From growth to advantage: Competing for the future of financial services in Asia Pacific
Key battlegrounds in unlocking the under-served market
Asia Pacific is becoming a new centre of gravity for the world’s financial services. Across the region, including New Zealand, financial institutions are operating in a market shaped by rising wealth, changing customer expectations, fast digital adoption, AI, and shifting government and regulatory priorities.
But it is not simply a story about growth. It is also a story about disruption, tougher competition and repositioning. Today’s leaders are being asked to commit to strategic positions under greater uncertainty, while the cost of delay keeps rising.
Clarity of direction, backed by decisive execution, will separate the institutions that shape the next era from those shaped by it.
For New Zealand, these regional shifts sharpen a distinctly local challenge: how to mobilise capital for productivity, infrastructure and high-growth businesses, while lifting competition, adopting AI responsibly and keeping pace with evolving regulation.
Key findings
Regional economy is expected to reach US$54 trillion by 2030, up 37% from 2024, outpacing global growth.
Financial services value added has the potential to reach US$4.8 trillion by 2035, up 6.5% per annum from 2024.
Increasing Asia Pacific’s corporate bond market debt by five percentage points of GDP could unlock US$1.8 trillion in additional financing.
Over US$10 trillion of personal wealth will transfer within generations in the next two decades.
Only 18% of financial firms report a revenue impact by using AI, with 75% hoping to achieve it.
Smarter regulation and AI‑driven productivity could cut regulatory compliance cost by US$30 billion.
What the battlegrounds mean for New Zealand
The four battlegrounds play out in specific ways in New Zealand:
About the report
Developed in collaboration with Deloitte Access Economics, From growth to advantage explores the forces reshaping the industry across Asia Pacific. Written for CEOs, boards and senior financial services leaders, the report sets out the strategic battlegrounds that will define the years ahead.
The report provides a clear view of the region’s growing role in the future of global financial services, and the choices leaders will need to make as markets, customers, technology, and policy settings continue to evolve.
