Chiara Bartoletti

At the Hubbis Independent Wealth Management Forum - Singapore 2026, Christopher Morris, Co-Founder and CTO of WMCockpit, set out the rationale behind WMCockpit and the broader shift he believes the industry must make from portfolio management to holistic wealth management. His presentation did not dismiss the importance of portfolio management.

Singapore's credentials as a global wealth management hub are, by most measures, stronger than they have ever been. But beneath the headline growth figures lies a more textured reality. A significant share of the family offices and bank accounts established during the COVID era remain unfunded. Regulatory costs continue to climb.

​​​​​​​Fifteen years ago, Singapore's independent wealth management sector barely existed. The handful of External Asset Managers (EAMs) operating at the time numbered fewer than 20, working within a market that was still dominated by traditional private banks and largely defined by product-led propositions. Today, that number has grown to roughly 130 to 140 firms, and the scope of what independent wealth managers are expected to deliver has expanded well beyond investment returns.