Standard Chartered leverages private-market access and technology-enabled advisory model for UHNW clients

Standard Chartered is solidifying its position as one of  Asia's top wealth managers, supported by double-digit wealth income growth and its $200 billion net new money target. It identifies  its client continuum, international network, wealth platform and product offerings as its key strengths.

Leveraging open-architecture and private market access

The bank's open architecture allows it to sell third party funds and insurance products tailored to client needs. Samir Subberwal, global head of wealth solutions, retail products, data and analytics at Standard Chartered said, “We have the flexibility to partner with a broad range of providers. Whether it is for the underlying rates, foreign exchange (FX) or equities, we can work with multiple counterparties to deliver differentiated solutions and unique payoffs for our clients.” The open architecture allows the bank to offer a broader range of alternative investments, including private equity and hedge funds.

Standard Chartered holds a variable capital company (VCC) licence in Singapore, enabling it to bring in different products and partners for sub-advised mandates. Subberwal explained, “Our VCC platform gives us the ability to bring together leading asset managers such as T. Rowe Price, Seviora and BlackRock under a single umbrella. This is a distinctive capability that sets us apart from our peers.” The bank also has a suite of Signature CIO funds, based on its CIO's house views.

The bank has also launched a Private Markets Co-Investment Club (CIC) for UHNW clients, providing deal-by-deal access to manager-led private market co-investment opportunities globally. At launch, Standard Chartered entered an exclusive partnership with Ardian, one of the world's largest independent private investment firms, to provide programmatic access to private equity co-investments. The CIC gives UHNW clients access to curated private-market opportunities aligned with their investment interests.

Standard Chartered also launched a sports-focused alternative fund under its Global Private Bank in 2025, reflecting growing client interest in sports as an alternative asset class.

Technology enables personalised advisory

Standard Chartered has built a proprietary advisory platform, myWealth Advisor, for its  relationship managers. The platform combines the bank's CIO house views, client portfolio data and risk profiles to generate model portfolio recommendations. Although the bank has used machine learning for years, it began applying generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to client advisory last year through what it calls "advisory nudges". Large language models  summarise reports from myWealth Advisor, helping relationship managers personalise client conversations and encourage advisory discussions.The bank is also using AI to improve the efficiency of its Global Investment Committee and plans to extend it to product due diligence and source-of-wealth processing. These initiatives will feed into a broader agentic AI advisory programme, following the completion of its discovery phase last year. The planned 18–24-month programme aims to support the end-to-end advisory process, from portfolio evaluation and opportunity identification to recommendations and client conversations.

Metrics track wealth performance

The bank measures the success of its client continuum strategy through the number of customers onboarded and those moving up to higher wealth tiers. The strength of its international network is tracked by client referrals across markets and the number of jurisdictions in which clients maintain relationships. Growth in assets under management (AUM), net new money as a percentage of AUM and Wealth solutions income growth remain key metrics. Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys also measure relationship quality, products, pricing and platform, providing a consolidated view of the client experience.  Subberwal said, "Ultimately, success comes down to executing the strategy well and outgrowing the competition. For us, this is the biggest proof point." 

While Standard Chartered benefits from deposit flows generated by its international network, success in private wealth management depends on growing AUM through broader access to third-party wealth solutions. Its open architecture differentiates it from providers that distribute only proprietary products, giving clients greater investment choice. By expanding curated private-market access through the CIC and launching products such as its sports-focused alternative fund, the bank is strengthening its proposition for UHNW clients. Its planned agentic AI programme is intended to improve efficiency, identify new opportunities and support advisory conversations, reinforcing its growth ambitions in the UHNW segment.