The study examined a number of topics that APAC family offices are exercised about; one theme was a disconnect between those who have talked about transfer plans and those who have actually put plans and structures in place.

Asian family offices are a way off from putting plans in place for wealth transfer, a survey of 60 of these institutions from Schroders finds. 

The findings appeared in the inaugural Schroders Wealth Management APAC Family Office Survey, adding to a raft of surveys and reports about this multi-trillion-dollar sector and one that is now courted by banks and a variety of service providers. (Earlier this week, for example, JP Morgan surveyed the world’s sector, finding that combustible global politics, anxiety about younger family members and an increasingly fraught battle to secure talent, head the list of concerns facing family offices in 2026.) Apprehension about private equity investments is also surfacing.

Transfer planning – talk and action
More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of families hold regular meetings to discuss wealth transfer, only 30 per cent have β€œwalked the walk” into making comprehensive, documented legacy plans. The gap is even more pronounced for succession planning: 23 per cent have finalised formal plans despite 54 per cent actively working on the issue.

β€œOur research reveals a clear imbalance: families cite communication and transparency as top priorities, but this focus on conversation often falls short of developing the robust governance structures needed to secure multi-generational wealth,” Richard Lewis, team head, family office, Asia, Schroders Wealth Management, said. 

The report said that while many family offices use estate planning tools – with 77 per cent using trusts and 67 per cent having wills in place – these instruments frequently operate in isolation. 

Geopolitics and economic uncertainties affect how family offices behave. Half of them (50 per cent) have concerns about risk appetite, 48 per cent are wary about interest rate moves and 47 are apprehensive about geopolitical events. 

They survey said private equity is the preferred asset class amongst family offices in the region. Some 87 per cent invest in the asset class, with a mean allocation of 18.1 per cent of all money invested; 52 per cent plan to increase allocations over the next three years.