International families, cross-border investment portfolios, and globally dispersed assets have become the norm in the Family Office space. As a result, many families are choosing to establish their Family Office outside their home country or to expand operations across multiple jurisdictions. Jurisdiction influences everything from regulatory obligations and governance structures to talent availability.
This article serves as a practical guide to understanding how different locations affect Family Office setup. Rather than recommending a single “best” jurisdiction, we explore the implications of key global hubs to help families make informed, strategic decisions aligned with their objectives.
Why location matters more than ever for Family Offices
The question of where to base a Family Office has become increasingly strategic. As regulation tightens globally, families become more internationally mobile, and investment activity spans multiple jurisdictions, location directly influences how a Family Office is structured, governed, and operated.
Regulatory obligations and oversight:
Jurisdiction determines the level of regulatory scrutiny, reporting requirements and substance required. For example, jurisdictions such as Singapore place strong emphasis on regulatory clarity and demonstrable substance, this can increase operational complexity but also provide long-term certainty and credibility.
Governance frameworks:
Local legal systems shape fiduciary standards, governance expectations and accountability structures. In more established hubs such as the UK, Family Offices often operate within mature governance frameworks that prioritise formal oversight, accountability, and clearly defined roles.
Operating models and reporting structures:
Location also affects how teams are built, how information flows. Regulatory and cultural norms influence whether operations are centralised or distributed, how frequently principals expect formal reporting and how decisions are documented. These are especially relevant for multi-asset, multi-generational Family Offices.
Taken together, these considerations reinforce that location is not a purely administrative or tax decision. It is a foundational choice that shapes governance, talent requirements, and the Family Office’s ability to operate effectively over time.
Comparing key Family Office hubs
While many jurisdictions host Family Offices, several have emerged as leading global hubs. Each offers distinct advantages depending on a family’s priorities, operating style, and investment focus.
United Kingdom and Channel Islands
London remains one of the world’s most established Family Office centres, underpinned by a mature legal system, well-developed regulatory framework, and deep pools of professional talent across investment, governance, and operations. It is particularly attractive to families seeking institutional-grade governance and close proximity to Europe’s major capital markets.
That maturity, however, comes with compliance expectations. For example, a trust owned by a UK-based Family Office that holds UK property must register with the Trust Registration Service (TRS) and disclose beneficial owners, even where no UK tax is payable. This level of transparency increases administrative workload and compliance risk compared with some offshore jurisdictions, but also reflects the UK’s emphasis on accountability and oversight.
In addition, many Family Offices also operate structures in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey). While they are not part of the UK, they do have their own self-governing legal systems, legislatures, and laws that are rooted in Norman, French as well as English common law. These jurisdictions are well established as fiduciary and structuring hubs, offering sophisticated trust and fund regimes and political stability.
Overall, the UK and Channel Islands ecosystem suits families that value strong governance, legal certainty, and access to top-tier professional advisers, while accepting higher transparency and compliance standards, which might create resistance among certain families and family members.
Singapore
Singapore has positioned itself as the leading Family Office hub in the Asia‑Pacific region. It combines regulatory clarity, political stability, and a highly professionalised financial ecosystem with access to fast‑growing Asian markets. The city‑state’s approach is deliberately structured, encouraging long‑term commitment and operational substance.
In practice, this means that incentives come with conditions. For instance, a family relocating part of its investment activity to Singapore may qualify for tax exemptions only if it meets minimum assets under management thresholds and commits to local spending, including hiring local talent. Failing to meet these requirements can result in investment income being taxed at the standard corporate rate of approximately 17%. In addition, Family Offices are expected to maintain robust AML frameworks and relationships with locally regulated banks, which directly shape the size of the entity, staffing levels, and budgets.
Singapore therefore appeals to families seeking long‑term certainty, strong governance, and a credible Asian base, and who are willing to invest in building a substantive local presence.
Hong Kong
A long-time rivalry of Singapore, Hong Kong continues to be another significant Family Office hub in Asia, particularly for families with strong ties to Greater China. It offers deep capital markets, a sophisticated professional services ecosystem, and a familiar common-law legal framework.
