Key Highlights from the First-Ever AInvest APAC

At the end of March, we brought together key finance industry stakeholders to discuss the ways AI is helping to usher in the next generation of wealth. Taking place over the course of an evening at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Bangkok, the event was the latest in our global event series that examines the intersection of wealth and AI, helping professionals discuss the impacts that AI is bringing to the investment space.

This latest installment of AInvest brought a specific focus to verticalized AI and its implementation in the world of investments. The event offered a forum to explore what AI built from the ground up for financial contexts looks like, how it can impact investor experiences, and real-world lessons from existing AI implementations across leading platforms.

The event, which has garnered media attention in the region, included a number of talks and panels featuring leading professionals from across Asian markets.

Unveiling the Next Generation of AI for Wealth by BridgeWise

The event opened with an exclusive first look at the future of the industry. Dor Eligula, Co-Founder and CBO of BridgeWise, unveiled the complete BridgeWise AI for Wealth suite. This 360-degree platform is designed to transform unstructured data into structured, predictive intelligence, featuring the debut of pAI (Portfolio AI) – a specialized agent for real-time portfolio construction and recalibration.

Keynote Speech: Wealth AI & the Fast Follower Advantage

We were honored to host Sangik Chon, Senior Executive Officer and GM of the Solution Planning Division at Rakuten Securities, who delivered a powerful keynote on the Japanese market’s evolution. He elaborated on how the strategic adoption of AI for investments has moved beyond experimentation to drive significant growth and measurable ROI, providing a roadmap for other APAC markets to follow.

He also examined the specific rise of vertical AI solutions and the way these new emerging technologies, and the hyper-personalization they can provide, need to be balanced with the need for systematic guardrails.

Watch the full presentation:

Panel: The Institutionalization of AI for Wealth

The event then moved to a central panel discussion with several experts in the wealth space examining the ways vertical AI is transforming into a core infrastructure advantage for financial institutions.

Moderated by Yasu Miyakawa (CS Japan at BridgeWise), the panel brought together:

• Rohit Mulani: President, Alpaca Southeast Asia

• Michael Araneta: Banking GTM, ASEAN market at AWS

• David Metcalfe: Head of ASEAN for Visible Alpha at S&P

The participants discussed a range of issues, from the shift in investor expectations that AI is bringing to the industry, to the technological and regulatory challenges AI implementation presents, as well as the specific role agentic AI is playing in the process.

The panel moved the discussion beyond the hypothetical to discuss real-world examples, and also explored the “Build vs. Buy” decision.

Fireside Chat: A Look to the Future of Wealth

The formal sessions wrapped up with an insightful, female-led fireside chat featuring Annie Qiu (BridgeWise) and Jirapat Khamyat, Senior Manager of Marketing and Planning, SBI THAI ONLINE Securities. This discussion focused specifically on the Thai market, exploring how to transform “data overload” into “decision intelligence” for local investors.

Additionally, Jirapat contrasted vertical AI solutions, which are built for investment information and targeted for the specific local context, with existing general-purpose AI:

“ChatGPT is like a very talented general doctor. Great at conversation, broad knowledge, but ask about a specific Thai stock, and it will either say ‘I don’t have current data,’ or worse, give you an answer based on outdated or incorrect information.

For the Thai market specifically, AI needs four things: one, real-time data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand; two, an understanding of Thai in a financial context; three, a database that includes smaller local companies that simply don’t appear in global sources; and four, a clear grasp of SEC regulations and Thai reporting standards.

General AI doesn’t have all of these. That’s why verticalized financial AI, built specifically for this market, isn’t just a better option. It’s a necessity if you want results you can actually rely on.”

More AInvest Events Coming Soon

We have several additional events planned for the rest of the year, with AInvest coming to both LATAM and Israel. Check out our events page for the latest information, dates, and to register. We can’t wait to see you at the next AInvest!

See a gallery of photos from the event below: