WealthTech will evolve from an emerging opportunity to a competitive necessity for wealth managers in 2026. Over 50% of firms plan to modernize their portfolio management systems in the next two years, and similar trends are evident across a wide range of product niches.
From generative AI meeting assistants to RegTech that makes compliance seamless, there are numerous innovation trends within WealthTech. But none of these innovations will gain the audience they deserve without the right marketing.
That’s why we’re looking at WealthTech through the lens of your audience: what do emerging trends within wealth management tell us about how to sell your solution—and win your market in 2026?
WealthTech Growth: Why 2026 Will Be a Big Year for Vendors
Wealth management firms know tech must be part of their offering—and being slow to the party will undercut their growth.
Research already shows how the right Wealthtech solutions can help wealth management firms:
- Drive Organic Growth: At least 29% of investors expect to change advisors in the next 12 months—and tech is a big driver of that behavior.
- Win Big-Ticket Accounts: Over two-thirds of institutional investors want to allocate capital to asset managers that leverage cutting-edge tech.
- Boost Profits: Some firms claim “fully harness[ing]” tech helps them earn 86% higher AUM, while PwC reports that AI-driven solutions could drive 12% more revenue for wealth management firms.
There is clearly demand for WealthTech in 2026—over half of all advisors (56%) believe technology will be critical to support their business in the future.
Wealth managers have a strong rational case and a strong emotional drive to avoid being left behind. But how can brands actually drive through deals with those firms?
Let’s look at the trends that are shaping how advisors purchase tech—and we’ll quickly see several clear paths to drive faster adoption in the new year.
3 WealthTech Trends That Will Define 2026
The pressure to adopt new technology will be strong amongst advisors in 2026. But WealthTech brands need to be sensitive to that pressure—and anticipate how changes within the industry will influence how their products appear.
“Advisors want to embrace innovation, but they also have to worry about security, compliance, and all that stuff,” explains Kael Steel, a sector expert for Wealth Management marketing agency ProperExpression. “So WealthTech brands need to position themselves carefully to appear both forward-thinking and safe.”
Kael argues that three trends are most important for WealthTech brands in the new year:
1. AI Mania
As AI models mature and media hype continues, advisors will race to adopt AI-driven solutions.
Over 80% of WealthTech vendors say advisor AI agents/copilots are of “high importance” in wealth management, while 50% of firms with more than $1 billion in assets under management (AUM) are either live in production with generative AI or are piloting/have a proof of concept (POC) underway.
3 Ways Vendors Should Respond
1. Promote Real Business Uses
Many wealth managers acknowledge that actual AI use cases are few and far between—and most don’t have the time or resources to mess around with solutions that don’t actually drive results.
Advisors face pressure to innovate but fear adopting the wrong solution. So, presenting concrete use cases that deliver reliable results will make your solution instantly stand out as the perfect middle-ground—enabling innovation with significantly less risk.
Note: This is also an opportunity for vendors that don’t leverage AI to regain ground against most “flashy” competitors. Framing your solution as solving a real problem—rather than just chasing the AI bandwagon—will appeal to advisors who are sceptical about AI hype.
2. Prioritize Differentiation
The influx of AI-driven solutions has demonstrated how homogeneous many WealthTech solutions appear. Advisors see all “AI-driven client analytics” products as essentially interchangeable—even if their features are wildly different.
Vendors must rethink their messaging to tell a more compelling story and create an emotional connection. As the industry grows rapidly in 2026, this will soon be the only way to ensure your product sticks in advisors’ minds.
3. Address Compliance Risk
Most WealthTech prompts compliance questions—but AI has taken these concerns to a different level. Buyers are aware of increased scrutiny on data privacy and security; these challenges must be more compellingly addressed in 2026.
Many vendors rely on simple messages that promise “built-in compliance” and leverage trust logos. But these messages blur into one; advisors need a strong story to take to their compliance department. And companies that deliver those stories—turning compliance into a compelling part of their marketing—will generate a meaningful competitive advantage.
2. Consolidation
Wealth management firms are often overwhelmed by tech—and want solutions that make life easier
Research shows the trend toward tech consolidation has been going on for a few years: the share of U.S. wealth managers using a single investment platform jumped from 14% in 2020 to 30% in 2024. The so-called “frankenstack” has become the bane of advisors’ existence in 2025, and 2026 will see more firms consolidate their offering.
This shift means WealthTech is an increasingly “winner takes all” market, where a handful of solutions will dominate. But simply offering a solution that enables consolidation isn’t enough; vendors also need to build stronger brands to strengthen their positions within their niche.
3 Ways Vendors Should Respond
1. Leverage More Digital Channels
The average wealth management buyer uses a ton of platforms—from LinkedIn and Facebook to YouTube and ChatGPT. But most WealthTech brands focus on a few core channels that they happen to have expertise in.
WealthTech marketers must push to expand the total digital footprint of their company in 2026. Because you are no longer just competing with your direct rivals—you’re competing with every solution that promises to “consolidate” or “simplify” advisors' tech stack and render your solution potentially obsolete.
2. Address More Buyers
Buyer teams tend to include multiple departments—each with its own needs and wants. Generic messaging is usually geared toward advisors or CEOs, but there are individuals within compliance, HR, operations, and more who also heavily influence decisions.
WealthTech brands must map those buyers and create messaging that addresses all of their concerns. This enables targeted marketing campaigns that generate more engagement and ultimately help drive more purchases.
3. Focus on Emotion
Most WealthTech marketing focuses on technical features that are often impressive. But most advisors are not software developers; even if your solution does make their lives easier, the focus on features feels overwhelming—and leaves them cold.
Brands must rethink their messaging to emphasise emotion. Make advisors feel seen; create a strong, distinctive tone that makes you instantly recognisable—and magnetic to wealth management buyers who are driven by the same irrational impulses that sell Dunkin’ and Doritos.
3. Hybrid Advisory Models
The rise of “hybrid” advisor models may change how tech fits into wealth managers’ plans—and create new challenges for brands
Deloitte claims that hybrid models blending automation and human advice will be the quintessential go-to resource for investment guidance by 2027—and nearly 80% of investors will rely on them by 2028.
WealthTech is no longer just about giving advisors tools; it’s about creating a new way of delivering services. Brands that could have used the same marketing campaign in 2019 can’t compete with solutions that seem purpose-built for a hybrid future.
How Vendors Should Respond
1. Integration
Some of the biggest barriers to truly hybrid advice are technical: 71% of advisors cite a lack of integration, while 66% of banking executives say legacy systems and fragmented infrastructure prevent them from delivering the digital experiences customers expect.
Brands that make integration a priority—and market their products accordingly—will help buyers solve these problems. Technical sophistication will often lose out to usability in 2026, and for good reason: only solutions that advisors can actually use deliver real ROI.
2. Address Tech Skills Gaps
Roughly 70% of advisors lack the time to learn how to use tools that might enable a hybrid model. They’re already overworked; they don’t have hours to spend wrangling data or figuring out how your product works.
WealthTech brands should address in a few ways:
- Focus on improving your user interface (UI) and delivering a more user-friendly experience
- Develop more engaging educational content that helps buyers trust that advisors will actually use your tools
- Promote inclusive training and support more prominently to position your brand as a partner, not just a vendor
Respond to WealthTrends With Confidence in 2026
Demand for WealthTech will be bigger than ever in 2026—but companies that approach digital marketing correctly will gain most of that growth.
WealthTech marketers trust ProperExpression to help them win online. From building messages to building cost-effective campaigns that connect with every member of buyer teams, we help you optimize faster and turn more advisors into brand evangelists.
