Key Takeaways
- • Corient has acquired FortCay Family Advisory, a Cayman Islands multi-family office with $2.6 billion in assets serving 14 ultra-high-net-worth families, according to Wealth Management.
- • The deal gives Corient a Cayman Islands presence, which CEO Kurt MacAlpine said deepens its ability to serve clients who structure and administer wealth in the jurisdiction.
- • FortCay was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty and is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority; Houghton remains on the board.
- • The transaction is part of an accelerating acquisition program that includes Summit Trail Advisors ($21 billion), Seven Bridges Advisors ($4.9 billion), two U.K. firms ($175 billion combined), Bedrock Group ($10.7 billion) and Capital Advisors ($7.8 billion).
- • Corient, founded in 2020 and with about $572 billion in global assets, is positioning itself as a global wealth manager against bank-based competitors with local silos.
Summary
Corient has acquired FortCay Family Advisory, a Cayman Islands multi-family office with $2.6 billion in assets that works with 14 ultra-high-net-worth families. The firm offers wealth management, estate planning and other family office services. FortCay was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty and is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Harty previously worked as a Wall Street bond broker, at a German investment bank and at an Irish brokerage, and later as an investment advisor for RBC Dominion Securities in the Cayman Islands, where he headed a London-headquartered multi-family office. Houghton served as CEO of GroupHealth Benefit Solutions, a Canada-based benefits plan administrator, for nearly 15 years and remains on its board.
Corient CEO Kurt MacAlpine said the Cayman presence is strategic, noting that "a meaningful share of the world's most complex family wealth is structured and administered in the Cayman Islands." Houghton said the move would give FortCay "access to the depth and scale of a global firm."
Corient was founded in 2020 and has grown into one of the largest RIAs globally, with about $572 billion in assets. The Miami-based firm emerged from the rebranding of the U.S. wealth business of Toronto-based CI Financial, which was taken private in 2025 by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital. The FortCay deal follows a rapid acquisition program. Last month Corient agreed to buy Summit Trail Advisors, a New York RIA overseeing $21 billion, with the deal expected to close in the third quarter. July's acquisition of Seven Bridges Advisors added $4.9 billion in managed assets. In June, Corient completed the purchase of two U.K. firms with a combined $175 billion in assets. This year it also acquired Bedrock Group, a European wealth manager with $10.7 billion in assets and offices in Geneva, London, Monaco and Lisbon, and Capital Advisors, a Tulsa-based wealth manager with $7.8 billion in managed assets.
MacAlpine has argued that Corient is a truly global wealth manager, contrasting it with banks that are multi-jurisdictional but operate with local silos, local P&Ls and local compensation plans. He said this structure discourages collaboration, while Corient's model places all partners in the same equity so that clients spanning multiple jurisdictions can consolidate assets across the firm.
Corient CEO Kurt MacAlpine said the Cayman presence is strategic, noting that "a meaningful share of the world's most complex family wealth is structured and administered in the Cayman Islands." Houghton said the move would give FortCay "access to the depth and scale of a global firm."
Corient was founded in 2020 and has grown into one of the largest RIAs globally, with about $572 billion in assets. The Miami-based firm emerged from the rebranding of the U.S. wealth business of Toronto-based CI Financial, which was taken private in 2025 by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital. The FortCay deal follows a rapid acquisition program. Last month Corient agreed to buy Summit Trail Advisors, a New York RIA overseeing $21 billion, with the deal expected to close in the third quarter. July's acquisition of Seven Bridges Advisors added $4.9 billion in managed assets. In June, Corient completed the purchase of two U.K. firms with a combined $175 billion in assets. This year it also acquired Bedrock Group, a European wealth manager with $10.7 billion in assets and offices in Geneva, London, Monaco and Lisbon, and Capital Advisors, a Tulsa-based wealth manager with $7.8 billion in managed assets.
MacAlpine has argued that Corient is a truly global wealth manager, contrasting it with banks that are multi-jurisdictional but operate with local silos, local P&Ls and local compensation plans. He said this structure discourages collaboration, while Corient's model places all partners in the same equity so that clients spanning multiple jurisdictions can consolidate assets across the firm.
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