TAIPEI — Taiwan’s Cathay Financial Holdings is turning increasingly to artificial intelligence as it seeks to strengthen its position in the country’s competitive wealth-management market, with AI becoming a central part of its broader digital transformation strategy.
Cathay Financial Vice Chairman Tsai Tzung-han said the group plans to use AI and other digital technologies to strengthen wealth-management services, according to reporting published Sept. 16. The strategy comes as financial institutions increasingly use AI to improve customer services, investment research and internal operations.
From Digital Transformation to AI-Powered Finance
Cathay has spent roughly a decade building its digital capabilities, but the group is now moving into a new phase centered on AI and agentic AI.
At its 2026 Cathay Technology Conference on Sept. 15, the company showcased experiments involving AI “digital colleagues” designed to perform tasks and work alongside employees.
The conference focused on Agentic AI, multi-agent systems, AI-driven IT modernization, digital assets and Web3, reflecting Cathay’s broader attempt to integrate AI into financial operations rather than treating it simply as a customer-facing tool.
Cathay said the technology conference marked the 10th anniversary of its digital-transformation efforts and brought together international technology experts, academics and its own technology teams.
Wealth Management Becomes a Major AI Opportunity
For Cathay, wealth management is one of the areas where AI could have a particularly significant impact.
AI can help financial institutions process large amounts of market and customer information, support financial advisers and provide more personalized interactions.
Cathay United Bank already offers wealth-management services that combine dedicated financial advisers with investment products and market insights. Its digital strategy aims to add technology to that human advisory model rather than simply replace it.
Cathay Financial’s broader regional asset-management strategy also includes expanding its product range, talent base and integrated service platform, reflecting its ambition to build a larger wealth-management business across Asia.
AI Could Make Financial Advice More Personalized
The move toward AI comes as wealth-management firms globally increase their investment in the technology.
A recent Cerulli Associates study reported that wealth-management firms planned to more than double average AI-specific spending in 2026, while many firms continued hiring human advisers and client-service employees.
That suggests the industry’s current AI strategy is largely focused on augmenting financial professionals, automating routine work and improving client communication rather than eliminating advisers altogether.
Cathay’s approach is broadly consistent with that direction.
The company’s AI strategy includes building digital “colleagues” capable of assisting with work while allowing employees to focus on tasks requiring human judgment and interaction.
Cathay Has Already Been Applying AI Across Finance
The company’s AI push is not limited to wealth management.
Cathay Securities, another group company, has already promoted AI-based investment tools and market analysis. Its recent services include AI applications designed to identify potential risks and provide investors with additional information when making decisions.
Cathay United Bank has also reported strong corporate-lending momentum linked partly to AI-related investment and demand, illustrating how the AI boom is affecting both sides of its financial business — from financing technology expansion to providing services to investors.
Taiwan’s AI Boom Is Reshaping Finance
Cathay’s AI strategy comes as Taiwan’s economy is being transformed by enormous demand for artificial-intelligence infrastructure, particularly semiconductors and data centers.
Cathay Financial recently raised its forecast for Taiwan’s 2026 economic growth to 11.6% from 10.1%, citing stronger-than-expected AI demand, robust exports and continued investment in AI infrastructure.
That economic environment creates opportunities for financial institutions across multiple areas, including corporate lending, investment management, wealth management and technology services.
Cathay’s Bigger Goal Goes Beyond Chatbots
Cathay’s latest strategy is more ambitious than simply adding AI-powered chatbots to banking apps.
The company is exploring agentic AI, in which AI systems can carry out sequences of tasks and interact with other systems, potentially creating what Cathay describes as digital colleagues.
At its technology conference, Cathay presented applications involving multi-agent systems, AI-supported IT modernization and AI governance for financial-sector environments.
That raises a larger question for financial institutions: how to capture the efficiency and personalization benefits of increasingly capable AI while maintaining appropriate controls, security and human oversight.
The Human Adviser Still Has a Role
Despite the rapid technology push, Cathay’s strategy does not mean wealth management is becoming entirely automated.
Financial decisions can involve complex goals, risk considerations and personal circumstances that require human communication and judgment.
The emerging model is therefore closer to human advisers working with AI tools than a complete replacement of financial professionals.
That distinction is also visible globally, where wealth-management firms are investing heavily in AI while continuing to plan additional hiring.
Taiwan’s Wealth-Management Race Enters a New Phase
Cathay Financial’s move reflects a broader transformation in Taiwan’s financial industry.
As AI becomes embedded in investment research, banking, customer service and internal operations, financial institutions are competing not only over products and customers but also over their ability to deploy technology responsibly and effectively.
For Cathay, the next phase of its decade-long digital transformation is increasingly centered on AI.
And as the group pushes AI deeper into wealth management, the biggest change may not be that customers talk to machines — but how much more financial work can be handled, personalized and coordinated behind the scenes by AI.
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