Endowus and Quinlan & Associates report reveals HK$35.8B (US$4.6B) wealth pool locked up with Hong Kong finance professionals who struggle to invest own wealth
- Despite generating an estimated HK$35.8 billion (US$4.6 billion) in annual investable income, close to 237,000 Hong Kong finance professionals face severe friction and barriers in personal investing
- One in three finance professionals want more support from their employers to invest better for their retirement, yet only 11% of employers put financial wellbeing as the main goal of their employee benefits programme
- Endowus data shows finance professionals on its employee investment programme saw a higher average money-weighted return of 17.0% in 2025, versus 10.6% for peers outside of this programme
Hong Kong, 9 November 2026 – Hong Kong’s finance professionals generate HK$35.8 billion (US$4.6 billion) of investable income a year, but face severe friction and barriers for them to investing it well, according to Investing in the Clear – Streamlining the Employee Personal Account Dealing (PAD) Experience at Financial Institutions, a report released today by Quinlan & Associates in partnership with Endowus, Asia’s leading independent wealth management and investment platform.
The finance industry is the largest sector of Hong Kong’s economy, employing close to 237,000 professionals and representing 26% of market GDP. The HK$35.8 billion (US$4.6 billion) investable income comes from those employed in more heavily regulated firms such as brokers, banks and asset managers.
“The professionals who keep Hong Kong’s financial system running face three key pain points of limited choices, heightened risk, and an inferior investing experience in their end-to-end investment journey, as a result of strict personal account dealing (PAD) restrictions,” said Benjamin Quinlan, CEO of Quinlan & Associates.
Retirement planning of finance professionals is falling behind
PAD restrictions are important, and they exist to prevent insider trading, manage conflicts of interest, ensure market integrity, and most importantly to keep clients’ interests ahead of their own. However, these restrictions also shape how finance professionals invest. Employees of regulated financial institutions must declare their accounts, use approved brokers, get approval before each trade and hold investments for a minimum period. Transactions can be delayed or blocked by restricted lists and blackout periods, and the whole process starts again when they change employers.
With money locked in for minimum holding periods and the constant worry of an accidental breach, many finance professionals hold back from investing, putting their long-term savings at risk. Only 30% of Hong Kong finance professionals feel good about their retirement planning, and 33% say their employer should do more to support them in planning well for the long term. However, rising benefits costs are employers' number one concern, and only 11% see employee financial wellbeing as the main goal of their benefits programmes.
“Supporting finance professionals to invest well is an urgent necessity to protect the financial future of the industry’s workforce, and employers have the means to do it today,” said Samuel Rhee, Chairman and Group Chief Investment Officer of Endowus. “Preparing for the future relies on decades of consistent investing, and finance professionals face additional challenges in investing well in a compliant manner, with many simply giving up, which is a disservice to the firm they work for and themselves. We know keeping your savings sitting in cash is the costliest mistake because time in the market is an investor’s most valuable asset, and every year on the sidelines is compounding the loss.”
“Funds – including mutual funds, ETFs if traded under the right rules, and alternatives – allow firms to manage PAD rules at the product level,” said Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus. “Compliance teams approve the characteristics of funds once, rather than reviewing every individual trade, and employees get a diversified, advice-backed way to invest for their life goals including retirement. It is a better outcome on both sides. The key is to keep the approval framework and platform solution clear for employees to be compliant, so the programme doesn’t create new bottlenecks of its own.”
Managing friction well can lead to better investing outcomes
Through an employee investment programme, employers may partner with a regulated funds platform to offer employees a pre-approved list of funds. The employer can include or exclude specific funds to avoid conflicts of interest, and employee holdings are reported automatically to the employer’s compliance team.
When friction to investing is reduced, employees are more likely to invest regularly in a globally diversified portfolio, which can lead to better outcomes. Endowus’ platform data shows that in 2025, Hong Kong finance professionals investing through an employee investment programme with Endowus earned a higher average money-weighted return of 17.0%, compared with 10.6% for other finance professionals investing through Endowus’ funds platform where clients select single or multiple funds to invest in.
They also showed more regular investing behaviours. In 2025, 80% of finance professionals on an employee investment programme added money to their investments, compared with 48% of other finance professionals2. 9 in 10 kept their net investment steady or growing, compared with 84% of other finance professionals2. All of those invested at the end of 2025 also stayed invested into 2026, compared with 89%2.
Better financial preparedness can also mean less distraction at work. In a 2024 Endowus-Intellect survey, 78% of employees said being financially prepared would help them be more productive, and 82% said it would make them more satisfied in their jobs.
“Company-approved employee personal investment platforms remove a critical barrier for finance professionals: compliance uncertainty,” said Steffanie Yuen, Managing Director and Head of Hong Kong at Endowus. “At Endowus, we see that participants in these programmes invest more consistently and are more likely to stay invested. That steady habit is the exact discipline needed to build and compound long-term wealth. It’s a win for employers too. When employees feel confident about their finances, they bring more focus to work and are more likely to stay.”
-----
1 Investing in the Clear — Streamlining the Employee Personal Account Dealing (PAD) Experience at Financial Institutions, November 2026, p. 29.
2 Based on Endowus platform data for 31 Dec 2024 to 31 Dec 2025. Returns are average money-weighted returns (XIRR) in local currency (HKD), net of fees, excluding the top and bottom 1% of values. “Added money” refers to clients whose net new money in 2025 was positive. “Remained invested” refers to clients invested at the end of 2025 who were still invested in 2026. It is critical to note that these figures represent historical, aggregate performance across highly diversified portfolios and distinct asset risk profiles; they do not imply that the platform structure inherently guarantees superior returns, as individual outcomes remain entirely dependent on the specific underlying funds selected and broader market movements.
