BPI unit expects AUM to hit P1 trillion

MANILA, Philippines — The wealth management arm of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) aims to grow its assets under management (AUM) to P1 trillion by the end of the year.

Maria Theresa Marcial, president and CEO of BPI Wealth – A Trust Corp., said the company’s AUM stood at P950 billion as of end-March, 8.6 percent higher versus the end-2022 level of P875 billion.

“Watch towards the end of the year, we’re going to cross P1 trillion,” Marcial told The STAR.

After being rebranded from BPI Asset Management and Trust Corp. (AMTC), Marcial said BPI Wealth is focusing on showing the market that the 171-year-old bank is increasing its customer obsession mindset toward investment products that will cater to a whole range of customers.

“So, they can rely on a company that they trust, which is BPI Wealth, and live the mantra which we call #liveyourbestlife,” she added.

The campaign, #liveyourbestlife, echoes BPI Wealth’s commitment to empower customers to fulfill their highest aspirations.

According to Marcial, BPI Wealth in undertaking various initiatives around products and customers.

She said more than 6,500 accounts were opened since the digital account opening for investments was launched late last year.

As part of the bank’s push for financial inclusion and make its products more accessible to a broader customer base, Marcial said BPI Wealth lowered the investment amount to P10,000 from P50,000 and to $100 from $1,000 for US dollar-denominated investments.

“We sees that with these product enhancements, we should be able to see more clients open investment accounts and make investments more accessible. This is what we call democratizing access to investments,” she said.

Likewise, she said that BPI Wealth is also rebranding its private banking segment into BPI Private Wealth within the year.

“There’s more in store because we have also integrated the private wealth relationship management into BPI Wealth, and that is to make advice and investment portfolio management more seamless as we offer many investment opportunities for our affluent and high-net-worth segment,” Marcial said.

BPI Wealth’s bold new identity and positioning is anchored in its strengths – robust investment process, unparalleled risk management framework, best-in-class investment professionals and wealth advisors, and a wide range of innovative investment solutions.

The company also vowed to deliver superior customer experience for its individual, corporate, and institutional clients.