Italy

The global family office scene really shifted in March 2026. We saw families get much more strategic about which location to move their capital and how they use new tech, specifically AI. With the total wealth in family offices expected to hit $10 trillion by 2030, it's clear they are moving away from just "preserving" wealth to actually managing it like professional financial institutions. This month, a few influences were driving the changes. First, the tension that keeps escalating in the Middle East. Second, the tougher regulations imposed by the U.S. government. And third, the serious scramble to hire the best talent to manage these increasingly complex operations. Below is a breakdown: Regional rebalancing March 2026 was a major turning point for how ultra-wealthy families think about which regions offer the most safety and stability. Because of the growing tensions in West Asia, especially around Dubai and Abu Dhabi, lots of families started looking East toward Asian hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore. Amidst the chaos, Hong Kong was able to seize the moment, using the current global uncertainty to showcase its advantages as a safety hub for family offices. Reports show single-family offices jumped by 25%, hitting a total of 3,384.  In addition, the ong Kong government has introduced legislative enhancements to its tax framework for single-family offices, with a targeted completion by mid-2026. The impact of regional conflict on wealth management has asset management firms helping clients move significant assets from Dubai to Hong Kong as investors look for alternatives to the Gulf. While the United Arab Emirates has spent a decade building a world-class financial infrastructure, its proximity to conflict is forcing family offices to consider geographic risk. Tech trends This month, we saw that almost every family office (86%) is using AI in its operations. However,  they are barely (only 7%) investing directly in the AI sector. A global study showed that many family offices are already tapping into AI technology for data aggregation, risk management, and reporting. The study looked at 200 participants across 16 countries, collectively managing over $119 billion. One of its key takeaways was that AI is mostly being leveraged as a "governance premium" tool to boost performance, value, and growth. Even with this high level of adoption, most respondents (72%) think AI's biggest impact on their day-to-day operations won't really be felt for another two to five years. While many family offices are currently taking a "wait-and-see" approach to direct AI investments due to high valuations and the breakneck speed of change, this trend is poised for a rapid shift. In fact, nearly three out of four (74%) families are already planning to boost their exposure to AI and other digital assets within the next three years. Regulatory compliance Family offices in the U.S. had to go through some big changes this month. The IRS stepped up its game, focusing on high-value cases and even starting to use AI to figure out who to audit. In other words, that means that family offices in the U.S. now have to be "audit-ready" at all times, keeping meticulous records to avoid any messy delays or mistakes from the agency. Something that also popped up this month was a new rule that completely kills off paper checks for tax payments. Now, any payment of $10 million or more has to be done electronically. While it sounds simple, it actually requires a lot of juggling with bank limits and multi-day transfers, making it a real logistical puzzle for families managing huge amounts of wealth. On top of that, the fallout from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" of 2025 is finally hitting home this filing season. Families are seeing the real-world impact of these new tax laws while also dealing with rising compliance costs from global agreements. Human capital This month, the search for top-tier talent still persists as family offices evolve into more professional institutions. There is a growing "war for talent" as these offices move away from traditional gatekeepers and instead look for "expert generalists" who can balance investment discipline with long-term governance and family planning. In addition, many firms are bringing in investment-heavy leadership to navigate today's volatile markets.  At the same time, there is a real focus on the next generation of workers, with some offices launching apprentice programs to train junior staff. The ultimate goal for family offices is to find people who can bridge the gap between technical skill and the human side of wealth management. Today, this human-centric approach to hiring is becoming just as important as the investment strategies themselves. Investment trends In an environment characterised by inflation and geopolitical fragmentation, family offices are shifting away from public markets toward private market opportunities and direct deal-making. One of the most high-profile deals of March 2026 was the signing of a $1 billion agreement between the Texas-based Patel Family Office and the Saudi Arabian conglomerate AHQ. The partnership aims to develop the AYARA hospitality platform, creating a network of 50 international brand-name business hotels across Saudi Arabia by 2029. Family offices are also repositioning venture investing as a "win-win" that complements traditional philanthropy. Unlike grants that treat "symptoms," venture investing in sectors like climate resilience and healthcare affordability addresses "systems" by building sustainable, scalable businesses. This type of sophisticated, institutional-grade equity positioning is becoming more common as family offices deploy capital into sectors like fintech and software that offer both growth and impact. To sum it all up March 2026 was a pivotal moment where family offices confirmed their transition into institutional power players, mainly driven by rising Middle East tension and tighter US regulation. This geopolitical unease immediately triggered a strategic regional rebalancing, with significant capital moving out of the Gulf and flowing into stable Asian financial centres. Internally, the focus was on professionalising operations to manage greater complexity. While cautious about investment directing into AI, family offices are increasingly using it, and plan to increase their exposure in the coming years. Simultaneously, compliance has become non-negotiable, particularly in the US, where the IRS is beginning to use AI for audit selection, forcing all family offices to be constantly "audit-ready" and manage new logistics like the electronic payment mandate for large tax sums. These combined developments confirm that the family office is no longer a simple private wealth vehicle but the "smart money" that moves global markets, leveraging its unique flexibility and patient capital to access private opportunities and emerging technologies.

