How intermediaries in Hong Kong select funds: new survey insights

Our research across professional investor audiences shows a high correlation between unprompted brand recall of a fund and propensity to buy from it. Professional audiences prefer buying funds and investment strategies from brands they know and trust.

But what about the initial research phase? Aside from brand strength, what drives intermediaries in Hong Kong to evaluate a new fund? Peer recommendations are the leading trigger, cited by half of the Aureum Y survey respondents. Meetings with salespeople, seminars or roadshows with asset managers, and industry events all play a substantial role in fund research too, pointing to a market where relationship-led channels carry weight.

Those research triggers help funds get discovered, but how satisfied are intermediaries in Hong Kong with the support they receive from asset managers once a relationship is underway? Overall approval is high, with nearly nine in 10 of the Aureum survey respondents describing themselves as "very" or "quite" satisfied. Support quality varies across the areas we evaluated, though. Communications is the strongest-rated category, with 74% satisfaction, against just 53% for training and development.

We also asked intermediaries to name one thing they wish asset managers understood better about their role. Their feedback shows a strong desire for managers to look beyond single-product pushes and engage more deeply with advisers’ daily challenges. Instead of isolated pitches, advisers want clear, client-ready materials and portfolio-level context that explains how a strategy fills a multi-asset gap. Crucially, managers should understand that advisers operate within strict regulatory constraints and prioritise client trust above all else.

The survey extends beyond current satisfaction to explore where intermediaries in Hong Kong plan to shift their asset class allocations in the year ahead. China equities has the highest net allocation intent of any asset class tracked by Aureum Y, with half of intermediaries planning to add exposure versus just 8% planning to trim it. High yield bonds show the steepest net pullback.

Portfolio shifts aren’t confined to asset classes. The research also reveals how intermediaries expect their use of different management styles to change over the next 12 months. Index ETFs show the strongest net allocation preference, with 57% of financial intermediaries in Hong Kong planning to increase client exposure against just 2% planning to decrease it, pointing to strong momentum behind ETF adoption in the territory.

Ultimately, what matters to asset managers is whether intermediaries plan to increase use of their funds in the year ahead. This article covered just some of the data that helps explain what drives that decision. Aureum Y’s Global Brand Survey Report for Hong Kong, publishing in October 2026, measures familiarity, unprompted brand recall, perceived quality and distinctiveness, and shows how these metrics play out for each individual asset management firm operating in the market. If you work in marketing at an asset management firm in Hong Kong, the report will tell you exactly where you stand.