Technology and FinTech veteran to chair the AI-powered wealth platform built for Asia's independent advisors
GROW Digital Wealth (GDW), the Hong Kong-based digital asset platform of GROW Investment Group, today announced the appointment of Alan Lau as Chairman of the Board.Lau joins from Animoca Brands, where he was Chief Business Officer. He will guide GDW's strategy as it scales, using AI to give every advisor the capability of an institutional team.
The appointment builds on a strong year for the platform. Its parent, GROW Investment Group, was named "Best Wealth Manager – Digital Innovation" at the Asian Private Banker China Wealth Awards 2025, with the GDW platform singled out as central to the win.
Lau brings a unique mix of strategy, operating and governance experience, built at the leading edge of AI in financial services. He spent nearly two decades at McKinsey & Company, where as Senior Partner he headed McKinsey Digital in Asia, helping large enterprises through digital transformation. He then became CEO of Tencent WeSure, one of the world's first AI-native regulated insurers, serving over 100 million customers, with underwriting, distribution, claims and service all running on AI. Most recently, as Chief Business Officer of Animoca Brands, he led investment, portfolio and new business building, and helped build tokenisation and digital-asset infrastructure, and served on the board of Anchorpoint, the Standard Chartered and HKT stablecoin joint venture.
His board and non-executive experience spans financial oversight, technology and regulation. He brings global governance discipline as an independent director of Tapestry (NYSE: TPR), the S&P 500 group behind Coach and Kate Spade, where he serves on the audit and technology committees. He also previously sat on the digital advisory board of Burberry (LSE: BRBY). In Hong Kong, he has served on the Insurance Authority's Industry Advisory Committee, advising on digital insurance and Greater Bay Area cross-border opportunities, areas now seen as central to the region's wealth opportunity.
Lau's arrival comes as the wealth opportunity in Asia reaches an inflection point. China holds one of the world's deepest pools of private wealth, with high-net-worth individuals holding roughly US$18 trillion in investable assets, and the independent-advisor channel is the fastest-growing way it is served. Three forces are converging at once. Clients want independent, objective advice across a wider range of investments. Experienced advisors want to represent their clients without the constraint of a single institution. And AI now lets a single advisor deliver the depth that once took a whole team. GDW is built to capture these shifts.
At GDW, AI is put to work helping advisors build trust with their clients. An always-on assistant handles portfolio analysis on demand, proactive alerts when markets move, and the routine drafting and paperwork, handing hours back to the advisor so more of the day goes to the client.
“AI is reshaping the workflow and economics of wealth management in ways that weren't even possible a year ago. GDW runs on an AI-driven back office and investment-advisory infrastructure, which means lower cost and more time for advisors to spend with clients. Our cost to serve per dollar of AUM is less than a tenth of the traditional model," said Alan Lau, Chairman of GROW Digital Wealth. "AI is used to help build trust, not to replace the advisor. With AI, we can put the capability of an institutional team in a single advisor's hands and free up time to spend with clients. Many of the best advisors have long wanted to go independent, but never had the products, regulatory backing and technology to make the leap. GDW puts power back in the hands of advisors and their clients, and I am excited to make it happen with our executive team."
“Alan's track record in building AI-first businesses at scale, combined with his governance standing on global boards, is exactly what GDW needs as it enters its next phase,” said William Ma, Founding Partner and Global Chief Investment Officer of GROW Investment Group. “His appointment reinforces our commitment to leading the digital transformation of wealth management across Asia.”
About GROW Digital Wealth
GROW Digital Wealth (GDW) is an AI-powered wealth platform built for independent financial advisors across Asia, providing advisors and their high-net-worth clients with access to a curated, multi-asset product shelf, technology, and operating infrastructure on an open-architecture model. GDW is part of GROW Investment Group, named "Best Wealth Manager – Digital Innovation" at the Asian Private Banker China Wealth Awards 2025.