Asia Family Office
Structural reads on Asia's SFO / MFO ecosystem — from Singapore's MAS-tightened landscape to Hong Kong's NCIES recovery, with the practitioner trade-offs that institutional reports don't surface.
The Family Office Hiring Squeeze: Why Investment Professional Headcount Is Asia's Real Bottleneck
Asia's family office count is growing faster than the supply of credible investment professionals. The hiring squeeze is now the binding constraint on the next phase of regional growth, and it's pushing up compensation, lengthening setup timelines, and shifting structural choices.
Asia's 4,000 SFO Milestone: The Practitioner's Field Note from a Tipping Point
Asia's combined SFO count crossed 4,000 in 2025 by the most permissive headcount methodology. The number is real, but it tells you less about the underlying wealth mass than the headline implies. Here's the practitioner read on what 4,000 actually represents.
India's GIFT City vs Singapore: The Family Office Choice for Indian UHNW
GIFT City is no longer a marketing slogan, but its family-fund route has stalled in practice for India-sourced money: no regulator has barred it, yet the first FIF registration, in April 2026, went to a foreign family office while Indian applications sat on hold pending RBI clarification. Here's the framework I'm using to read the SG 13O vs GIFT City choice, profile by profile.
The Quiet Cost of "Premium Tier" 13U: It Buys Structure, Not a Bigger Tax Saving
Section 13U is sold as the premium tier of Singapore's family office regime, with broader tax coverage. It exempts the same designated investments as 13O. What it buys is vehicle and structure flexibility — and at the mid-tier the real questions are whether you need that, and who fills the third IP seat.
Why I Track Family Office Headcount, Not AUM (And What the Numbers Show)
AUM is the headline number. It is also the most lagging signal in the family office ecosystem. Investment Professional headcount is the leading signal — and the numbers it shows are different from the ones AUM tells.
The Next-Gen Transition Framework for Asian Family Offices: A Practitioner Read
37% of Asia-Pacific family offices still lack a formal succession plan as the 2026–2035 transition window opens. A four-stage practitioner framework for navigating next-gen leadership transfer — covering discovery, apprenticeship, co-management, and the structural implications of VCC and 13O/13U incentives.
The "13O vs 13U" Decision Framework: Why Mid-Tier Family Offices Are Defaulting to 13O
13O vs 13U is usually pitched as a wealth-band sort in which 13U buys broader tax coverage. It doesn't: both schemes exempt the same designated investments. Here's the decision framework I'd actually use for a mid-tier (USD 30-80M) holder, built on the differences that are real.
Who's Actually Behind Singapore's 2,000 Family Offices? It's Not the Billionaires
Singapore crossed 2,000 family offices in 2024, but the marginal applicant is now a USD 30-80M wealth holder running a two-person shop, not a billionaire. A practitioner's read on why mid-tier money defaults to 13O over 13U, and what it means if you're advising clients on the move.