The Southeast Asian family office sector is entering a period of rapid expansion, supported by rising regional wealth, succession planning activity and evolving investment strategies. The SE Asia family offices report by The Venture Network highlighted accelerating growth across the region, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore, the region’s largest hub, surpassed 2,000 family offices in 2025 with assets under management of USD66.8bn. Malaysia is also developing i

WRISE Wealth Management has launched WRISE Master Trust in Hong Kong as demand rises for integrated wealth planning, succession and asset-protection solutions among affluent Asian families. The WRISE Master Trust combines the company’s wealth-management platform with the licensed trustee capabilities of Quantum Trust. The new offering is designed for high-net-worth individuals and family offices seeking cross-border wealth management, governance support and long-term successi

Mainland Chinese investors are increasingly travelling to Hong Kong to preserve access to international markets following Beijing’s crackdown on unauthorised cross-border securities trading. The mainland Chinese offshore investments trend accelerated after regulators penalised online brokers Futu, Tiger and Longbridge for soliciting mainland business without appropriate licences. The crackdown has prompted some investors to transfer assets to Hong Kong-based brokers while nav

South Korea and ASEAN will begin formal negotiations this week to modernise their trade agreement and deepen cooperation in emerging sectors. The South Korea ASEAN FTA upgrade discussions will cover areas including the digital economy, critical minerals, supply-chain resilience and future trade facilitation. The first round of negotiations will be led by Park Geun-oh of South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and Alpana Roy, ASEAN’s director general for intern

Hong Kong is proposing stricter compliance requirements for family offices even as it broadens tax incentives to cover a wider range of alternative assets, including digital assets, precious metals and selected commodities. The Hong Kong family office rules are designed to ensure that firms benefiting from tax concessions maintain genuine economic substance in the city. Under the proposed framework, family offices seeking preferential tax treatment will need to satisfy “real

Investors in mainland China and Hong Kong have reportedly been barred from participating in SpaceX’s planned public offering, according to Bloomberg News. The SpaceX IPO restrictions were communicated by lead underwriters, which instructed syndicate members not to accept orders from customers in China and Hong Kong, including private banking clients. The reported decision reflects regulatory and compliance concerns surrounding cross-border participation in the offering. Forei

China has announced tougher supervision of its RMB23tr (USD3.4tr) private investment sector as regulators seek to reduce financial risks and channel more capital towards technology innovation and strategic industries. The China private fund industry reforms were unveiled by the China Securities Regulatory Commission as part of a broader clean-up campaign. The CSRC said it would strengthen registration requirements, crack down on illegal fund activities and encourage more long

Singapore businesses lose an estimated USD7bn annually because of inefficiencies in traditional international payment systems, according to research by Airwallex and the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The Singapore cross-border payments study found that payment failures, foreign-exchange spreads, correspondent banking fees and settlement delays continue to impose significant costs on companies. The report described these inefficiencies as a “Global Growth Tariff”

Family offices, institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals are the focus of a new platform launched in Hong Kong to strengthen the city’s role as an international investment gateway. The Hong Kong investor hub initiative, known as the Global Investor Institute, was founded by William Kwok and aims to connect capital with emerging technology opportunities across Asia and beyond. The Hong Kong investor hub will provide a continuous platform for dialogue among instit

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned that the world economy faces a growing global recession risk if conflict in the Middle East continues into next year and disrupts energy supplies. The OECD said prolonged instability could weaken growth, increase inflation and force central banks to maintain tighter monetary policies. Under its baseline scenario, global growth is expected to slow from 3.4% in 2025 to 2.8% in 2026 before recovering to 3.1% i

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission has urged licensed financial institutions to strengthen defences against AI-enabled cyber threats, warning that brokers and virtual asset trading platforms face growing risks from phishing, social engineering and deepfake attacks. The regulator said rapidly advancing artificial intelligence tools are making it easier for cybercriminals to launch large-scale attacks and misappropriate client assets. The warning comes after reported

Vietnam’s securities regulator is preparing a new round of Vietnam securities reforms designed to improve market accessibility and attract additional foreign investment as the country pursues a long-term effort to upgrade its stock market status. State Securities Commission Chairwoman Vu Thi Chan Phuong said Vietnam’s stock market capitalisation had reached approximately USD410bn by mid-May, while average daily trading value on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange stood at around U

Family offices are increasingly turning to external specialists to strengthen cyber defences as digital threats become more sophisticated, according to new research from Ocorian. The family office cybersecurity outsourcing study surveyed 200 family office executives and family members overseeing a combined USD119.4bn in wealth and found that 43% had experienced a cyberattack during the past two years. Despite rising risks, significant gaps remain. Around 18% of respondents sa

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission will introduce tougher compliance requirements for brokers, asset managers and other capital market intermediaries as part of a broader effort to combat financial crime. The Thailand mule accounts crackdown will take effect on Aug. 16 and is designed to strengthen safeguards against money laundering, cyber-enabled fraud and the misuse of investment accounts. Under the new rules, firms will be required to enhance customer due dilig

Singapore must strengthen its position not only as a global financial centre but also as a trusted AI finance hub, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said at the launch of DBS Group Research’s report, The Trusted AI Financial Hub. He argued that future financial centres will increasingly be judged by their ability to deploy artificial intelligence responsibly while maintaining trust, security and strong governance. The report ranked Singapore among the world’s leading AI-read

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has upgraded its South Korea growth forecast for 2026 to 2.6% from 1.7%, citing robust semiconductor exports driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. The revised South Korea growth forecast reflects expectations that strong chip demand will continue supporting exports, investment and broader economic activity. The OECD noted that South Korea’s exports surged 53% year on year to a monthly record of USD87.8bn

The Missing Layer in Family Office Investing (Article 2 of 4) CSRD, AI disclosure norms, and the expanding governance perimeter — why private wealth can no longer sit outside the regulatory frame. There is a widely held assumption in private wealth management that AI and ESG governance regulations are designed for large public companies. Publicly listed, heavily scrutinised, institutionally owned. Not for the family office managing a mid-market portfolio across three jurisdic

Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026 will return from Nov. 2 to 6 and is expected to attract more than 45,000 participants from over 120 economies, reinforcing the city’s position as a leading global financial technology centre. The Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026 programme will feature its main conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Nov. 2 and 3. Organisers said the event will bring together more than 1,000 speakers, 800 sponsors, exhibitors and start-ups, as wel

Families across Asia are increasingly moving away from traditional property-based wealth transfers and introducing younger generations to investing through stocks, funds and insurance products. The Asian inheritance planning trend reflects changing attitudes towards wealth preservation and long-term financial growth. In South Korea, Choi Nam-joon gave his eight-year-old son three Samsung Electronics shares worth KRW500,000 (USD332) as a birthday gift, saying the investment wa

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission will undertake a comprehensive review of rules governing online investment commentators and content creators as digital platforms increasingly influence investment decisions. The Hong Kong financial influencers review was confirmed by Eric Yip Chee-hang, executive director of the SFC’s intermediaries division. Yip told lawmakers that the regulator began engaging with industry participants last year to assess whether changes to lic