The 2026 Asset Allocation Award Nominees
A decade of nominations reveals which asset managers consistently make the shortlist.
Every year the Asset Allocation Awards start with the same question: which asset managers have been the most consistent in their allocation recommendations?
This year, after analysing 72 asset allocation reports over a 36-month horizon, the shortlist is ready.
Across five categories, 25 nominations are awarded each year. Making the shortlist already places a report among the most consistent allocation frameworks in the market.
But the nominations tell a larger story, not just about this year, but about who has been consistently getting allocation decisions right over time.
A decade of nominations
Over the past ten years, 247 nominations have been awarded across the five categories.
Looking back over that period reveals something striking: a relatively small group of asset managers appears again and again.
Source: Alpha Research - Asset Allocation Awards
Together these 11 firms account for 60.3% of all nominations over the past decade.
For investors navigating dozens of strategy publications, this observation is useful. Following this relatively small group of asset managers already narrows the field considerably compared with analysing the entire universe of 72 reports.
But historical consistency does not guarantee future nominations, and every year the shortlist changes.
The 2026 shortlist
This year’s nominations highlight both continuity and change.
Several historically strong names appear again, but there are also shifts in momentum. Some long-time nomination leaders appear less frequently this year, while others move to the front of the shortlist.
Source: Alpha Research - Asset Allocation Awards
One name clearly stands out.
UBP leads this year’s shortlist with four nominations, appearing in almost every category. ING Investment Office and J.P. Morgan Asset Management follow with three nominations each.
The strong showing from ING Investment Office also moves the firm up to second place in the all-time nomination ranking, reinforcing its long-term consistency.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management, meanwhile, returns prominently to the shortlist after a period with fewer nominations.
Nominations by category
Asset Allocation
Nominees:
UBP
Federated Investors
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Robeco
Northern Trust AM
This category reflects the broadest allocation decisions across asset classes and often sets the tone for the overall positioning in multi-asset portfolios.
Fixed Income Allocation
Nominees:
Federated Investors
UBS
Candriam
Invesco
Amundi
The shortlist combines established fixed income strategists with firms whose allocation views have recently ranked strongly in the model portfolios.
Equities Regional Allocation
Nominees:
ING Investment Office
T. Rowe Price
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
UBP
L&G IM
Regional allocation remains one of the clearest ways strategists express macro views, from positioning between the US and Europe to shifts toward Japan or Emerging Markets.
Equity Sector Allocation
Nominees:
Invesco
UBP
ING Investment Office
Pictet AM
Candriam
Sector allocation highlights how strategists position within equity markets themselves. The shortlist includes both global investment houses and managers known for strong thematic or sector-driven frameworks.
Overall
Nominees:
UBP
ING Investment Office
UBS
T. Rowe Price
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
The Overall category rewards consistency across multiple allocation dimensions. Appearing here typically requires strong performance across several individual categories.
The final step
The shortlist now defines the contenders.
With four nominations across the five categories, UBP enters the final stage of the awards with the strongest position. Several other firms remain close behind, particularly ING Investment Office and J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
But nominations alone do not determine the outcome.
In the final article of this series, we will reveal which asset managers ultimately receive the Asset Allocation Awards.