Manulife brings enhanced experience to MPF members with new robo-advisory service to foster proactive portfolio management

Hong Kong – Manulife today announced the pilot of its first MPF Robo-Advisor, a brand new portal that aims to provide automated portfolio insights and personalized investment tips to its MPF members. In collaboration with AutoML Capital, an award-winning WealthTech firm established in Cyberport, and Syfe, a leading investment and saving platform in Asia, this new initiative is part of Manulife’s ongoing commitment to strengthen member education and enhance customer experience in MPF investment management through digital innovation.

Manulife’s MPF Robo-Advisor serves as an interactive retirement education platform for members to learn more about portfolio allocation suited to their personal needs and risk profiles. It is a self-serve digital tool that allows Manulife MPF members to access both asset-class level recommendations and fund level advice. Syfe has created proprietary algorithms to recommend the appropriate MPF-fund-based portfolio for each member, with full transparency into the portfolio allocation, such as asset class breakdown and top holdings. AutoML leverages its evolutionary AI engine, the ML Brain, with deep investment insights, to assist members in making investment decisions that may help optimize returns and reduce drawdowns based on AI-driven market forecasts.

Jeanie Ho, Head of Hong Kong and Macau Retirement, Manulife, said: “According to our latest member survey¹, 71% of our members indicated they have difficulty in managing their MPF investments, while over half (53%) said they lack sufficient knowledge in portfolio management. Our new robotic advisory portal is designed to address this pain-point and is easily accessible via both desktop and mobile devices. Manulife’s MPF contribution members who are digitally enabled will first be invited to experience this user-friendly portal during the 4-month pilot and more members will be able to enjoy this tool in the coming phases.”

 “We are delighted to have garnered the rapport and technological advancement from two innovative WealthTechs in our digital customer leadership journey, and we are confident that this groundbreaking collaboration will elevate our MPF customer experience and contribute positively towards grooming a more proactive and healthier attitude amongst MPF members in their retirement portfolio management,” Jeanie Ho continued.

Kevin Li, General Manager and Head of Syfe Hong Kong, said: “Hong Kong has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, but most people are not saving enough for their retirement. One of the barriers that HongKongers have faced is difficulty in selecting funds when they construct their MPF portfolios. The platform we developed in partnership with Manulife addresses this problem by recommending a single portfolio that may be most suited to each user’s unique situation. Our solution combines our proprietary technology with expertise from leading investment banks and asset managers, and we look forward to promoting broader adoption of this platform to further personalize MPF advisory.”

Rebecca Lim, CEO, AutoML Capital, said: “At AutoML, we are enthusiastic in empowering investors in Hong Kong through digital innovation. With the ML Brain, we exemplify how continuous learning and adaptation by an AI engine can help revolutionize asset allocation strategies. We strongly believe the use of AI could help MPF members make investment decisions easier. By providing tools that demystify the complexities of financial planning, we trust we could demonstrate how technology can enrich investment strategies and foster a more informed, empowered investor community. As a WealthTech born and bred in Cyberport, we believe our effort underscore a significant achievement in Hong Kong's tech development scene, and help highlight the region's capability in producing pioneering solutions not only cater to the local market, but can also leverage to investors around the globe.”

AutoML and Syfe are both registered with the MPFA as a Principal Intermediary and authorized to engage in regulated advice and activities.