BNP Paribas Cardif: 2026 survey of financial advisors
Wealth Management: a dynamic market shaped by innovation and personalized advice
- 72% of financial advisors now use artificial intelligence (AI) in their business, compared with 56% last year.
- 54% of financial advisors have observed increased diversification in their clients’ investments over the past 12 months, ahead of the search for security (38%).
- 71% have seen their client base grow by targeting professionals, business owners and heirs.
- According to financial advisors, investors will continue to seek returns (69%), an appropriate level of risk (66%) and diversification (49%).
- More than half (53%) plan to offer more individual retirement products over the coming year, while more than one-third intend to expand their protection insurance offering.
- 92% of them are confident about the next 12 months, the highest level ever recorded by the barometer.
“This twentieth edition of the financial advisors survey confirms the confidence of the sector while highlighting its profound transformation. The rise of artificial intelligence, the diversification of investor profiles and the growing complexity of the economic environment are redefining the practice of wealth management. By combining innovation and personalized advice, advisors are gradually reinventing their profession and expanding their client base” said Delphine Mantz, director of financial advisors networks – brokers at BNP Paribas Cardif France.
Paris, 22nd September 2026 – While the majority of financial advisors (92%) report a record level of confidence, the sector is undergoing a profound transformation, marked by the widespread adoption of AI (72%), a growing client base (71%) and increased demand for diversification (54%). The twentieth edition of the financial advisors survey, published by BNP Paribas Cardif and conducted in partnership with world’s leading marketing data Kantar reveals a sector in full transformation, where the combination of technological innovation and human expertise remains the key to success.
Wealth management enters a new era of opportunities
The wealth advisor profession is reinventing itself, driven by three major factors: an increasingly structured regulatory framework, an economic and social environment that fuels the need for advice, and a technological revolution synonymous with greater efficiency for clients. Regulation is a central issue for 61% of financial advisors, who see it as a key factor in ensuring the security and transparency of the sector. Beyond being a constraint, regulation is becoming a driver for improving practices for the benefit of both advisors and clients, demonstrating the profession’s adaptability. At the same time, asset allocation is becoming more complex and adapting portfolios to the economic environment has become a priority. It is cited as a challenge by 37% of them, up 16 percentage points from 2025.
Artificial intelligence establishes itself as an essential tool
The profession’s digital transformation continues to accelerate: 72% of financial advisors now use artificial intelligence, compared with 56% in 2025, to automate administrative tasks, refine portfolio analysis and provide personalized advice to increasingly demanding wealth management clients. One in four believe AI will fundamentally transform their profession, and 67% say it has also changed their clients’ behaviour, with nearly one-third (32%) considering them much better informed. This technological transformation is accompanied by new risks. Indeed, 72% of financial advisors feel more exposed to cyber threats and 75% have strengthened their security measures. Protecting client data and maintaining trust are therefore becoming essential challenges for wealth management professionals, who place the security and confidence of their clients at the heart of their priorities.
An evolving client base with growing demand for comprehensive support
After several years marked by economic and geopolitical changes, financial advisors perceive a reduction in client concerns, although the level of anxiety remains high. Indeed, 54% of them believe their clients are concerned about their investments (compared with nearly 78% in 2025), while 46% report renewed optimism regarding investment opportunities. Demonstrating both the attractiveness of the profession and the continuing need for advice, 71% of financial advisors saw their client base grow in 2026, the highest level recorded since 2018. This dynamic is notably driven by stronger support provided to certain client segments: professionals in private practice (44%), SME owners and executives (43%), closely followed by self-employed workers (33%) and heirs (32%). This expansion of the client base is also supported by intergenerational wealth transfer issues, for which financial advisors play a central role in supporting families, including in the financial education of younger generations. To meet the expectations of these diverse client segments, financial advisors continue to broaden the scope of their advice through an expanding range of products and services. Individual retirement savings solutions are emerging as a key product category, with 53% of financial advisors (versus 32% last year) planning to develop this business further. Individual protection insurance and credit protection insurance are also viewed as essential services by nearly one-third of them to meet clients’ protection needs, particularly those of professional clients facing life’s uncertainties. Finally, 40% of financial advisors plan to strengthen their employee savings plans within their business portfolio over the coming year.
Investment trends driven by diversification
This year, 54% of financial advisors highlighted diversification as a priority for their clients (compared with 41% in 2025), ahead of security, which was cited by 38% of them (versus 63% last year). This trend reflects a complex macroeconomic environment and increasingly volatile financial markets, where the expertise and advisory role of financial advisors are essential. The risk-return balance will naturally remain the key selection criterion for clients: 69% and 66% of financial advisors are convinced of this and expect it to remain a priority over the next 12 months. To meet this demand, they are focusing on financial products that align with new investor expectations or remain underrepresented in portfolios. ETFs continue to gain traction and address the need for diversification, with 46% of financial advisors planning to recommend them more frequently. Defence and sovereignty-related funds remain highly popular and rank second among the investment solutions that advisors intend to promote (43%). Finally, the development of private assets is seen as an opportunity by nearly half of wealth management professionals (49%), although two main barriers are holding back wider client adoption: a lack of liquidity, cited by 65% of financial advisors, and the risk of capital loss, mentioned by 51% of respondents.
Record-high confidence among financial advisors, combined with a realistic view of ongoing and future transformations
Financial advisors take a realistic view of competition while looking ahead with confidence. 92% say they are confident about the next 12 months, compared with 85% in 2025, marking the highest level recorded over the past five years. This optimism helps explain the continuation of market consolidation, with 55% of financial advisors having already completed an acquisition or considering one. Of these, 24% have already completed such an operation and 31% are considering doing so. This trend enables firms to reach greater scale and expand their range of products and services in order to better support their clients, particularly in response to the growing influence of fintechs, which are cited by 57% of professionals as competitors, ahead of traditional players such as banks and other financial advisors, mentioned by 24%.
Looking to the future, 67% of advisors surveyed believe that client relationships will remain essential over the next 20 years. At the same time, 59% anticipate a greater recognition of their expertise, driven by demand for specialized skills to serve increasingly well-informed investors and by stricter regulatory requirements.
Faced with the constant evolution of their sector, financial advisors once again demonstrate their ability to turn challenges into opportunities to enhance the quality of support they provide to clients. Overall, 89% of those surveyed believe that the profession offers significant growth prospects over the next five years.