BNP Paribas Courts Asia’s Next Generation of Wealth
BNP Paribas Wealth Management is expanding its efforts to build relationships with Asia’s next generation of wealthy families. With a new programme in Hong Kong, the French bank is targeting heirs and future family leaders at an earlier stage – well before they are expected to take on responsibility for family wealth.
More than 60 participants aged between 18 and 25 from Hong Kong, Indonesia, mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand attended the inaugural «Peak Week – A NextGen Deep Dive», held in Hong Kong from 11 to 14 August, BNP Paribas Wealth Management said.
The four-day programme extends the bank’s existing NextGen offering, which has traditionally focused on emerging successors between the ages of 25 and 40.
Succession Gap in Asian Families
The move comes as wealthy Asian families increasingly formalise their succession arrangements, while questions remain over how prepared the next generation is to take over.
According to BNP Paribas’ Asia Pacific Family Office Report, 44 percent of APAC family offices without a formal succession plan say the next generation is not yet sufficiently qualified. Another 38 percent cite their successors’ young age.
«Peak Week is designed for precisely that interval: the years before a next-generation member is expected to hold a view at the family table,» said Lemuel Lee, Head of Wealth Management, Hong Kong, BNP Paribas.
Lemuel Lee, Head of Wealth Management Hong Kong, BNP Paribas welcomed the Peak Week cohort at its opening
session. (Image: provided)
Rather than focusing solely on traditional wealth management topics, the programme combines financial education with entrepreneurship, culture and personal development. Participants covered macroeconomics and major asset classes as well as legacy planning and personal branding. Sessions also addressed developments in the luxury industry and the Asian art market.
From Heirs to Entrepreneurs
One element of the programme was the «Future Economy Challenge», a competition modelled on the television format «Shark Tank». Participants developed and pitched business ideas addressing changing consumer needs in areas including travel, caregiving, retail and dining.
The concepts were assessed not only on their commercial potential but also on their understanding of consumer needs and long-term sustainability.
For BNP Paribas, the initiative reflects a broader shift in how private banks are approaching the next generation of wealthy clients. Instead of waiting until heirs formally assume responsibility for family assets, banks are increasingly seeking to establish relationships years earlier.
«By the age of 25, many instincts around risk, purpose and responsibility are already formed,» said Anton Wong, Head of Segmentation Strategy and Client Acquisition at BNP Paribas Wealth Management.
He added that younger clients have access to more information, education and global networks than previous generations and therefore expect banks to engage with their ideas rather than simply provide financial expertise.
Adrian Chan & Paulette Ho, Supporting Members of First Initiative Foundation, shared their journey working for the
organisation founded by Michelle Ong to support the arts, music, and education. (Image: provided)
Nearly Two Decades of NextGen Programmes
Peak Week becomes part of a NextGen platform that BNP Paribas Wealth Management has been developing in Asia for close to two decades. Its established Asia NextGen Experience, aimed at emerging family leaders from across the region, is now entering its 19th year.
The latest addition also illustrates how competition among private banks for Asia’s future wealth holders is moving further upstream: relationship-building increasingly begins long before the next generation formally takes control of family businesses or assets.
