Bank wealth management subsidiaries shift talent demand towards multi-strategy and other fields

Our reporter Xiong Yue

Amid the ongoing decline in yields of single fixed-income assets, bank wealth management subsidiaries are continuously expanding their diversified investment boundaries to seek a breakthrough in returns.

Recently, many bank wealth management subsidiaries have launched their 2026 spring social recruitment drives. From the job postings, traditional fixed-income research and investment roles are no longer the main focus; there is an increasing demand for talent in equity, multi-asset, multi-strategy research, as well as risk assessment professionals matching these areas.

Talent Structure Expanding into Diverse Fields

Entering 2026, several bank wealth management subsidiaries, including China Post Wealth Management, CITIC Wealth Management, Pudong Development Bank Wealth Management, Xingye Wealth Management, and Ping An Wealth Management, have begun new rounds of talent recruitment. Compared to traditional fixed-income positions, the focus of recruitment is shifting toward equity, quantitative FOF, fixed income +, cross-border assets, commodities and precious metals, and hard technology strategies or asset classes.

Overall, the talent demand aligns with the strategic layout of multi-asset and multi-strategy approaches by these subsidiaries, with roles becoming more specialized and multi-faceted.

China Post Wealth Management’s recent 2026 social recruitment information shows they are hiring investment managers and assistants across multiple areas, including pension, quantitative and derivatives investment, equity strategies, primary and secondary markets, indices, and portfolio strategies. Compared to 2025, the number of fixed-income positions being recruited has decreased.

CITIC Wealth Management’s March 2nd social recruitment announcement indicates they are hiring strategy investment managers and assistants in various segments such as overseas equities, consumer pharmaceuticals, private equity funds, commodities and precious metals, technology growth, and quantitative FOF.

Pudong Development Bank Wealth Management’s spring 2026 social recruitment does not include traditional fixed-income research roles but instead focuses on hiring investment managers in quantitative, fixed income +, and equity sectors. Ping An Wealth Management’s investment positions are concentrated on large asset classes, multi-strategy, fixed income +, FOF, innovative investments, and quantitative fixed income.

City commercial bank subsidiaries are also eager for talent in equity and multi-strategy fields. For example, Suzhou Securities Wealth Management recently announced their 2026 social recruitment, including fixed income investment management, equity investment management, quantitative investment management, and comprehensive risk management roles.

Regarding qualifications, many bank subsidiaries specify that investment professionals in specialized fields must have relevant research or investment management experience.

Overcoming Talent Acquisition Bottlenecks in Diversified Talent

In fact, the changing talent demand structure directly reflects the transformation of the underlying asset allocation strategies of bank wealth management subsidiaries.

“Currently, the talent needs of bank wealth management subsidiaries are shifting from a traditional focus on fixed income investment and credit research to a broader asset base and more refined investment talent,” said Xue Hongyan, a special researcher at the Shanghai Financial and Development Laboratory, in an interview with Securities Daily. This shift is driven by the deepening of net asset value transformation following new asset management regulations, combined with declining interest rates and asset scarcity pressures. The old model of relying on fixed income to extend durations and credit to lower tiers can no longer sustain itself. Wealth management firms must pursue fixed income +, multi-asset allocation, and derivatives for hedging to achieve more flexible returns, meeting clients’ demand for absolute returns. This also reflects a continued industry shift toward research-driven competition.

However, currently, there are multiple bottlenecks in building talent teams in areas such as equities, multi-assets, and multi-strategies, including relatively insufficient compensation competitiveness, weak research and investment culture and institutional foundation, and a lack of systematic experience in historical research systems.

Zeng Gang, director of the Shanghai Financial and Development Laboratory, explained that constrained by internal bank compensation management, bank wealth management subsidiaries are at a clear disadvantage when competing with public funds, private equity firms, and securities firms for top equity talent. Attracting top-tier equity professionals is difficult, and there is a high risk of talent loss. Additionally, the management culture of bank institutions is naturally inclined toward compliance and risk control, and the cultural environment necessary for equity investment—tolerance for short-term fluctuations and encouragement of independent judgment—has yet to be established. Moreover, since bank wealth management subsidiaries have long focused on fixed income, their equity research and investment systems are almost starting from scratch, lacking systematic talent development.

“Bank wealth management clients tend to have low risk appetite, which makes it difficult for equity talent to fully demonstrate their performance, creating a negative cycle of talent retention,” added Xue Hongyan.

How to Break Through the Bottleneck in Building High-Quality Talent Teams? Zeng Gang suggested three strategies: First, optimize compensation incentives. Within regulatory frameworks, implement differentiated incentives for core equity talent based on public fund compensation systems to attract mature external talent. Second, cultivate an open and inclusive research and investment culture. Extend performance evaluation periods to over three years and reduce short-term ranking pressures. Establish internal research sharing and fault-tolerance mechanisms to embed true value investing principles. Third, develop a coordinated internal and external talent cultivation system. Actively attract experienced professionals with backgrounds in public and private funds, and establish systematic training and rotation mechanisms internally to build a versatile talent pipeline and create a sustainable internal talent supply system.