The Great Reordering

BCG

Against a backdrop of trade wars, tariff brinkmanship, and escalating geopolitical tension, global financial wealth rose 10.7% to $333 trillion in 2025, up 2 percentage points over the prior year—the highest rate of growth since 2021. (See Exhibit 1.) Including real assets, net wealth reached $550 trillion, up 9.3%. The gains were not evenly distributed. Equities surged 13.2% while real assets expanded 7.4%, pinched by high prices and rising supply in major developed markets.

Gold was the standout, rising roughly 44%, driven by robust retail buying and a wave of central bank accumulation that reflects deepening unease about reserve currency stability. Financial wealth is projected to grow at a 7% compound annual rate through 2030, though the pace of gains assumes an easing of geopolitical tensions and energy disruptions in the second half of 2026. Global financial wealth is expanding, but 2025 revealed a widening divide between regions generating wealth at scale through deep capital markets and those held back by policy uncertainty or weak economic fundamentals.

Asia-Pacific remained a key engine of growth, supported by its central role in the AI supply chain, from semiconductor exports in South Korea to accelerating data center investment across Southeast Asia, and strong equity market performance in Hong Kong and Japan. 

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