Citi Wealth Releases 2025 Global Family Office Report Highlighting Resilience, Trade Tensions and Generational Wealth

Citi Wealth has released its 2025 Global Family Office Report, providing fresh insights into the strategies, challenges and evolving priorities of some of the world’s most sophisticated investors. Compiled by Citi Wealth’s Global Family Office Group, which works with over 1,800 family offices globally, the flagship report draws on responses from a record 346 family offices across 45 countries.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, trade policy uncertainty and rapid technological transformation, the report underscores how family offices are balancing portfolio resilience, generational wealth planning and operational efficiency.

Key findings from the 2025 report

• Generational Wealth Control: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) had the highest share of first-generation families in control of wealth (56%), highlighting a resurgence of wealth creation. Asia Pacific led in second-generation control (43%), reflecting a maturing market.

• Geopolitical Concerns: Global trade disputes (60%), U.S.-China relations (43%), and inflation (37%) emerged as top concerns, driving asset location reviews and jurisdictional re-evaluations.

• Portfolio Resilience: While allocations largely held steady, private equity saw increased activity, and 39% of family offices favored active management in response to U.S. tariff announcements.

• Optimism Despite Volatility: Nearly 40% of respondents expect returns of 10% or more over the next 12 months, citing factors such as U.S. deregulation, interest rate cuts and AI advances.

• Direct Investments: 70% of family offices remain engaged in direct deals, with 40% increasing activity over the past year.

• Professionalization Gaps: Progress continues in investment structures, but risk management, cybersecurity and succession planning need greater focus.

• AI Deployment: The use of AI has doubled year-on-year, particularly in automating operational tasks and investment analytics, though full adoption is still in progress.

Expert commentary

Hannes Hofmann, Head of Citi Wealth’s Global Family Office Group, noted:

“A high proportion of first-generation families in the Middle East reflects a resurgence of wealth creation. With rising inflows of wealthy individuals into the UAE, the region is cementing its position as a global hub for family offices. Our role is to help families navigate evolving challenges while enabling them to capture opportunities across asset classes and geographies.”

Dawn Nordberg, Head of Integrated Client Engagement for Citi Wealth, added:

“Family offices are increasingly focused on direct investing, targeting transformative technologies and attractively valued companies. We leverage Citi’s global investment banking network to provide access to proprietary private capital raises, asset divestitures and sectoral expertise.”

Alexandre Monnier, Head of Global Family Office Advisory for Citi Wealth, emphasized:

“Professionalization continues to advance, but more work is needed in operational risk management, cybersecurity and leadership succession. Our findings are designed to guide families in formalizing structures that safeguard and grow generational wealth.”

Outlook

Despite short-term geopolitical and market uncertainties, the report highlights an underlying optimism among family offices worldwide, particularly around private equity, AI adoption and direct investments. The Middle East’s unique wealth creation dynamics and the UAE’s growing role as a family office hub position the region at the forefront of global trends in wealth management.