Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe – Regional Breakdown by Market Trends, Investment Preferences and Competitor Benchmarking

Mass Affluent Banking Market in Western Europe Report Overview

Western Europe has an attractively large segment of the mass affluent population accounting for over 90% of the liquid asset value invested in the region. Equities and mutual funds are the most popular assets besides private pensions and investment properties. Achieving a financially secure and comfortable retirement is the main financial goal of mass affluents. Hence, a large percentage of them prefer accumulating assets instead of repaying their debts. This indicates a demand for long-term investment assets for the Western European mass affluent.

The ‘Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe’ report analyzes the behaviors and preferences of mass affluent customers in the Western European market. This includes financial goals, banking patterns, investment preferences, and insurance preferences. The report also identifies the banking and investment preferences of the mass affluent customers and gives an insight into the competitive benchmarks used by the banks to strengthen their offerings and gain market share across all Western European countries.

Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe – Key Drivers

Disinflation, an aging population, financial services, and a political shift to the right are the key factors driving mass affluent banking in the Western European region.

• Aging population: The rapidly aging Western European population can have a positive impact on mass affluent volumes. This is because the population approaching the end of their working lives is likely to have accumulated more wealth with time. Moreover, history’s biggest-ever transfer of wealth is underway as boomers retire and die.
• Financial services: The financial services industry in Western Europe is among the sectors that gained the most from Britain leaving the EU. Nearly half of financial services companies operating in London have operations and staff or are planning to move them, to the EU.

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Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe – Regional Breakdown

The mass affluent across Western Europe will grow only marginally due to the cost-of-living squeeze. Europe has grappled with low productivity growth for decades, and the effects of population aging and labor supply constraints are slowing growth further.

A few of the countries with the biggest opportunity for capturing mass affluent customers are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Spain. Germany offers the biggest opportunity in the region, as the country alone accounts for over 11 million of the mass affluent population in Western Europe. Despite the weaker economic performance of Germany in 2024, the affluent segment market is expected to grow by over 10% between 2023 and 2027, the highest rate in the region. The alarmingly aging population and the expected transfer of their wealth will support this growth.

Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe by Countries, 2023 (%)

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Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe – Banking Overview

The higher penetration rates for many of the most common credit products make the mass affluent crucial for product managers to consider, particularly in the credit card market. Over half of mass affluents still visit a bank branch at least monthly. Hence, attractive premium banking facilities are a key selling point for these clients. However, online banking and mobile apps remain the most frequently used channels, with over half using these at least weekly.

Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe by Investment Channels, 2023 (%)

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Mass Affluent Banking Market in Western Europe – Investment Preferences Outlook

The key investment preferences of the mass affluent banking market are bonds, equity, mutual funds, and ETFs. Most mass affluents maintain substantial deposits, making them the core market for retail deposits by value. Even though mass affluents make up a small percentage of the total population, most of the value of investments in bonds, equities, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are held by them. This indicates a significant opportunity for banks with premium and private banking programs. Bundling attractive investment services to mass affluent premium account packages generates revenue. It can also help retain affluent customers at an earlier stage of their wealth accumulation before they later become private wealth management customers.

Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe by Investment Preferences Outlook 2023 (%)

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Mass Affluent Banking in Western Europe – Competitive Landscape

A few of the retail banks dominating mass affluent banks in the Western European countries are BNP Paribas, Belfius, Argenta, KBC Bank, and ING. BNP Paribas accounted for the highest market share in 2023. KBC has struggled to retain mass affluent clients, with negative implications for plans to grow its private banking segment. AXA’s current account and mortgage market shares for the mass affluent are almost double those for the total market.

Retail Banks in Western Europe Catering to the Mass Affluent, 2023 (%)

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Segments Covered in the Report

Western Europe Mass Affluent Banking Countries Outlook (2023)

• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Spain

Western Europe Mass Affluent Banking Channels Outlook (2023)

• Mobile App
• Online Banking
• Instant Messaging
• Bank Branch
• Chatbot
• Video Banking
• Call Centre

Western Europe Mass Affluent Banking Investment Preferences Outlook (2023)

• Equity
• Bonds
• ETFs
• Mutual Funds

Key Highlights

• The future growth rate of the mass affluent in this region will slow significantly compared to its historical growth.
• Mass affluent customers still prefer to use traditional banks the most for any banking product.
• Customers in this region are not sold on the idea of paying for a premium current account. Banks need to do more to make themselves more attractive to customers to cross-sell more products and services.

Reasons to Buy

• Understand how consumer preferences vary between different customer demographics.
• Access the latest consumer survey data on channel behavior, provider preferences, and product holdings.
• Identify the areas for improvement that matter to particular consumers.
• Benefit from the provision of actionable steps that can help your business target specific customer profiles.