Family Office paper reveals benefits of institutional models for family wealth, says Lighthouse Canton

Timely research by Lighthouse Canton, highlights the urgency for affluent families to rethink how they preserve and grow their wealth across generations –spotlighting the need to institutionalize their approach.

The whitepaper titled ‘The Multi-Family Office Advantage’ was launched at a roundtable hosted in collaboration with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)’s Family Wealth Centre. The event, attended by local family office leaders and business families, revealed that families must consider multiple facets when setting up or running a global family office. These aspects include talent acquisition, technology integration, risk management, and portfolio management. Further challenges include current market uncertainty plus dealing with the complexity of transitioning wealth and investments across generations.

The DIFC Family Wealth Centre was selected as the co-host for the report launch roundtable, given DIFC is home to over 800 family related entities, including over 120 families and wealthy individuals who are managing more than USD 1.2trn globally.

“As family wealth becomes increasingly complex – spanning multiple jurisdictions, asset classes and governance structures – Family Office structures such as single family offices or multi-family offices, can provide a structured yet adaptable framework for such families to navigate these intricacies,” said Prashant Tandon, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer for Lighthouse Canton in the UAE. 

Beyond investment management, the paper reinforces how families can leverage single family office, multi-family office or blended service models to address a broader spectrum of needs through governance, transparency, and innovation. These include estate planning, philanthropy, intergenerational wealth transfer and risk management.

"The most effective wealth and legacy planning strategies emerge from deep, transparent partnerships that go far beyond traditional financial services. Families must actively seek providers who don't just manage assets, but who become trusted strategic partners committed to understanding their unique vision, values, and long-term objectives." Tandon emphasized.

More specifically, the whitepaper explores key elements of an institutional approach for families including how these family office models can benefit families in:

• Creating structured and scalable investment and specialist services
• Attracting and retaining best in class talent
• Using technology effectively and efficiently to enhance and consolidate reporting for multi-asset portfolios, manage risk and increase transparency for families
• Navigating evolving risk and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions and global asset allocations

“Building a strong foundation for your family office structure and understanding the models which are applicable to your unique position is crucial for any family looking to secure their legacy. What services you require, the talent stack you will require, what technology you can leverage, how do you adapt to evolving risks and regulations, and how do you balance the cost of running your family office – these are all key aspects that families must evaluate when choosing a model that suits their needs.” said Tandon.

For the past decade, Lighthouse Canton has provided institutional-level investment advisory, portfolio management, treasury, business & family office solutions to corporates, ultra-high net worth individuals, family offices, founders and entrepreneurs, to help with their personal and business investment needs. The global investment institution has grown rapidly since its inception in 2014 and has both wealth and asset management capabilities. The company has over 200 experienced professionals across its offices in Singapore, Dubai, India and London, overseeing over 4 billion US dollars’ worth of assets under management and advisory (as of 31 December 2024).

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