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abrdn and The University of Edinburgh today announced a pioneering project that will seek to harness generative AI to support our investment research process. With the research taking place at the abrdn-funded Centre for Investing Innovation, the project aims to create a generative AI-powered research companion, which will combine an enhanced large language model with statistical inference to support abrdn’s investment teams. Echo Yang, CFA, Investment Director at abrdn and the project co-lead, commented: “AI has the power to make a substantial contribution to our existing investment processes but like any new technology it has to be harnessed correctly to deliver real benefits. By working with the University of Edinburgh’s world-class team we can bring the best academic insight, and match that with abrdn’s real-world experience of markets and investing.” Learn more about the project: https://ow.ly/RJw050Suth5 #Research #GenerativeAI #Investment

Last week, we supported our Powerful Partners, MyBnk to bring financial education to life as part of this year’s Step Up Expo through their gamified approach to financial education ‘Money Olympics’. Over two days, more than 5,000 teenagers had the opportunity to improve their financial literacy while competing in interactive, educational games and exploring career pathways. Sarah Moody, Chair of the abrdn Charitable Foundation who attended the event, commented: "Financial literacy is more than just numbers. It's about providing people with the knowledge of how to budget, save and invest for the future. It was great to come along and visit the MyBnk stand and see this in action in such an innovative way" Learn more about the event and our partnership with MyBnk: https://ow.ly/lURs50StAVL #FinancialLiteracy #Partnerships #Charity

Today we have launched the first ever abrdn Savings Ladder Index - a significant on-going piece of research which will track, bi-annually, Britain’s propensity to save and invest, financial literacy, and the saving and investing gap. As a nation, we are not saving enough and millions of people face a difficult retirement with pension savings that mean they won’t be able to afford the lifestyle they expect.   Our key findings included: 🪜Britain had an overall propensity to save and invest score of 45/100, pulled down by people’s low propensity to invest (37/100).* 🪜Low levels of financial education are a major factor hampering the nation’s ability to save and invest, with the research suggesting that 44% of UK adults have poor financial literacy. 🪜Those with low financial literacy are less likely to have pensions and hold less in them when they do – equating to a ‘pension penalty’ of £20,000. 🪜UK wealth is skewed towards property at the expense of pensions and investments, with the average person’s property worth around seven times more than the average pension.   As we argued in our Savings Ladder Manifesto (https://ow.ly/SEQK50SszQs), if Britain could harness the same enthusiasm for investing as the public has for homeownership, the opportunities - both economic and personal - would be enormous.   Read the full methodology and findings from our first Savings Ladder Index here: https://ow.ly/YKQK50SsITX   #SavingsLadder #Saving #Investing #Pensions *Respondents with a strong propensity to save and invest were allocated a score of 100/100. At the other end of the scale, where responses were seen as unlikely to save and invest, respondents were allocated a score of 0/100.

It’s been another action-packed week, with experts from across abrdn providing insight and analysis in the media… 🗣️ Noel Butwell's latest guest column for Money Marketing focused on the need for greater integration in adviser services: https://lnkd.in/eNwYm5_7 🗣️ Paul Diggle had a comment piece in The Telegraph on why stamp duty on UK shares should be scrapped: https://lnkd.in/ezZCy9cT 🗣️ Rebecca Maclean, CFA spoke to Reuters about UK growth figures: https://lnkd.in/eErvjPsM with further pick up in The Daily Mail 🗣️Jamie Mills O'Brien, CFA’s comments on "the next Nvidia" were published in IFA Magazine and The Telegraph's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eFrxgpak 🗣️Alex Everett, CFA was quoted by The Telegraph talking about the economic situation in France: https://lnkd.in/ex_8wnTQ 🗣️ An article by Samuel Grantham, CFA on bonds vs equities when investing in the climate transition was published in Professional Paraplanner : https://lnkd.in/e9Pg7C6q You can also read more from abrdn on our news and insights hub, including the second in our #Decoded series - an explainer piece on investment trusts: https://ow.ly/cCFm50SoVu8

abrdn’s Global Investment Forum focused on how we can shape global opportunities beyond tomorrow. 🌍 Following the day’s discussions and debates, we asked our experts for their takeaways. Listen to what they had to say below. #abrdngather

"Owning a home is an important aspiration for most of us - but it cannot be the be-all and end-all of personal financial planning." Paul Diggle, abrdn's Chief Economist, explains how an over-reliance on property may be preventing a wider culture of saving and investing in the UK. Read more: https://ow.ly/U0K450Spiz5

Investment trusts have been around since the 1860s, making them one of the most enduring forms of investment vehicle. In this second instalment of our #Decoded series, we break down what investment trusts are, how they work, and their importance to UK capital markets. Learn more: https://ow.ly/f7E150Sofi0

Our abrdn voices have had another busy week in the news, giving insight on a range of topics. Here is our key commentary over the past seven days: 🗣️Coverage continues on calls to scrap stamp duty on UK shares and UK-domiciled investment trusts with abrdn Chairman Sir Douglas Flint quoted in the Financial Times. https://ow.ly/e2TE50SmmSP 🗣️Sarah Moody, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, highlighted the critical role of financial literacy and outlined the work of abrdn and charity partner MyBnk to bridge the gap in the Evening Standard. https://ow.ly/iRze50SmmBS 🗣️Also in the Financial Times, Viktor E. Szabo, CFA, Investment Director, spoke on the current investment appetite for green bonds. https://ow.ly/vFIm50Sms92 🗣️Jonny Black, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, Adviser, was quoted in Professional Adviser and IFA Magazine on what UK inflation means for advisers. https://ow.ly/Vgsk50SmbWx 🗣️Matt Amis, CFA Investment Director, comments on how the fiscal landscape could look under a new government in the Financial Times. https://ow.ly/r1Wf50SmrbL 🗣️Kenneth Akintewe, Head of Asian Sovereign Debt, gave an update on his outlook for the Indian bond market in light of recent election results in this article by Bloomberg. https://ow.ly/LPKP50Sn1SI Stay tuned and remember to follow us for more updates. You can also read more from abrdn on our news and insights hub: https://ow.ly/HUEu50Sn4AB 🗞️📲

abrdngather - where global opportunities take shape. 🌍 We shared unique insights, challenged thinking, and assessed the macro and geopolitical landscapes. All in pursuit of identifying where the most compelling investment opportunities lie. A day committed to creating opportunities beyond tomorrow - thank you to all who contributed. Take a look at the highlights below. #abrdngather

Over and out from the 2024 Global Investment Forum! We've had a fantastic day sharing ideas, building connections, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. Our afternoon featured 9 breakout sessions, covering topics from Real Estate and Infrastructure to Climate Investing, Emerging Markets and Smaller Companies. Matthew Syed, a renowned author and acclaimed speaker in the field of high performance, enlightened us about the power of a growth mindset and its pivotal role in driving success. Following this inspiring talk, our Chairman, Sir Douglas Flint, reflected on the insights shared throughout the day before bringing the forum to a close. 📷 Check out our photo gallery from the day!