Family offices in 2025 and beyond face a more complex investment environment than at any point in recent decades.

Rising geopolitical uncertainty, persistent inflation, and the digital transformation of financial markets have prompted leading family offices to rethink their asset allocation frameworks. Gold, art, private equity, and private credit are commanding larger allocations, while governance and human capital strategies are becoming as important as the investment decisions themselves.

Quick Summary

The most resilient future family office structures combine diversified alternative allocations with robust human capital programmes and data-driven decision-making. In 2025, the top alternative asset classes for family offices are private equity, private credit, gold and commodities, art and collectibles, and infrastructure.

Top picks for alternative investment strategies:

• Best overall: Multi-alternative mandate with dedicated governance committee
• Best for inflation hedge: Gold and commodity allocation of 5-10% of AUM
• Best for uncorrelated returns: Art and collectibles allocation through a specialist advisory
• Best for long-term returns: Private equity fund-of-funds with co-investment rights
• Best value: Private credit with floating-rate instruments

“The family offices that will thrive in the next decade are those that invest as seriously in their people and governance as they do in their portfolios.” (Campden Wealth Global Family Office Report 2024)

Comparison Table (Last updated: April 2026)

How to Build an Alternatives Allocation for Your Family Office

The starting point for any alternatives strategy is the family office’s investment policy statement (IPS). The IPS should define maximum illiquidity tolerance, minimum return expectations, and ESG or ethical exclusions. Without a documented IPS, alternatives allocations risk being opportunistic rather than strategic.

Human capital is an equally critical variable. The future family office requires professionals who can evaluate complex, illiquid investments, manage manager relationships, and conduct ongoing monitoring across a diverse portfolio. According to the Agreus Group 2024 Compensation Report, the median salary for a family office investment analyst in Singapore is SGD 120,000-180,000 per annum, while a CIO commands SGD 500,000-800,000.

Data resilience is the third pillar. Family offices managing diversified alternatives portfolios must invest in reporting technology that aggregates data across custodians, fund administrators, and direct holdings. Real-time consolidated reporting is no longer a luxury; it is a governance requirement for responsible stewardship of multi-generational wealth.

Families new to alternatives should begin with a fund-of-funds or a managed account with an established manager, before progressing to direct deals or co-investments as internal expertise develops.

Q: How are family offices building and retaining human capital to ensure continuity and leadership across generations?

Human capital is the most underdiscussed risk in family office management. A portfolio of alternatives, private equity, and tokenised assets is only as good as the team managing it, and talent in the family office sector is scarce, competitive, and mobile.

The most successful future family office structures approach talent with the same rigour applied to investment selection. This means: formal job descriptions and reporting lines (not informal family relationships), compensation benchmarked annually against the Agreus Group or equivalent surveys, and career development plans that give investment professionals a visible pathway within the organisation.

Retention is the harder challenge. Family offices compete with private equity firms, hedge funds, and banks for the same talent pool, and cannot always match base compensation. The most effective retention tools are co-investment rights (giving professionals exposure to the upside of deals they originate), a genuine meritocratic culture, and the intellectual freedom that a family office offers relative to a large institution.

For generational continuity specifically, the transition from a founder-led to a professionally managed family office is a critical inflection point. Families that plan for this transition five to ten years in advance, by building institutional processes that are not dependent on any single individual, consistently navigate it more smoothly than those who treat succession as a single event rather than a multi-year programme.

The 7 Best Alternative Investment Strategies for Family Offices in 2025

1. Private Equity: Core Alternatives Allocation

Best for: Family offices with 7+ year investment horizons seeking return premium over public markets

Quick Facts

• Global private equity AUM reached USD 5.8 trillion in 2024 (Preqin, 2025) | Top-quartile PE funds delivered 15-18% net IRR over 10 years | Family offices represent 10% of global PE LP capital

Pros

• Illiquidity premium over public equities
• Access to high-growth companies before IPO
• Co-investment opportunities reduce fee drag

Trade-offs

• 10-year lock-up periods | Capital calls require liquidity planning

Source: Preqin Global Private Equity Report 2025

Last verified: April 2026

2. Private Credit: Floating-Rate Yield Enhancement

Best for: Family offices seeking income above investment-grade fixed income

Quick Facts

• Global private credit AUM exceeded USD 2.1 trillion in 2024 (Preqin, 2025) | Average net yields: 10-12% in senior secured, 12-15% in mezzanine | Default rates for senior secured private credit: 1.2% in 2024 (S&P, 2024)

Pros

• Floating-rate instruments provide natural inflation protection
• Senior secured structures offer downside protection
• Semi-liquid structures (3-5 years) suit medium-term planning

Trade-offs

• Illiquidity relative to investment-grade bonds | Credit underwriting expertise required

