Bank wealth management subsidiaries shift talent demand toward multi-strategy and other areas

Reporter: Xiong Yue

Against the backdrop of continuously declining yields on single fixed-income assets, bank wealth management subsidiaries are actively expanding their diversified investment boundaries to seek a breakthrough in returns.

Recently, several bank wealth management subsidiaries have successively launched social recruitment for Spring 2026. From the released job information, it appears that traditional fixed-income research personnel are no longer the main focus; there is a growing demand for research talent in equity, multi-asset, and multi-strategy directions, as well as risk assessment professionals that match these areas.

Talent structure expanding into diverse fields

As we enter 2026, several bank wealth management subsidiaries, including China Postal Savings Bank Wealth Management, Citic Wealth Management, Pudong Development Bank Wealth Management, Xingyin Wealth Management, and Ping An Wealth Management, have initiated a new round of talent recruitment. Compared to traditional fixed-income positions, the recruitment focus of these bank wealth management subsidiaries is shifting towards equity, quantitative FOF, fixed-income+, cross-border assets, commodities and precious metals, hard technology, and other strategies or asset areas.

Overall, the structure of talent demand aligns with the strategic layout of multi-asset and multi-strategy among bank wealth management subsidiaries, with relevant job responsibilities becoming more refined and diverse.

Recent recruitment information released by China Postal Savings Bank Wealth Management for Spring 2026 shows that the institution is publicly hiring investment managers and assistant investment managers in various directions such as pension, quantitative and derivative investments, equity strategies, primary and secondary markets, indices, and portfolio strategies. Compared to 2025, the number of job directions for fixed income positions at this institution has been reduced.

Citic Wealth Management’s social recruitment information published on March 2 indicates that the institution is looking for strategy investment managers and assistant investment managers in several subsectors, including overseas stock markets, consumer healthcare, 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 positions; instead, it is hiring investment managers in three major areas: quantitative, fixed-income+, and equity. Ping An Wealth Management’s investment positions focus on major asset classes, multi-strategy, fixed-income+, FOF, innovative investments, and quantitative fixed income.

City commercial banks’ wealth management subsidiaries are also eager to recruit talent in equity and multi-strategy fields. For example, Su Yin Wealth Management recently published its social recruitment information for 2026, showing that in addition to fixed-income investment management roles, the institution is hiring for equity investment management, quantitative investment management, and comprehensive risk management talent.

From the perspective of qualifications, many bank wealth management subsidiaries have mentioned that investment management personnel in specialized fields must possess relevant research or investment management practical experience.

Breaking through the bottleneck of diversified talent acquisition

In fact, the change in talent demand structure is a direct reflection of the ongoing transformation of the underlying asset layout in bank wealth management subsidiaries.

“Currently, the talent demand of bank wealth management subsidiaries is accelerating its shift from a traditional structure focused on fixed-income investment and credit research to a layout that emphasizes multi-asset and refined investment,” said Xue Hongyan, a special researcher at Su Shang Bank, to the Securities Daily reporter. This shift is due to the deep-water phase of net value transformation following the new asset management regulations, combined with pressures from declining interest rates and asset shortages. The previous model relying on fixed income to extend duration and credit to sink is no longer sustainable; wealth management companies must leverage fixed-income+, multi-asset allocation, and derivative hedging to achieve return flexibility to meet clients’ demands for absolute returns. This also reflects the ongoing industry competition, which is increasingly driven by research and investment.

However, at present, bank wealth management subsidiaries still face multiple bottlenecks in building talent teams in equity, multi-asset, and multi-strategy fields, including relatively insufficient salary competitiveness, weak research and investment culture and institutional soil, and inadequate historical research and investment system accumulation.

Zeng Gang, director of the Shanghai Financial and Development Laboratory, introduced that due to salary management constraints within the banking system, bank wealth management subsidiaries are at a disadvantage when competing with public funds, private institutions, and brokerages for quality equity talent. Attracting top equity talent is difficult, and the risk of turnover is high. Meanwhile, the management culture of bank-based institutions naturally leans towards compliance and risk control, and the cultural soil necessary for equity investment, which requires “tolerance for short-term volatility and encouragement of independent judgment,” has yet to take shape. Furthermore, bank wealth management subsidiaries have long been focused on fixed income, and their equity research and investment system almost starts from scratch, lacking systematic accumulation in talent development.

“The risk preference of the clientele of bank wealth management subsidiaries is relatively low, making it difficult for equity talent’s performance to be fully reflected, resulting in a negative cycle for the retention of related talent,” Xue Hongyan added.

How to break through the bottleneck of high-quality talent team construction for bank wealth management subsidiaries? Zeng Gang stated that first, it is necessary to optimize salary incentives. Within the regulatory framework, reference the salary system of public funds and implement differentiated incentives for core equity talent to enhance attractiveness to external mature talent. Second, it is essential to cultivate an open and inclusive research and investment culture. Extend the investment performance assessment cycle to over three years, reducing short-term ranking orientation. Establish internal research sharing and error tolerance mechanisms to ensure that the true value investment philosophy takes root and is implemented. Third, establish an internal and external linked talent cultivation mechanism. Actively introduce mature talent with backgrounds in public and private funds from outside. Internally, establish systematic training and rotation mechanisms to build a composite talent team, forming a sustainable internal talent supply system.

(Edited by Qian Xiaorui)

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