Unchanging principle: Client first
AI is rapidly transforming the global financial industry. However, its application to wealth management is far from simple, given the complexities of customer-specific situations and financial data, amid a backdrop of market volatility, financial regulation, and trust issues.
“Despite these realities, we do not cease pursuing wealth management innovation through AI. Because our philosophy that ‘the customer’s success is our success’ is clear. We proceed one step at a time, beginning with the question, ‘What value can this innovation deliver to the customer?’ and embedding AI across all aspects of wealth management.” said Sun-Ho Heo, CEO of Mirae Asset Securities.
At present, client assets at Mirae Asset Securities amount to US$399 billion – one of the largest in Asia – and the combined client assets of Mirae Asset Financial Group, including asset management, insurance as well as other affiliates reach US$759 billion.
Surpassing global information barriers
Mirae Asset Securities has broadened Korean investors’ perspective overseas through its 20 global networks across 11 regions. However, due to timezone and language barriers, investors still faced disadvantages in receiving and accurately interpreting information compared to local investors.
With this in mind, Heo took action: “Despite initial doubts about cost-effectiveness, I believed that if we could utilise AI to translate and summarise vast overseas information in real time, customer value would clearly increase.”
Mirae Asset Securities, which holds the largest overseas stock balances among Korean financial institutions, developed its own ʽMirae Asset AI Global Investment Information Systemʼ and the ʽAI Global Market Briefing Serviceʼ. As a result, disclosures and major news related to overseas investment assets can now be translated and summarised almost in real time for investors, and research reports that previously took human analysts more than five hours to prepare can be completed in about ten minutes, significantly enhancing both the accessibility and timeliness of information.
Steadfast in the face of volatility
Although information access has improved, the issue remains that investors struggle to maintain a long-term perspective in more volatile foreign markets than the Korean stock market. Heo states, “In the face of market volatility, guiding customers to remain steadfast is the essential task of wealth management. Humans waver emotionally, but AI consistently adheres to investment principles.”
To address this, Mirae Asset Securities developed its own ʽAI-based Robo-advisorʼ. This analyses investor profiles, market conditions, and account status in real time to provide customised portfolios. Accessibility was improved by waiving fees, lowering the minimum subscription amount to about US$7, and integrating the service across various account types – pension, stock, ISA, etc.
As of July 2025, the robo-advisor manages approximately US$ 2.7 billion in assets, sustaining a quarterly average asset growth rate of 33%. “What the customer values is not merely asset size, but confidence in their investment journey,” Heo said.
More personalised wealth management
Private wealth management brings complex tasks such as taxation, inheritance, and family wealth planning. Previously, private bankers struggled to focus on client conversations while managing vast amounts of data directly.
To address this, Mirae Asset Securities developed the ʽAI Wealth Assistantʼ and the ʽAI PB Desk Assistantʼ. The ‘AI Wealth Assistant’ provides private bankers with daily morning reports covering clients’ events, account and transaction histories, customer service centre interactions, and potential attrition risks. The ‘AI PB Desk Assistant’ has been trained on over 400 operational manuals, enabling instant Q&A guidance on required procedures and documents during client consultations. As a result, private bankers have reduced their average preparation time from 20 minutes to five minutes, allowing them to focus more on client engagement and enhance the depth of wealth management.
These innovations have been recognised externally, as Mirae Asset Securities won Euromoney’s “Best Securities House in South Korea” for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) and was selected as Global Finance’s “Best Private Bank in Korea 2025.”
Eliminating blind spots through a hybrid model
Despite increased digital channel usage, over 60% of customers still consider private bankers as the most trusted source of advice. Korea, with its complex financial regulations and product structures, is a market where investors require expert guidance even as they embrace digital tools.
To meet both demands, Mirae Asset Securities introduced a hybrid wealth management model in which AI delivers tailored solutions to customers via digital channels, and private bankers continue in-depth consultations through inbound and outbound engagement. This model has been rapidly expanding among mass affluent individuals who rely exclusively on digital channels. It is now being extended to branch-based clients, addressing previously underserved segments in wealth management.
Heo describes the hybrid wealth management model as the strategic core. “Through the structure that AI and private bankers together create, we will offer every customer a more inclusive and deeply engaging wealth management experience.”
As AI accelerates financial industry innovation, unwavering principles are essential in times of change.
Heo asserts, “AI is not merely a tool for efficiency, it is an extension of the financial essence that preserves customer trust. This is not just a Korean story, but a task and opportunity faced by the global wealth management industry.”
“Ultimately, this demonstrates the role AI should play in finance: enhancing access to global investment information, maintaining trust throughout the investment journey, and embracing wealth management blind spots. These principles apply universally, not only in Korea but in global markets.”
- Mirae Asset Securities operates under a co-CEO structure, with CEO Sun-Ho Heo overseeing the Wealth Management business. For the first half of 2025, Wealth Management accounting for 50.3% of company’ total pre-tax profit.
- To ensure consistency in the exchange rate applied to client asset, all figures have been calculated based on July 31, 2025. The KRW/US$ exchange rate stood at 1,395 as of July 31, 2025
