StanChart: Four Themes Guiding UHNW Family Wealth
Standard Chartered has launched a new report on the leading themes that will provide guidance to safeguard the wealth of ultra-rich families.
Standard Chartered has launched a new report in collaboration with the Financial Times Group called «The Great Repositioning», which is based on a global survey of more than 300 ultra-high net worth families and their advisors in May and June 2025.
It reveals that families are rethinking how they should be managing their wealth and planning their legacy in an environment of rapid changes and challenges. According to the report, there are four main themes.
1, Governance Increases Family Confidence
First, the research said governance will help improve family confidence.
74 percent of family office professionals have observed a rise in conflict among family members with around the same rate of families making personal judgment calls on philanthropy and conflict resolution. The research findings claim that having a proper governance structure «increases families’ confidence to evolve with the changing landscape and helps align their objectives with their values».
2. Strategic Repositioning
Second, families are rethinking their base with more than half (54 percent) considering relocation. Reasons cited include short-term concerns about cybersecurity, geopolitical risk and the search for specialist talent, suggesting that moving is «not merely a defensive measure but one that can strengthen resilience and diversification».
«Where a family office is located can offer strategic advantages because offices hold vast quantities of sensitive financial and personal data,» commented Mike Tan, Standard Chartered’s global head of wealth planning and family advisory.
«Jurisdictions with strong regulatory safeguards, sufficient professional support network and advanced digital infrastructure not only offer greater protection but also attract the calibre of talent needed to secure and grow wealth in the long run.»
3. NextGen Involvement in Succession Planning
Third, a significant number of respondents (approximately 33 percent) are dissatisfied with the current levels of next generation involvement in succession planning, despite 84 percent agreeing that it is essential.
«The difference in respondents’ views on the level of next-gen involvement highlights the importance of striking a balance between when and how to involve the nextgen,» the report said.
4. Tech Offers an Edge
Fourth and finally, technology is playing a growing role with 76 percent of families saying they are comfortable with using artificial intelligence to support investment decisions, provided human oversight remains. The next generation is a major proponent of this adoption and 81 percent of family heads said that the perspectives of the youth are crucial.
«This finding reflects a strategic shift: technology is no longer just a supplemental tool; it is becoming a core element of the decision-making process,» the report added,
«In an increasingly unpredictable world, the architecture of wealth management must evolve to build resilience, unlock opportunities, and protect legacies. Families must move beyond reactivity and plan for change, thereby embedding relevance and longevity for the generations to come,» concluded Raymond Ang, global head of private bank and affluent clients as well as head of wealth and retail banking, Greater China and North Asia.