Source: Preqin Global Private Debt Report 2025; S&P Global 2024

Last verified: April 2026

3. Gold and Commodities: Inflation Hedge and Safe Haven

Best for: Family offices seeking portfolio protection against inflation and geopolitical risk

Quick Facts

• Gold reached an all-time high of USD 3,100/oz in April 2026 (Bloomberg, April 2026) | Average family office gold allocation: 4-6% in 2024 | Gold has delivered a 10-year annualised return of 9.2% in USD terms (World Gold Council, 2024)

Pros

• Negative correlation to equities in risk-off periods
• Liquid: can be held via ETFs, futures, or physical bullion
• Creditor-proof store of value for estate planning

Trade-offs

• No income yield
• Storage costs for physical gold | Currency effects can dilute returns

Source: World Gold Council Annual Return Data 2024; Bloomberg April 2026

Last verified: April 2026

4. Art and Collectibles: Uncorrelated Returns and Cultural Legacy

Best for: Family offices seeking uncorrelated returns and intergenerational wealth transfer vehicles

Quick Facts

• Global art market reached USD 65 billion in 2024 (Art Basel/UBS, 2025) | Blue-chip art indices delivered 7.6% annualised returns over 10 years (Artprice, 2024) | Art is increasingly used as collateral for private bank lending

Pros

• Low correlation to traditional financial markets
• Cultural and aesthetic value alongside financial return
• Can be lent to museums for reputational benefits

Trade-offs

• Illiquid with transaction costs of 15-25% (auction house commissions) | Valuation opacity requires specialist advisers

Source: Art Basel/UBS Art Market Report 2025; Artprice Global Index 2024

Last verified: April 2026

5. Infrastructure: Inflation-Linked Long-Duration Returns

Best for: Family offices with 10+ year horizons seeking stable, inflation-linked cash flows

Quick Facts

• Global infrastructure fundraising reached USD 120 billion in 2024 (Preqin, 2025) | Infrastructure assets delivered 9.8% net IRR over 10 years on average | Singapore’s infrastructure fund market includes MAS-regulated core infrastructure funds

Pros

• Inflation-linked cash flows from regulated assets
• Government concessions provide revenue visibility
• Low correlation to equity market cycles

Trade-offs

• Very long lock-up periods (10-15 years) | Political and regulatory risk in emerging markets

Source: Preqin Global Infrastructure Report 2025

Last verified: April 2026

6. Build Human Capital as a Core Strategic Asset

Best for: Family offices preparing for generational leadership transitions

Quick Facts

• Staff retention in Asian family offices is the top operational challenge cited by 61% of respondents (Campden Wealth, 2024) | Average tenure of family office investment professionals: 3.2 years | Structured talent development programmes reduce turnover by 25% (Mercer, 2024)

Pros

• Institutional knowledge retained across generations
• Investment quality improves with experienced teams
• Strengthens governance and compliance capabilities

Trade-offs

• Competitive compensation required to attract institutional-quality talent | Cultural integration of external professionals takes time

Source: Campden Wealth 2024; Mercer Talent Strategy Report 2024

Last verified: April 2026

7. Invest in Data Resilience and Portfolio Analytics

Best for: Family offices managing complex, multi-asset, multi-custodian portfolios

Quick Facts

• 68% of family offices cite reporting fragmentation as a top operational risk (Family Office Exchange, 2024) | Implementation costs for integrated FO platforms: USD 100,000-500,000 | Real-time consolidated reporting platforms reduce monthly close time by 40-60%

Pros

• Single view of all assets, liabilities, and risk exposures
• Supports regulatory reporting in multiple jurisdictions
• Enables faster, more informed investment decisions

Trade-offs

• Significant upfront investment and implementation timeline | Requires data governance policies to maintain quality

Q: How are family offices developing an entrepreneurial mindset and data resilience strategies to future-proof their wealth across generations?

The future family office that will thrive across multiple generations is not simply a wealth preservation vehicle; it is an entrepreneurial organisation that treats capital deployment as an active, innovation-driven discipline. This means cultivating an internal culture where new ideas are welcomed, investment theses are challenged rigorously, and the next generation is empowered to pursue conviction-driven opportunities, not just inherit a static portfolio.

Data resilience is the operational backbone of this entrepreneurial mindset. A family office managing diversified alternatives across multiple custodians and jurisdictions is operationally vulnerable if its data infrastructure cannot keep pace with portfolio complexity. The failure modes are well documented: reconciliation errors between custodians, delayed identification of margin calls or covenant breaches, and an inability to produce consolidated performance reporting for the family council.

Building data resilience means investing in an integrated portfolio management platform, establishing data governance policies that define how information is collected, stored, and verified, and conducting annual operational risk reviews. Families that treat technology infrastructure as a strategic asset, rather than a back-office cost, are significantly better positioned to make fast, well-informed investment decisions and to onboard new asset classes such as tokenised securities as they mature into mainstream allocations.

