Concentration of assets run by top managers hits record level as firms are warned about shift away from 'traditional models'

Top 500 firms' assets reach $93.8trn

The concentration of assets managed by the top 20 largest fund groups reached its highest level on record last year amid increased M&A in the industry, research by Willis Towers Watson has found, as it also warns the sector faces "massive change and disruption".

The Thinking Ahead Institute, a not-for-profit hub set up by Willis Towers Watson, conducted research which found the 20 largest asset management firms around the globe account for 43.3% of the top 500 managers' total assets under management (AUM). Their assets increased for the fourth consecutive year by 18.3% to $40.6trn in 2017. This is the highest level of concentration since the hub began carrying out research in 2000. Furthermore, in eight of the previous ten years, assets managed by the largest 20 firms have exceeded the growth rate of the wider 500 asset managers.  There...