North American family offices are raising investment expectations following strong 2025 performance while simultaneously preparing for generational wealth transfers, new wealth creation and rapid technology adoption, according to RBC and Campden Wealth. Their 2026 report, based on 155 family offices, found 84% expect direct private equity to match or outperform its 2025 performance. Artificial intelligence is another major focus, with 85% identifying AI as a leading investmen

The Carlyle family office business is expanding with two senior appointments as the US private equity manager targets ultra-high-net-worth families as an increasingly important source of investment capital. David Seeberan has joined Carlyle as a partner and global head of the family office group, while Victoria Matthews has been appointed managing director and head of the business for Europe and Asia. San Francisco-based Seeberan previously worked at Cercano Management. Matth

A Singapore family office multi-strategy model is being developed by former Goldman Sachs and Vitol commodities trader Kelvin Chiu as he seeks to attract independent investment teams overlooked by larger hedge funds. Chiu’s SilverCape Investments now operates six trading pods alongside his own commodities strategy. They include a Japanese activist investing team that managed more than USD200m at the end of August. Chiu said his commodities strategy has generated a 78% compoun

Family office cybersecurity has emerged as the leading operational concern for wealthy families even as they remain optimistic about investment returns, according to a 2026 report from RBC Wealth Management and Campden Wealth. The survey of 155 single- and multi-family offices, representing average wealth of USD2.25bn, found 56% ranked cybersecurity and data breaches as their biggest near-term risk, up sharply from 16% a year earlier. Half reported experiencing phishing attem

China wealthy individuals tax enforcement is intensifying, with authorities establishing specialist teams to track and collect liabilities from some of the country’s richest people, Bloomberg reported. The teams reportedly include government officials, inspection specialists and regulators, with some assigned to individual billionaires. The initiative is intended to strengthen authorities’ ability to examine sophisticated financial structures established with assistance from

APAC family office returns are outperforming global peers, with 26% reporting year-to-date investment gains above 15%, double the worldwide proportion, according to Citi Wealth. Citi’s 2026 Global Family Office Report also found that 22% of Asia-Pacific family offices target annual returns exceeding 15%, almost twice the global average. Asia-Pacific family offices were particularly bullish on artificial intelligence. Some 80% identified AI as a primary sector for direct inves

ASEAN next-generation wealth clients are increasingly choosing financial institutions independently of their parents, creating a challenge for private banks seeking to retain assets through intergenerational wealth transfers. A WealthSummit study of 1,049 clients across Southeast Asia found that 71% had their main banking relationship with a different institution from their parents. Some 68% maintained relationships with at least three banks, reflecting demand for investment

Bank of Singapore donor-advised funds are being offered through a new philanthropic platform designed to give wealthy families greater flexibility over how assets supporting charitable giving are invested. The OCBC private banking arm’s Legacy of Giving platform allows clients to shape the investment approach applied to their philanthropic capital, potentially increasing the assets available for future charitable grants. The model differs from many donor-advised fund arrangem

EMEA family offices China investment plans are strengthening, with China emerging as the leading market where ultra-wealthy families in Europe, the Middle East and Africa intend to increase exposure, according to Citi. Citi’s 2026 Global Family Office Report found that 29% of EMEA respondents planned to increase investments in China. The rest of Asia-Pacific followed at 26%, with North America at 25%. The report surveyed 351 family offices across more than 40 countries. Conce

HSBC Asia family wealth advisory capabilities are being strengthened with the appointment of former UBS executive Francesca Chan as regional head of family and philanthropy advisory for Asia-Pacific. Chan will take up the Hong Kong-based position on Sept. 29 and report to Ann Ling, regional head of wealth planning and advisory. She will lead teams advising ultra-high-net-worth clients on succession planning, family office establishment, family governance and philanthropy. Cha

Hong Kong family business succession services are becoming a greater focus as the city seeks a larger role in Asia’s generational transfer of family wealth and cross-border assets. Financial Services Undersecretary Joseph Chan said Hong Kong’s legal system, capital mobility, low-tax regime and links with mainland China provide a strong base for wealthy families managing global portfolios. At a South China Morning Post conference, speakers said younger family members are incre

Deutsche Bank Hong Kong wealth business is recording strong growth as increasing Chinese client activity makes the city the private bank’s best-performing emerging-market region this year. Marco Pagliara, head of emerging markets at Deutsche Bank Private Bank, said activity had increased across trading, lending against physical assets and real estate. Chinese clients have been particularly active in trophy property transactions, reflecting broader demand for investment and fi

The Taiwan asset management centre initiative is moving forward as the government seeks to attract international capital while directing more domestic wealth towards local industries. President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan would continue easing financial regulations to give institutions greater scope to develop asset management operations and strengthen cross-border financial services. The initiative builds on a pilot asset management zone in Kaohsiung and includes areas such as

Asia-Pacific family office hospitality investment is gaining momentum as private investors increase their exposure to real estate and seek opportunities across regional hotel markets. Hospitality has emerged as the leading real estate asset class for family office capital in Asia-Pacific, according to information released ahead of IHIF Asia in Hong Kong. Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2025 found that 44% of 150 family offices surveyed planned to increase their real estate expos

Hong Kong family office initiatives outlined in the city’s inaugural Five-Year Plan and 2026 Policy Address could strengthen its position as a global cross-border wealth management centre, according to Raffles Family Office. Group CEO Chi Man Kwan said preferential tax regimes for funds and single-family offices, combined with measures to attract global capital, would deepen the ecosystem supporting independent multi-family offices. Kwan also highlighted plans to broaden inve

Zhang Yiming Asia richest person status has been established after the ByteDance founder’s fortune exceeded USD105bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Zhang, 43, has seen his wealth increase eightfold from USD13bn in March 2019, when Bloomberg began tracking his fortune. He now ranks 18th among the world’s wealthiest people. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao follows among Asia’s richest individuals with USD81bn, while Fast Retailing founder Tadashi Yanai has USD63.

The China wealth transfer market is entering a new phase as regulators and local authorities encourage development of family trusts and family offices to support intergenerational succession. An action plan issued in June by the People’s Bank of China, NDRC, NFRA, CSRC, SAFE and Shanghai government called for studying the orderly development of family trusts and family office businesses. A report from the Hurun Research Institute and Bank of East Asia estimated that around RM

Younger family office investors are placing greater emphasis on liquidity and shorter investment horizons as changing careers, locations and markets reshape the priorities of the next generation. Rémi Casals, head of international wealth solutions at First Eagle Investments, said investors in their 20s and 30s remain comfortable committing capital for four to six years but are less inclined towards investments requiring 10- to 15-year commitments. Younger family members tend

Asia-Pacific family office hedge funds allocations are increasing as wealthy investors redeploy gains from the region’s strong equity markets into alternative investment strategies, according to Cambridge Associates. Hedge fund allocations among some family office clients can reach between 20% and 25% of portfolios, while very few allocate less than 10%, Eugene Snyman, Cambridge Associates’ Asia-Pacific regional head, told The Business Times. Snyman said family offices are in

Asian family offices institutional investing is becoming more sophisticated as wealthy families strengthen governance, expand direct investments and involve a broader range of family members, according to Citi Private Bank. Citi brought together more than 150 family office principals, next-generation leaders and investors in Hong Kong for its annual Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum. Held under the theme “The Intelligence Decade: AI, Capital and the New Asian Order”,