Alternatives play a significant role in helping to offer diversification beyond public markets. The growing demand for alternatives is expected to continue but we remain cautious. It is still critical for investor education in this space, particularly around liquidity, risks and how these strategies fit within a broader portfolio.
With interest rates trending lower, we also expect renewed interest in income-oriented strategies, especially those that balance yield with capital preservation.
As competition intensifies across private banks, EAMs, MFOs and digital wealth platforms, what are your top strategic priorities to future-proof your business and sustain growth over the next 12–18 months?
Competition is intensifying across the industry, and we see that as a positive. It forces everyone to be clearer about where they genuinely add value.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, our priorities are focused on three areas.
First, deepening trust through alignment. That means continuing to enforce our conflict-free approach and remaining transparent on fees. Good advice has real value, and we will keep investing in our advisory approach, from portfolio design and fund selection to the client advisory team and overall platform experience.
Second, strengthening our investment platform. This includes expanding access to high-quality strategies while maintaining disciplined due diligence and portfolio construction.
Third, staying focused. It’s easy to chase every new trend, but sustainable growth comes from doing a few things well, consistently. A clear philosophy. Repeatable processes. Calm decision-making, especially when markets are noisy.
If we execute on that, growth becomes a by-product rather than the objective. That’s always been how we’ve approached building Endowus.
