March 18 2026 – China is quietly redefining the AI race – and markets are starting to price a second epicentre, as a multipolar AI world creates “significant opportunities” for investors.
This is the bullish analysis from James Green, regional director of deVere Group with global experience across 18 regulated financial entities, as a huge rally hit markets after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said China's Large Language Model (LLM) OpenClaw is “definitely the next ChatGPT.”
He described it as a foundational shift that expands what individuals can do with AI.
OpenClaw is an AI agent capable of executing real-world tasks such as booking transport and making reservations, marking a clear evolution from passive LLMs to systems that can act.
James Green says this shift represents a structural turning point for investors.
“AI is moving from answering questions to completing transactions. That changes everything.
“The next phase of the AI story is not about intelligence alone; it's about execution, and who controls it.”
Recent market activity underscores the point. Providers of the underlying models powering these agents have surged, while major Chinese tech firms are accelerating integration into consumer ecosystems.
Companies embedding agentic AI into widely used platforms are seeing immediate investor recognition.
The deVere Investment Director notes that this is where the potentially “significant opportunity” lies.
“Every action an AI agent completes, such as booking a ride, ordering food, managing a schedule—creates a potential revenue stream.
“We're looking at the emergence of a new layer of the global economy, where AI platforms act as intermediaries for transactions at scale.”
He adds that investors have yet to fully price in this transformation.
“Markets have focused heavily on model development, but the monetisation sits one layer above.
“The winners are likely to be those who embed AI into everyday user behaviour and control the flow of transactions.”
This dynamic is particularly pronounced in China, where integrated digital ecosystems allow for rapid deployment.
Major tech firms are racing to incorporate agentic AI into messaging, payments, and cloud services, creating tightly connected environments in which users can move seamlessly from intent to execution.
“China's advantage is not just innovation, it's integration,” says James Green.
“The ability to deploy these systems across platforms that already handle payments, communication and services gives companies a powerful edge in capturing value quickly.”
He also points to the implications for global competition.
“We are moving into a multipolar AI landscape, where leadership is shared rather than concentrated.
“For investors, that broadens the opportunity set significantly.”
Despite geopolitical tensions, capital is following functionality.
“Investors are pragmatic. If a platform can generate transactions and scale monetisation, it will attract capital, regardless of geography.”
He emphasises that this is still an early-stage shift, but one with far-reaching consequences.
“Agentic AI is redefining what it means to be a tech company. These firms are becoming brokers of economic activity, not just providers of digital tools.”
James Green concludes: “The next leg of AI-driven market performance will, we expect, be shaped by companies that can convert intelligence into action, and action into revenue.
“This is where the real upside is now likely to emerge.”
deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.