This month, the family office landscape continued to push toward institutionalisation and modernisation. On the investment front, family capital remains a powerful driver in private markets, with a notable appetite for real estate, hospitality, and targeted buyout funds, highlighted by Berritto’s $93 million portfolio acquisition and Gencom’s hotel buying spree. Technology and governance were also major themes in February. AI integration is moving from an experimental concept to an operational necessity, as evidenced by the launch of new AI-powered capital-matching tools and significant family-office backing for AI fintech startups. Meanwhile, as the industry matures, we are seeing top institutional talent migrate into the family office sector, alongside a growing focus on structured governance and multi-hub geographic models, particularly across Asia's wealth centres like Singapore and Hong Kong. See the breakdown below: Market trends Wealth is becoming increasingly borderless, prompting families to diversify their jurisdictional risk. The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a boom in the establishment of family offices. Hong Kong, for example, has added nearly 700 single-family offices over the last two years, as the wealthy seek to hedge against US market volatility. Meanwhile, Singapore is cementing its status as the centre for governance and regulatory oversight. This shift sees Asian family offices moving toward interconnected, "multi-hub" models rather than relying on a single headquarters. Another key trend is the emergence of new platforms using artificial intelligence. The goal is to match capital, efficiently connecting family office capital with suitable alternative investments. Beyond investments, there is also a heavy investment in automating core operations. This includes specialised tax automation software, such as K1x, and collection management systems, such as ARTDAI, which are necessary to manage the complex and diverse asset portfolios of ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Deals and investments Direct investing remains a major theme for family offices. Family offices are increasingly acting as direct dealmakers rather than relying solely on traditional funds. This trend is visible across various asset classes. In private equity, family offices are making concentrated bets on buyout firms and taking direct stakes in private companies. Similarly, there is a significant appetite for tangible assets, particularly in real estate and hospitality. Family office capital is currently driving large-scale US hospitality transactions and massive buyouts of mixed-use retail portfolios. One notable example this month has been the recent $93 million Berritto acquisition in South Florida. However, the appetite for high-risk hedges remains limited. According to JPMorgan Private Bank’s 2026 Global Family Office Report, despite geopolitical fears, the appetite for traditional and emerging hedges, including cryptocurrencies, remains highly constrained among wealthy families right now. People’s moves and appointments Family offices are no longer relying on family members or generalist accountants to manage their wealth. Their portfolios now look remarkably similar to institutional funds (heavy in private equity, venture, and direct real estate. Therefore are actively poaching Chief Investment Officers (CIOs) from elite university endowments and major trust banks. As family offices take on more direct investments and face heightened global regulatory scrutiny across different jurisdictions, the most aggressively recruited roles are now ‘outside’ of the investment team. There is a massive spike in demand for dedicated legal and compliance. There is also increased demand for operational leaders to protect the family from regulatory and cybersecurity risks. Also, because family offices now control over $5.5 trillion globally, traditional commercial banks and wealth managers are realising they need highly specialised personnel just to service them. Banks are pulling out entire teams to cater exclusively to private family capital. Looking ahead As we move into March and the remainder of Q1 2026, the data from February points to a sector that is increasingly behaving like institutional asset management. The clear appetite for direct investments (particularly in commercial real estate and tech startups) shows that families are not afraid to deploy capital into strategic opportunities. Additionally, the aggressive hiring of top-tier talent and adoption of AI tools suggest that managing operational complexity will be a top priority this year. Family offices that successfully blend this new technological infrastructure with strong, cross-border governance models are poised to lead the next generation of wealth preservation.

Dallas C. Salazar, the Texas wildcatter turned investor whose early, high-risk bets across U.S. shale helped fuel one of the most quietly expansive private energy fortunes in the region, has launched Two Texas Presidents, a new family office built to consolidate and accelerate the growth of the Salazar family's rapidly scaling asset base.

Shares of CEA Industries had already lost 98% of their 2018 peak by the time it pivoted into a BNB treasury stock. Then it got even worse.