Fueled by global recovery in the equity and real estate markets, the investable wealth of the world’s High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) rebounded in 2012, growing by 10 percent to reach a record high of $46.2 trillion, after declining 1.7 percent in 2011, according to the World Wealth Report 2013 (WWR), released today by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management. One million individuals joined the global HNWI population, which reached 12 million, reflecting an increase of 9.2 percent.
North America reclaimed its position as the largest HNWI market in 2012 after being overtaken by Asia- Pacific the year prior. North America’s population of 3.73 million HNWIs surpassed Asia-Pacific’s 3.68 million, while its HNWI wealth reached US$12.7 trillion, above the US$12.0 trillion in the Asia-Pacific region.
Global investable wealth growth was led by HNWIs in higher wealth bands, with ultra-HNWI expanding in wealth and number by approximately 11 percent, following declines in 2011.
All regions experienced strong growth in HNWI population and wealth except Latin America, which led growth in 2011, but faltered in 2012 due to slow GDP growth and challenged equity markets.
Record wealth levels achieved despite cautious HNWI investing approach in 2012
HNWIs remained cautious in 2012, highlighting a pronounced focus on wealth preservation in the Global HNW Insights Survey introduced this year in the WWR3, based on feedback from over 4,400 global HNWIs. Despite recent market improvements, one-third (33 percent) of HNWIs are more focused on preserving, versus just 26 percent on growing, their wealth.
Global HNWI wealth is forecast to grow by 6.5 percent annually over the next three years
Asset allocation trends followed the preservation trend, with almost 30 percent of HNWI wealth held in cash and deposits. Regional differences were clear with equities taking up the largest portion of North American HNWI portfolios (37 percent), while HNWIs in Latin America and Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) preferred real estate (30 percent and 25 percent of portfolios respectively).
HNWI trust in Wealth Management industry grows
Global HNWI confidence in the wealth management industry has improved, with 61 percent having a high degree of trust in both wealth managers and their firms in early 2013, up four and three percentage points respectively from last year. Increased trust and a cautiously upbeat economic outlook contributed to 75 percent of HNWIs feeling confident about generating future wealth. At the same time, HNWIs expressed a low level of confidence in markets and regulators, with fewer than half having a high level of trust in each (45 percent and 40 percent, respectively).
Future outlook cautiously upbeat, led by Asia-Pacific
Looking forward, with the ongoing economic recovery providing an environment of reduced risk and improving investor confidence, global HNWI wealth is forecast to grow by 6.5 percent annually over the next three years. This is in contrast to the sluggish 2.6 percent growth since the financial crisis in 2008. The Asia- Pacific region, which is projected to grow at one and a half times the global average at 9.8 percent, is expected to lead global growth.