Vietnam’s promotion to FTSE Russell secondary emerging market status is pushing global and Asia‑based family offices to shift the country from frontier exposure to core allocation, according to Das Family Office strategist Rainer Michael Preiss. Speaking at the Hubbis Vietnam Wealth Management Forum 2025, he said Vietnam is increasingly viewed as a structural ASEAN growth market alongside China and India. Preiss urged diversified exposure across listed equities, private equit

Family‑office backed Aquilius Investment Partners is expanding into Hong Kong as it steps up its Asia private equity secondaries strategy with the hire of former HarbourVest executive Martin Yung as managing director and head of private equity secondaries. The Singapore‑headquartered firm, founded in 2021, has already invested several hundred million dollars in GP‑led and LP‑led deals and expects to deploy well over USD500m a year in private equity secondaries over the medium

Hong Kong has renewed the contract of Securities and Futures Commission chief executive Julia Leung Fung‑yee for a further two years to the end of 2027, ensuring continuity as the markets watchdog advances regulatory and market reforms. Leung, who joined the SFC in 2015 and became CEO in January 2023 after serving as deputy CEO, previously held senior roles at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and as Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. The government said

The Singapore Exchange will launch Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures on Nov.24, offering institutional, accredited and expert investors regulated access to crypto markets as digital assets gain adoption in portfolios. The contracts, benchmarked to iEdge CoinDesk Crypto Indices, will use a funding‑rate mechanism to keep prices aligned with underlying crypto benchmarks while providing continuous, no‑expiry exposure via SGX’s listed‑derivatives clearing and margin system. S

Revenue in Singapore’s accountancy sector rose 7.5% to SGD3.5bn (USD2.7bn) in 2024, with the Big Four accounting firms Singapore driving nearly half the increase, according to Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) AE Survey 2025. Industry takings grew by SGD244.5m, of which Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG contributed SGD112.5m, powered mainly by a 9.6% rise in audit and assurance income. The Big Four maintained dominance at about 70% of total industry revenue. Growt

Singapore has cemented its status as a top Singapore wealth hub, ranking alongside Dubai and New York in Savills’ latest index of high‑net‑worth hotspots. The city‑state scored strongly on economic competitiveness, connectivity and wealth infrastructure, underpinned by the absence of inheritance, capital gains and wealth taxes, and a 24% top marginal personal income tax rate. Savills placed Singapore third globally and the leading Asia‑Pacific market, ahead of Shanghai, Bangk

Cambodia’s Prince Group said it categorically rejects Prince Group scam allegations that founder Chen Zhi built an internet scam empire, after authorities in the US and several Asian and European markets moved to seize assets. The US Justice Department last month unsealed an indictment alleging one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organisations and forced‑labour compounds in Cambodia used for online fraud. US investigators said they had seized about USD15bn in bitcoin

Asia’s family offices and next‑generation wealthy entrepreneurs are fuelling demand for Vista’s private aviation services as the group puts Japan and Southeast Asia at the centre of its 2026 plan. Vista, parent of VistaJet and XO, said Japan is its fastest‑growing market, with membership up 67% year on year in H1 2025, supported by outbound corporate investment and ultra‑rich clients seeking global mobility. Industry data show Japan is set to attract about 600 new high‑net‑wo

Hong Kong is intensifying efforts to market itself as a global family office hub through a new Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) campaign promoting the city as “where money comes to grow”. The four-part short-form series highlights low taxes, free capital flows and a common-law system that policymakers say anchor its role as Asia’s leading financial centre and cross-border wealth-management base. The FSDC projects that Hong Kong could manage about USD2.9tr in cros

Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) earned more than HKD2bn (USD256m) in 2024 investment income, driven by initial public offerings and biotechnology allocations, chief executive Clara Chan told Bloomberg TV. Formed in 2022 with HKD62bn to strengthen the city’s economy and mainland links, HKIC has deployed less than 20% of its capital but remains “in perfect alignment” with its plans. The fund is entering a second phase to pursue larger deals alongside sovereign funds, pe

