In the previous article, International Wealth Planning: Current Landscape and Challenges, we explored how families with global footprints are adapting to a more transparent, regulated, and interconnected world. This second part looks at what lies ahead for families and advisors.
Through ten key questions, we examine how technology, new generations, and evolving governance models are reshaping the practice of wealth planning and the role of advisors in this new era.
The New Generational and Cultural Landscape
The Rise of Purpose-Driven Wealth
How are NextGen priorities around wealth evolving, especially regarding social impact, sustainability, and new ways of living?
The NextGen operates with a completely different mindset: less focused on accumulation and more on creation, experience, and impact. Their relationship with money and work is more fluid and less possessive. Many view wealth as a tool for transformation, purpose, and legacy. They want their investments to reflect their personal values such as sustainability, inclusion, technology, and collective wellbeing, and they are willing to take risks to align performance with impact. According to the UBS Global Family Office Report 2024, nearly half of family offices see climate change as a key risk over the next five years, and more than half already integrate sustainability criteria into their operations.
Their definition of success has also changed. It is no longer about stability but about meaning. They value freedom, purpose, and coherence, often above short-term returns. They are bolder, more open to entrepreneurship, and often driven by innovation and social enterprise. For wealth advisors, the challenge is to accompany that mindset, not to constrain it but to help it grow.
Global Families, Shared Values
What challenges arise when heirs have different educations, residencies, or cultural backgrounds, and how can those visions be harmonized within a single wealth plan?
This is the new reality of global families: children who live or study in different countries, speaking different languages, shaped by distinct values and tax regimes. International marriages are increasingly common, forming families with ties across multiple jurisdictions. In this context, the challenge is not only legal or fiscal but also cultural and emotional, understanding how each member relates to money, work, and inheritance.
Harmonizing these differences requires a collaborative approach. It means working with local advisors in each jurisdiction, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and designing solutions that reflect the expectations of all heirs. The goal is to build a shared wealth plan that balances fairness, efficiency, and long-term vision while preserving the essence of the family’s collective purpose.
Technology and Transformation
Evolving Structures, Lasting Principles
How does technology influence the emotional relationship families have with their wealth? Does it create more control or more distance?
Technology provides tools that enhance control, traceability, and efficiency in wealth management. Families can now monitor investments in real time, sign documents digitally, and access information from anywhere. Blockchain in particular has raised standards of transparency and security.
However, this same evolution can also create emotional distance as wealth becomes just another data point on a screen. Legitimate concerns arise around privacy, cyberattacks, and the loss of a personal connection to the family legacy. Technology should serve the family, not replace it. The real challenge lies in using its benefits without losing the human connection that gives wealth its meaning.
How is the concept of global wealth being redefined amid hyper-transparency and growing international mobility?
Global wealth is no longer measured by the number of jurisdictions in which one invests, but by the coherence, traceability, and legitimacy of those investments. In the age of hyper-transparency, shaped by CRS, FATCA, and BEPS, structures must be explainable, documentable, and defensible before any authority. True global wealth today is that which can stand both legally and reputationally in any country.
In my experience, working with high-net-worth families requires special attention to properly documenting Source of Funds and Source of Wealth. This traceability is key: it is not only about compliance but about clearly demonstrating legitimacy. For this reason, we always promote simple, well-documented structures aligned with each family member’s tax residence. Transparency, far from being a threat, has become a competitive advantage. Those who plan with coherence and foresight not only protect their assets but also gain peace of mind, reputation, and long-term sustainability.
Can traditional trusts and foundations adapt to an increasingly digital and transparent environment?
Absolutely. Wealth structures are not at risk; they are evolving. Trusts and foundations are going through a process of modernization, adapting to an increasingly digital and transparent environment. Electronic signatures, digital registers of beneficiaries, and blockchain-based traceability have already become part of the global operational standard.
Far from replacing advisors, these tools enhance their role. They enable faster, more efficient, and more secure processes, strengthening governance and oversight. The key lies in combining the legal tradition that ensures legitimacy with technological innovation that provides efficiency and accessibility. The goal is to achieve modern and compliant structures without losing discretion or purpose.
What impact will artificial intelligence and digital technology have on wealth planning in the coming years?
Artificial intelligence is already transforming the practice of wealth planning. It enables automation, predictive analysis, and remarkable operational efficiency. But its true value lies not in replacing advisors, but in freeing them from repetitive tasks so they can focus on what technology cannot replicate: empathy, human understanding, and long-term strategy.
The future of advisory will be hybrid. AI will bring speed, precision, and insight, while advisors will provide judgment, trust, and vision. Professionals who learn to combine both dimensions will be the real protagonists of the new era of wealth planning. Technology does not replace the advisor; it amplifies their capacity and relevance.
What place will digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, tokenized real estate, or digital shares occupy within international wealth structures?
Digital assets are already part of the new wealth ecosystem. Many clients now include cryptocurrencies, tokens, or digital holdings within their structures, whether through companies, trusts, or PPLI policies. There is no turning back; they represent a new asset class that demands proper understanding, custody, and regulation. EY’s 2025 survey on digital-asset adoption backs this, as they found that more than 75 percent of institutional investors plan to increase allocations to digital assets this year, with 59 percent expecting to dedicate more than five percent of their portfolios to them.
The challenge lies in integrating them thoughtfully, in compliance with valuation and reporting standards, and ensuring their smooth transfer across generations. Structures must adapt to these realities without losing legal and fiscal coherence. The succession aspect also becomes considerably more complex with this type of asset.
What risks does digitalization bring in terms of cybersecurity and family privacy?
Digitalization exposes families to growing risks such as identity theft, hacking, fraud, extortion, and leaks of sensitive information. In regions with weaker institutional frameworks, such as much of Latin America, these vulnerabilities can even translate into physical risks for family members. Privacy is no longer secondary; it has become a critical component of wealth security.
In wealth planning, the client’s right to privacy must be treated as a central objective, on par with tax and succession considerations. Cybersecurity has become a structural pillar of every strategy. Protecting the digital environment means investing in strong protocols, segmenting access, and working with specialized providers. Ultimately, wealth protection no longer ends at the legal or financial level; it must also be defended in the technological domain.
What role will new technology platforms such as Clockwork, digital vaults, or smart contracts play in centralizing, automating, and simplifying wealth management?
These platforms represent the next step in the professionalization of the sector. Digital vaults allow families to centralize information on assets, documents, and beneficiaries within secure environments. Smart contracts can automate processes like distributions, payments, or successions, reducing errors and improving transparency.
Even so, these tools do not replace human oversight. Their purpose is to facilitate management and improve traceability, while judgment, discretion, and sensitivity remain essential human attributes. The true innovation lies in integrating these platforms within a smarter and more connected framework for family governance.
The Future of the Family Office
Balancing Humanity and Technology
What should the family office of the future look like to balance human values such as trust, closeness, and principles with technology such as efficiency, automation, and AI?
The family office of the future will be hybrid: human at its core and technological in its operations. It must provide closeness, confidentiality, and long-term partnership, supported by digital tools that bring efficiency, security, and real-time access to information. Technology will be a means of professionalization, not depersonalization.
Its mission will go beyond asset administration. It will be about safeguarding values, relationships, and purpose. A modern family office will integrate data, AI, and automation with empathy, active listening, and intergenerational education. In the end, the balance between technology and humanity will become the new measure of success.
