IT spending in wealth management is expected to continue its growth from 2022 to 2025, with acceleration noted in most regions. There is a noticeable shift towards prioritizing investments that enhance operational efficiency over those aimed at innovation and growth. The primary factors driving investment remain largely consistent, as wealth managers navigate compliance and regulatory requirements while seeking to modernize their applications and infrastructure. The solution to this challenge lies in enhancing speed and agility across the entire technology portfolio, utilizing new architectures, technology building blocks, and strategic partnerships.
Celent has conducted its latest global survey of senior executives at wealth management firms: The Celent Dimensions Survey 2025 which highlights the business challenges and technology priorities within the industry. This research gathers insights and perspectives from 229 respondents, offering a comprehensive overview of industry attitudes while also emphasizing the key technology priorities for the upcoming year and identifying the products and processes expected to undergo the most significant changes.
Key findings from the research include:
- Nearly half (46%) of wealth management technology leaders say product/proposition innovation is among their top drivers of IT spending strategy for the next 18 months.
- 59% of wealth management firms are currently experimenting with or building PoCs leveraging generative AI.
- Two-thirds (65%) of wealth management execs agree that enabling access to alternative and private market investments is a core priority in 2025.
- 25% of wealth management executives say identity proofing/digital identity is their top technology/process investment priority for the next 18 months.
You can find a recording of our webinar here: Wealth Management Dimensions: IT Pressures & Priorities Webinar; 2025 Edition | Celent
Separately, the submissions window for our 2025 Model Wealth Manager Awards program have closed, and we are thrilled to announce the winners at our annual Innovation and Insight Day – a virtual event hosted on June 18.
Finally, you’ll notice a slightly different way we present our insights in these research agendas. We clarified that all our published research falls into three major categories and eight distinct types of insights, each bringing different benefits to our clients, and this is how we organize the presentation of published and upcoming insights.
