Asset Managers Report 2026: Growth by design

Building the data, distribution, AI and regulatory reporting foundations for the next era of asset management

Asset Managers Report 2026: Growth by design

Based on research among 200 senior asset management leaders across the UK, Switzerland and Luxembourg, the FE fundinfo 2026 Asset Managers Report examines how asset managers are investing in operational efficiency, technology and talent as growth becomes harder to capture.

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The global asset management industry reached $147 trillion in 2025, yet more than 80% of that growth came from market appreciation, not net inflows. Capturing growth efficiently and profitably is the defining challenge ahead. This report gives you a starting point grounded in what your peers are thinking.

Key findings

AM Report 2026

"The firms best positioned for what comes next are those building now: not just investing in technology, but connecting the information flows across product development, regulatory reporting and distribution that will turn operational capability into competitive advantage."

Liam Healy, Chief Executive Officer, FE fundinfo

Fragmented data is costing asset managers distribution

65% of asset managers say fragmented fund data is preventing operational efficiency, and 69% say the speed and accuracy of fund data are becoming increasingly important differentiators when winning and retaining distribution partners. Data quality is no longer a back-office concern. It sits at the heart of commercial performance.
Investment managers are investing through the pressure, not retreating

Delivering asset growth and net inflows is the joint top business challenge (31%), yet investment managers are investing rather than pulling back. They are prioritising talent (34%), vendor consolidation (33%) and automation and digitisation (30%). The focus has shifted from recognising disruption to responding to it.
The AI barrier is organisational, not technical

Fewer than four in ten asset managers (36%) describe their use of AI as broad or fully integrated, but 64% say AI will only deliver meaningful value if firms first improve the quality and structure of their underlying data. The biggest obstacles are cybersecurity concerns (31%), governance gaps (29%) and skills shortages (26%), not access to technology.
Nine in ten expect consolidation to reshape products, platforms and technology

Nearly nine in ten asset managers (89%) expect consolidation across the industry to increase over the next 12 months, with the greatest impact anticipated across product ranges, distribution platforms and technology providers. 67% say growing retail and semi-professional access to private markets is already influencing their product strategy, and 70% agree that tokenisation will only become meaningful once it integrates with existing fund administration, transfer agency and distribution infrastructure