Serving up ace insights and winning discussions at our inaugural event
HSBC’s first UK Wealth Investment Summit brought together influential leaders and experts from HSBC and our partners, alongside voices from sport, journalism, and international affairs, to explore the idea of peak performance in the apt setting of the HSBC Championships.
Through panel discussions and conversations, guests heard insights on navigating the complex global investment landscape, the tech-driven evolution of performance across sport, wellbeing, and finance, and the fundamental shifts underway in global affairs.
With HSBC’s latest Affluent Investor Snapshot revealing that almost 90% of affluent investors are already using AI to support day-to-day financial decisions, the first panel, led by HSBC’s Chief Customer Officer, Becky Moffat, discussed the growth in technology and AI for tracking and analysing many aspects of daily life, and influencing the decisions we take as a result.
"Almost 90% of affluent investors are already using AI to support day-to-day financial decisions" - HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot 2026
Making metrics matter
Panellists Alistair Brownlee (Olympic triathlete and investor), Dr Stephanie Hare (researcher and broadcaster) and Alex Birkin (Managing Partner at EY) explored the growth of measuring performance in many aspects of life. The shared challenge is to ensure these metrics matter and lead to making better decisions. As Alistair underlined, “any data I collect today, if it doesn’t have an impact tomorrow it’s not worth collecting”.
This sentiment applies equally in elite sport and finance, with AI representing not a linear upgrade, but a real step-change in how data can benefit performance by combining prediction with behavioural change. Yet the big question of ‘who is responsible?’ still looms large. Without clear accountability, any performance gains can carry risks of the unknown.
Panellists agreed that defining responsibility is key as the shift from automation to autonomy continues. Within finance, although access to advice is being democratised by AI, it is clear that keeping humans in the loop still remains critical for major decisions, with the preferred way forward being augmentation (AI + adviser), not replacement.
And though humans may bring friction to the process, removing this brings speed but weakens control. So, sustaining performance over time requires focus and resilience, rather than simply moving too fast and breaking things. In sport, athletes know this results in not being able to compete at all.
Diversify your diversifiers to handle volatility
Considering how to invest in markets rocked by a rolling series of recent shocks, the second panel, chaired by HSBC's UK CIO Jonathan Sparks, featured Daniel Rudd (HSBC Asset Management), Katy Thorneycroft (JPMorgan), and Philipp Nowak (PIMCO). All agreed that the combination of geopolitics, energy shocks, inflation fears, and AI concentration means turbulence is now the norm, not the exception.
As investors build or adjust portfolios, they should be wary of being under-diversified or purely chasing headlines. Though the AI theme will endure, looking past the obvious names or sectors will build resilience into investment portfolios, and make capturing regional opportunities or themes more possible.
Panellists agreed that cash is no longer ‘risk-free’ in today’s inflationary environment as concern builds about erosion of purchasing power. Here, the potential of the core/satellite portfolio construction was underlined – a diversified core can ride out ruptures in the markets, while smaller ‘thematic’ allocations can embrace trends and engage investors with the markets. Ultimately, by diversifying the diversifiers within investment portfolios, the greater the likelihood of positive returns despite ongoing market volatility.
Closing the summit, former British Ambassador Sir Sebastian Wood gave guests expert analysis of the current state of international affairs where the traditional rules-based order is under strain. The fragmentation of politics in many democracies has been seen most acutely in the United States, where changing behaviour has caused shifts in three main areas globally – defence, trade, and markets.
In Europe, the mindset has shifted and the dedication of resources to defence is changing in many countries. In trade, the trading system is rearranging itself around the new reality of a much more protectionist United States. And markets have seen fiscal expansion and domestic pressure on institutions that may erode confidence in US sovereign assets over time.
In concluding, Sebastian considered that for the UK, as the US, EU, and China are all essential markets, managing competing pressures across all three is critical to unlocking our growth potential.
As customers enjoyed the hospitality of the HSBC Championships, it was clear that the discussion of how to augment performance with the right data and technology still has a long way to run.