SINGAPORE: The biggest bank in South East Asia, DBS, is launching a new investment platform specifically for family offices, which is private wealth management that caters to ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNI) — people who have $1 million or more in liquid financial assets.
Reuters reported on June 12 that DBS’ family office assets have surged within the past two years, and the new platform is tailored to provide even better services.
At present, the bank provides services to over one-third of the country’s single-family offices. Within the last two years, DBS’ family office assets under management (AUM) have more than doubled, Reuters quotes the bank as saying.
The platform is called the DBS Multi-Family Office Foundry VCC (DBS MFO) and was launched by DBS Private Bank.
Amid turmoil and unrest around the globe, which has also affected banking systems, more ultra-rich families have been looking to set up family offices in Singapore, which is largely seen to be a safe haven.
Over 20 such clients and potential clients are now in talks with DBS regarding the new platform.
Mr Lee Woon Shiu, DBS Group Head of Wealth Planning, Family Office and Insurance Solutions, said the new platform is also “an attractive option for some families who are not looking to immediately relocate to Singapore, but would like to consolidate their assets here.”
He called the launch of DBS MFO “yet another milestone in the evolution of our family office proposition, where our clients look to us as a trusted adviser for bespoke wealth preservation and legacy planning solutions,” adding that it has attracted interest from global UHNW families and their advisers.
“As global demand for family offices continues to rise, the unique strength of the ‘Singapore Inc’ proposition – a cocktail of attributes including strong rule of law as well as political and economic stability, among others – will continue to appeal to families worldwide,” he added in a statement. /TISG
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