2026 Asia Pulse Survey: AI Supercycle shapes expectations

The AI Supercycle is reshaping markets across Asia. It is also reshaping investor behavior.

After two years of outsized market gains, investors in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan now expect long-term returns of 17.3% above inflation. Just 18 months ago, investors in the same markets projected returns of 10.3%. The 68% increase suggests that recent market performance may be having an outsized influence on long-term expectations. 

The Natixis 2026 Asia Pulse Survey finds investors embracing the opportunities created by AI while struggling to reconcile those ambitions with their attitudes toward risk. While 85% want the opportunity to outperform the market, 76% say they would choose safety over investment performance if forced to decide. The disconnect highlights a defining tension in the survey: Investors are pursuing increasingly ambitious return goals while remaining fundamentally risk averse. 

Investors surveyed are operating in an unfamiliar environment shaped by strong but fragile markets, inflation, divergent monetary policy, trade tensions, and geopolitical uncertainty. Their responses vary substantially by country, generation, and wealth, showing how personal experience and local market conditions continue to shape financial decisions. 

For financial professionals, the challenge is helping investors make sense of that complexity. As markets and technology change rapidly, investors will need context and perspective to connect short-term developments with their individual circumstances and long-term financial plans.

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