A majority of institutional investors now assess asset managers on qualitative measures such as team alignment, communication quality and strategic clarity.

Research and consulting firm Cerulli said that institutional investors are placing growing emphasis on qualitative factors alongside performance when assessing asset managers, as competition for institutional allocations intensifies. Institutional investors are placing growing emphasis on qualitative factors  The firm outlined findings from the April 2026 issue of The Cerulli Edge – The Americas Asset and Wealth Management Edition , which examined how asset owners define leading a