In recent years, the Hong Kong government has actively sought to strengthen the city’s attractiveness to Family Offices through policy initiatives, tax concessions, and promotional programmes. These include enhanced tax treatment for qualifying family-owned investment holding vehicles and a clearer framework around the treatment of private investment structures. As a result, Hong Kong is increasingly positioning itself as a viable alternative or complement to Singapore for Asia-focused families.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has rapidly emerged as a hub for internationally mobile families. It offers a tax-efficient environment, modern infrastructure, and strategic connectivity between Europe, Asia, and Africa. Lifestyle considerations, ease of relocation, and a business-friendly environment also play a significant role in its appeal.
From an operational perspective, the UAE provides a choice of regulatory regimes. A family establishing a Single Family Office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), for example, must typically demonstrate a minimum level of net family wealth (often around USD 50 million) and comply with governance, licensing, and audit requirements. Alternatively, setting up a restricted-scope entity in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) may reduce reporting obligations, but at the cost of more limited permissible activities. These choices have practical implications for banking relationships, investment execution, and the scope of services that can be provided internally.
Additionally, many families in the UAE establish foundations that often function in practice as a Family Office, overseeing investment entities, operating companies, and trusts, while providing clarity around control, legacy planning, and intergenerational transfer.
The UAE is particularly attractive for families prioritising flexibility, global mobility, and a modern operating environment, while accepting that the regulatory framework is still evolving.
United States of America
The USA offers unmatched scale, depth of capital markets, and access to world-class investment talent. Cities such as New York remain magnets for families with investment-intensive strategies, particularly those focused on private markets, hedge funds, and direct investments.
That opportunity is balanced by regulatory complexity. For example, an American Family Office that expands its remit beyond a narrow definition of “family clients” may fall outside the Family Office Rule and be required to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), significantly increasing compliance and reporting obligations. When combined with operations in other jurisdictions, such as the UK, this can lead to parallel regulatory regimes-SEC oversight in the USA and FCA considerations in London, adding material operational complexity.
While the USA talent pool is deep and diverse, higher compensation structures, regulatory scrutiny, and governance demands mean it is best suited to larger Family Offices with the scale and sophistication to manage this complexity.
Europe: Switzerland and Monaco
Europe is one of the oldest continents that hosts UHNW families and Family Offices, though they are spread across different countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy, and Greece, etc, we found that the most prominent hubs are Switzerland and Monaco.
Switzerland is a global hub for private wealth management, known for its strong legal system, sophisticated banking sector, and long-standing expertise in asset preservation and fiduciary services. While the regulatory environment is robust and conservative, it is predictable and well understood, which appeals to families seeking stability and institutional credibility. Switzerland is particularly attractive for families with complex international structures and a long-term, conservative investment approach.
Across continental Europe, Monaco is another hub that has long been associated with ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families, offering a stable political environment, no personal income tax for most residents, and proximity to major European financial centres. It is often favoured by families prioritising lifestyle, residency planning, and discreet wealth management. Regulatory expectations are also lighter than in some larger jurisdictions.
Offshore structuring jurisdiction
Jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) continue to play a central role in Family Office structures, particularly for investment holding vehicles, funds, and special purpose entities. These locations often serve as neutral, tax-efficient platforms for holding global assets.
Making the right choice
Ultimately, there is no universally optimal location for a Family Office. The right operational hub depends on your family’s strategic objectives, investment focus, governance philosophy, and appetite for regulatory complexity. For some families, operating from multiple locations, for example, investment capability in the USA with governance or operational functions in Europe or Asia, may offer the most balanced solution.
With an on-the-ground presence across the UK, Singapore, the UAE, and the USA, Agreus supports families not only in understanding the implications of jurisdictional choice but in translating those decisions into effective organisational structures and successful hires. By combining local market insight with a global perspective, Agreus helps Family Offices build teams that are fit for purpose today and resilient for generations to come.