Family offices in Asia and beyond aspire to build multi-generational legacies but many have yet to put in place the people, plans and operational systems needed to achieve that goal. The research identified three priorities that matter most to families: passing wealth to the next generation, holistic risk management and artificial intelligence and technology. Across all three the findings reveal gaps in preparedness.
Most Asian family offices want wealth to last at least two generations, yet 43 per cent have not involved the next generation in planning at all, according to a DBS report.
The report draws on two surveys of more than 200 family offices across Asia, Europe and the Middle East conducted between January and May 2026 together with in-depth qualitative interviews with founders, principals, next-generation leaders and other key decision-makers.
Only 4 per cent expect a meaningful wealth transfer within the next three years and 29 per cent expect it to take more than seven years. One in three families, or 33 per cent, cite the founder’s wish to stay in control as the main reason for delay and a further 15 per cent expect the transfer to happen only when an event forces it such as the founder’s incapacity or a crisis. More than half of respondents, or 54 per cent, hold key assets in their personal name and 52 per cent use personal investment companies while only 20 per cent use a professionally administered trust. With the next generation increasingly living and working across borders 55 per cent remain unsure which new ownership structures to put in place.
Nearly eight in 10 families wish to pass their wealth down at least two generations, while 29 per cent hope for their wealth to endure beyond three generations or in perpetuity.
More than 85 per cent of family offices have no formal business continuity plan, rely on informal arrangements or are unsure whether a plan exists. Only 15 per cent have a plan that is formalised and regularly tested. Almost 40 per cent, or 38 per cent, have yet to address cybersecurity and data privacy risk yet only 3 per cent have or plan to obtain cyber insurance. The most common reason for not addressing risk is a lack of in-house risk management expertise at 56 per cent followed by limited internal resources at 48 per cent.
Some of the greatest risks come from within the family. Twenty-seven per cent have not prepared for intergenerational leadership risk, 26 per cent have not addressed governance risk and 23 per cent have not planned for family conflict. Nearly one in four families, or 23 per cent, have not addressed key person risk but just 9 per cent hold key person insurance. Six in 10 families, or 60 per cent, see learning how to adopt artificial intelligence effectively as their main objective yet 47 per cent have yet to use digital tools or artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations. Internal expertise gaps at 49 per cent and data security concerns at 46 per cent are the biggest barriers.
These terms highlight a gap in next-generation involvement and formal continuity planning that affects long-term stewardship, risk management and operational resilience for family offices. For private banks, multi-family offices, single family offices and wealth managers across Asia-Pacific the figures point to succession arrangements, risk oversight and technology adoption as areas requiring attention within mandates focused on preserving wealth across generations, maintaining liquidity through business continuity and managing operational risks that could affect capital and governance.