Family-owned enterprises are expected to outperform non-family firms over the next decade, despite mounting risks, according to Deloitte Private. Companies with at least USD100m in revenue now represent 22 percent of large enterprises and are projected to grow 22% in number between 2020 and 2030, with turnover rising 84% versus 59% for other businesses. Singapore family businesses are especially optimistic: 54% expect revenue growth above 10% in 2025, more than double last ye

Thailand’s main business lobby has urged lawmakers to reconsider three draft bills on labour protection, clean air and factory operations, warning they could raise costs and erode competitiveness amid a sluggish economy. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) said the measures, though well-intentioned, risk undermining investor confidence and should undergo a full regulatory impact assessment. Federation of Thai Industries chairman Kriengkrai

DBS and Franklin Templeton have jointly launched Singapore’s first tokenised retail fund, advancing efforts to mainstream digital finance. The Franklin Onchain US Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund, a USD-denominated strategy recorded on a blockchain register, has been approved by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as an authorised scheme. Available via DBS relationship managers to wealth clients and accredited investors, the fund has a USD20 minimum investment, with a reta

Global accounting firm BDO has resigned from its work for DW Capital Holdings, a Singapore family office sanctioned by the US and UK over alleged links to Cambodia’s Prince Group. Two BDO employees also stepped down as DW Capital’s company secretaries following the US Treasury’s action. The firm had helped incorporate DW Capital in 2018, using BDO’s Singapore office address in filings. Authorities imposed sanctions on 146 individuals and entities tied to what they described a

Family offices and institutional backers have participated in Kaya Founders’ USD25m final close, marking the Philippines venture firm’s first fund to include outside limited partners. The fund drew investors such as Singapore’s Pavilion Capital, Gabriel and Geraldine Sunshine of Bracebridge Capital, Concentric Equity Partners of Chicago, and other family offices and tech operators. Anchor investor AMTI backed the structure, which comprises two vehicles: USD5m “Zero to One” fo

Private funding for Southeast Asia’s digital economy grew 15% year on year to USD7.7bn in the 12 months to June 2025, though it remains about 70% below the 2021 peak, according to the Google-Temasek-Bain report. Growth lagged the global 25% pace, with capital concentrated in late-stage rounds while early-stage deals dropped from 30% to about 20%. The study, expanded to 10 markets, found that AI accounted for 32% of total funding in H1 2025, up from 30% in H2 2024, as over 680

Raffles Family Office (RFO) has appointed Caroline Langston as chief people officer, a newly created role as the Asia multi-family office expands across Greater China, Southeast Asia and new markets. Effective immediately, Langston will oversee people strategy, talent development and corporate culture, including the Raffles Group Academy for workforce learning and reskilling. Having served as an executive coach to RFO for over five years, she brings more than two decades of i

Singapore’s Jaleel family office has purchased the George Williams Hotel in Brisbane’s central business district for AUD34m (USD22.2m) through High Street Holdings, the investment arm of JD Properties. The acquisition adds a centrally located, mid-scale property to a portfolio expected to exceed AUD150m as the family builds its Australian hospitality assets. The move positions the office to capture demand from Brisbane’s infrastructure boom and the 2032 Olympic Games. It also

Hong Kong will review how audit firms use artificial intelligence, with the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) preparing guidance to raise awareness and support responsible deployment, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. The initiative aligns with the government’s “twin-engine” AI strategy to make AI a core industry and upgrade traditional sectors. Global regulators are examining AI’s impact on data integrity, transparency and liability in assurance work. The A

Asia’s private credit lenders are increasingly adopting payment-in-kind (PIK) structures as higher-for-longer interest rates, tighter bank capital rules and shallow bond markets squeeze borrowers’ cash. Previously used mainly in distressed and mezzanine deals, PIK is now emerging in senior direct lending, allowing interest to accrue to principal or convert to equity to preserve liquidity while increasing leverage. Variations include holdco PIK, split PIK and toggle PIK, with