World wealth values increased to $530 billion by 2021, according to the MoneyTransfers website.

This figure corresponds to an increase of 10.6% compared to 2020, when the world's wealth was based on 479 trillion dollars. The value registered in 2021 is the most substantial of the last decade.

"We can attribute this increase to robust equity markets and an increase in consumer interest in buying real assets such as wine, art and property. A lot is happening in the world right now, from inflation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but that won't stop the growth in global wealth," said MoneyTransfers CEO Jonathan Merry, quoted by the Economic newspaper.

According to one of the members of the Boston Consulting Group, Anna Zakrzewski, wealth development is proving to be resilient, adding that growth rates will remain positive even in the current uncertain geopolitical climate.

MoneyTransfers also predicts that the Asia-Pacific region will continue to have the highest rate of wealth growth over the next five years. In addition, asset values will increase to an overall annual growth rate of 8.4% by 2026. In this scenario, the region will house about a quarter of the world's wealth.

What's more, Hong Kong may even receive more cross-border money, according to the website, meaning that Hong Kong may eventually replace Switzerland as the global financial capital.

U.S. economy must retreat

Contrarily, the US economy is forecast to recede. According to analysts at MoneyTransfers, the rate of economic expansion in the United States of America (USA) is forecast to decline by 4.7% between now and 2026. In turn, Western Europe will fall to less than 4%.

In comparison, the average growth over the previous five years was 9.1% and 4.5% for the US and Western Europe, respectively.

Furthermore, MoneyTransfers finds that traditional investment shows three to five times faster growth than sustainable investment. Sustainable investment could constitute up to 17% of privately invested wealth by 2026. o

The aftermath of the post-pandemic is a contributing factor to the slowdown in the U.S. economy, with the war between Russia and Ukraine compounding the situation, with gas prices rising, affecting most industries.