Key Takeaways
- • DBS research finds many Asian family offices lack the succession arrangements, risk controls and operational systems needed to preserve wealth across generations, according to the DBS Asian Family Office Almanac 2026: Assessing the Risk Readiness Gap.
- • Only 4 per cent of respondents expect a meaningful wealth transfer within three years, while 29 per cent expect it to take more than seven years, and one in three cite founders' reluctance to cede control as the main reason for delay.
- • More than 85 per cent of family offices have no formal business continuity plan, rely on informal arrangements or do not know whether one exists, and only 3 per cent have or plan to obtain cyber insurance.
- • 54 per cent hold key assets directly in their own name and 52 per cent use personal investment companies, while only 20 per cent use professionally administered trusts, creating cross-border transfer and tax exposure.
- • Survey of more than 200 family offices across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, conducted January to May 2026, found 47 per cent do not use digital tools or AI in daily operations.
Summary
DBS Bank, the Singapore-listed lender, has published research indicating that many family offices aiming to preserve wealth across several generations are not adequately prepared for succession, operational risk or technology adoption. The 66-page report, titled the DBS Asian Family Office Almanac 2026: Assessing the Risk Readiness Gap, draws on two surveys of more than 200 family offices across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, conducted between January and May 2026, along with interviews with founders, principals and next-generation family members.
The findings highlight a gap between ambition and execution. According to the report, 79 per cent of families want to pass wealth to at least two generations and 29 per cent aim for three or more generations or perpetuity. Yet 43 per cent said the next generation has no involvement in wealth planning, and in only 1 per cent of cases is the next generation leading the plan's design and implementation. Transfers are also being deferred: only 4 per cent expect a meaningful transfer within three years, and 15 per cent expect one only when an event such as the founder's incapacity or a crisis forces it.
On risk management, more than 85 per cent of respondents have no formal business continuity plan, rely on informal arrangements or do not know whether a plan exists. Some 38 per cent have yet to address cybersecurity and data privacy risk, and nearly a quarter have not addressed key person risk, with 9 per cent holding key person insurance. Lack of in-house expertise (56 per cent) and limited resources (48 per cent) were the most common reasons cited for leaving risks unaddressed. Technology adoption shows a similar pattern, with six in ten respondents identifying effective artificial intelligence adoption as a main objective, yet 47 per cent do not use digital tools or AI in daily operations.
Ownership structures remain largely personal, with 55 per cent unsure which structures to adopt as heirs increasingly live across borders. The report cites cross-border taxation as a barrier, with 23 per cent citing it as an obstacle to wealth transfer and 21 per cent citing tax implications for family members across multiple jurisdictions.
Lee Woon Shiu, group head of wealth planning, family office and insurance solutions at DBS Bank, said that the families best placed to protect and grow their wealth will not necessarily be those with the most assets, but those who address these issues early. The report argues that retaining control and planning for succession are not mutually exclusive. The findings add to research from UBS, which estimates $83 trillion in private wealth will change hands over the next two to three decades, and from UOB Private Bank, Boston Consulting Group and NUS Business School, which forecast Asia's private wealth would reach $99 trillion by 2029. A 2026 RBC and Campden Wealth report found that half of North American family offices have an incomplete or non-existent succession plan.
The findings highlight a gap between ambition and execution. According to the report, 79 per cent of families want to pass wealth to at least two generations and 29 per cent aim for three or more generations or perpetuity. Yet 43 per cent said the next generation has no involvement in wealth planning, and in only 1 per cent of cases is the next generation leading the plan's design and implementation. Transfers are also being deferred: only 4 per cent expect a meaningful transfer within three years, and 15 per cent expect one only when an event such as the founder's incapacity or a crisis forces it.
On risk management, more than 85 per cent of respondents have no formal business continuity plan, rely on informal arrangements or do not know whether a plan exists. Some 38 per cent have yet to address cybersecurity and data privacy risk, and nearly a quarter have not addressed key person risk, with 9 per cent holding key person insurance. Lack of in-house expertise (56 per cent) and limited resources (48 per cent) were the most common reasons cited for leaving risks unaddressed. Technology adoption shows a similar pattern, with six in ten respondents identifying effective artificial intelligence adoption as a main objective, yet 47 per cent do not use digital tools or AI in daily operations.
Ownership structures remain largely personal, with 55 per cent unsure which structures to adopt as heirs increasingly live across borders. The report cites cross-border taxation as a barrier, with 23 per cent citing it as an obstacle to wealth transfer and 21 per cent citing tax implications for family members across multiple jurisdictions.
Lee Woon Shiu, group head of wealth planning, family office and insurance solutions at DBS Bank, said that the families best placed to protect and grow their wealth will not necessarily be those with the most assets, but those who address these issues early. The report argues that retaining control and planning for succession are not mutually exclusive. The findings add to research from UBS, which estimates $83 trillion in private wealth will change hands over the next two to three decades, and from UOB Private Bank, Boston Consulting Group and NUS Business School, which forecast Asia's private wealth would reach $99 trillion by 2029. A 2026 RBC and Campden Wealth report found that half of North American family offices have an incomplete or non-existent succession plan.
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