The 2026 iCapital Asia Advisor Survey reveals a region where conviction has outpaced confidence. Allocation intentions rose over the past year even as advisors’ economic outlook deteriorated on every horizon measured, and the support advisors are asking for has shifted from access to analysis.
More than a quarter of advisors now plan to increase allocations to alternatives over the next 12 months, well above the share a year ago. Yet confidence in the economic backdrop fell steeply across local, global, and U.S. horizons, and more advisors report client interest declining. Conviction and caution are rising together.
Reach is the more pronounced constraint. Seven in ten Asian advisors use alternatives, but only 7% have more than a fifth of their clients allocated, the narrowest reach of any region surveyed. Conviction is not the limiting factor: almost nine in ten describe themselves as confident selecting and allocating alternatives.
What advisors need has changed with it. Risk and performance analytics is now the leading technology priority in the region, rising sharply year over year, while compliance and regulatory concerns are the fastest-growing challenge. Difficulty assessing liquidity and risk exposure across asset classes remains the single most cited obstacle to incorporating alternatives into portfolios.
The barriers that dominated a year ago have receded. Client reporting, previously the most cited barrier in Asia, has fallen back, and complexity in explaining alternatives to clients now ranks first. Education demand has moved decisively up the curve, with advanced topics and technology and implementation the leading areas of interest.
As alternatives become embedded in Asian portfolios, the firms and platforms best positioned to lead are those supplying the analytics, compliance support, and implementation capability advisors now say they need.
Download the full report for the complete findings across allocation, barriers, technology, and education.
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