Wealth management at the bottom of the pyramid

In a commentary, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business Professor of Quantitative Finance (Practice) and Ms Xu Jie, Deputy General Manager of Noah (China) Shanghai Wealth Management Centre, said that vibrant commercial activities brought about by the One Belt One Road Initiative will spur demand among the masses for financial services and wealth management. Financial technology, especially the blockchain technology, provides an effective solution to managing the wealth of the masses. The advance of blockchain technology not only promotes Sharing Finance, it is also quietly disrupting traditional business models. The authors opined that if ASEAN policymakers can provide policy support and coordination for financial inclusion, this would help promote the financial integration of ASEAN countries, which will in turn facilitate economic integration of the ASEAN economies. They concluded that it is the masses which form the bedrock of the wealth management pyramid, and that financial inclusion is the best means to manage the wealth of the masses.