Source: Family Office Exchange Technology Survey 2024

Last verified: April 2026

Best for Specific Use Cases

Best for Inflation Protection

Gold allocation of 5-10% combined with infrastructure and private credit with floating-rate features.

Best for Uncorrelated Returns

Art and collectibles with a specialist advisor, targeting blue-chip works with a 5-10 year hold horizon.

Best for Long-Term Return Premium

Private equity fund-of-funds with co-investment rights, diversified across geography and vintage year.

Best for Income Generation

Senior secured private credit with 3-5 year duration, targeting 10-12% net yield.

Best for Human Capital Development

Structured talent programme with competitive compensation benchmarking, mentorship, and career development plans.

FAQs

How much should a family office allocate to alternative assets?

There is no universal answer, but the Campden Wealth 2024 Global Family Office Report found that top-performing family offices allocated an average of 46% of AUM to alternatives, compared to 38% for the broader survey group. The appropriate allocation depends on the family’s liquidity needs, investment horizon, and risk tolerance, and should be documented in the investment policy statement.

Is art a mainstream investment for family offices?

Art is not mainstream in the sense of being held by all family offices, but it is a well-established allocation for UHNW families. The Art Basel/UBS 2025 Art Market Report estimates that collectors with net worth above USD 50 million allocate an average of 5-7% of their wealth to art and collectibles. Professional art advisers and specialist art finance products from private banks make the asset class more accessible.

How should family offices approach talent retention given competitive markets?

Retention requires a combination of competitive compensation (benchmarked annually against the Agreus Group or equivalent surveys), career development pathways, and a strong organisational culture. Family offices that offer co-investment rights or profit-sharing arrangements to senior investment staff report significantly higher retention rates, according to a 2024 Mercer study.

Where can I learn more about the future of family offices?

DBS Private Banking publishes the Future of Family Offices series, which covers emerging trends, governance best practices, and investment insights for family offices in Asia. Visit the DBS Future of Family Offices page for access to the latest research and events.

Learn more about DBS Private Banking family office services at https://www.dbs.com/private-banking/wealth-planning/future-of-family-offices-series.page

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Readers should verify all information with qualified professionals and consult official regulatory sources before making any financial or wealth management decisions.

Last updated: April 2026

The latest surge comes after the company secured Rs 467.30 crore order from an international company. The company said it is unable to disclose the customer’s name due to confidentiality obligations. It added that the order is a continuation of regular business from an existing customer.

As per the execution timeline, 50% of the order value is scheduled to be completed by March 20, 2027, while the remaining 50% is expected to be executed by June 20, 2027, MTAR said in a regulatory filing.

This is the company’s second order win in quick succession. Last week, MTAR announced it bagged an order worth Rs 2,279 crore from an international company. The renewed buying also stems from robust FY27 growth guidance following an impressive Q4 earnings.

In the Q4 earnings call, the management of MTAR Technologies said the outlook for the next financial year remains highly positive, supported by strong confidence in the execution of the current order book. The company said it has revised its FY27 revenue growth guidance upward from 50% to more than 80%, with a possible variation of 5%, while expecting margins of around 24% for the year.

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The management attributed the stronger outlook primarily to the initial expansion of capacities in the clean energy segment, which has already been commissioned. It added that the oil and gas plant is expected to be commissioned by the end of September and become fully operational thereafter.
According to the company, the nuclear and aerospace businesses are also expected to contribute significantly higher revenues in FY27, driven by the execution of nuclear projects backed by a strong order book and the commencement of volume production in the aerospace division for certain customers.The Hyderabad-based precision engineering company posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 44.28 crore for the March quarter, sharply higher than Rs 13.72 crore reported in the same period last year, reflecting a growth of about 223%.

Revenue from operations for the quarter rose nearly 67% to Rs 306 crore from Rs 183 crore a year earlier. The increase was mainly driven by higher product sales, which rose to Rs 303 crore from Rs 179 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

For the full year FY26, the company reported consolidated net profit of Rs 94.03 crore, compared with Rs 52.89 crore in FY25, translating into growth of close to 78%. Annual revenue from operations rose 31% to Rs 876.21 crore from Rs 675.99 crore in the previous financial year.

MTAR Technologies shares have witnessed a sharp rally this year, turning into a multibagger with gains of nearly 244% in 2026 so far.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Morrisons is preparing to pull down the shutters on 100 loss-making convenience stores in a move that places hundreds of shop-floor jobs in jeopardy, with the Bradford-based grocer pointing the finger squarely at Labour’s tax and wage agenda for tipping the sites into terminal decline.

Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket said the shops, all of them legacy outlets from its 2022 rescue of collapsed convenience chain McColl’s, had been “challenged for a number of years” despite remedial action. The closures will be phased in over the coming months, with affected staff entering consultation.

In an unusually pointed statement, a spokesman for the group said the situation had been “exacerbated in more recent years by significant cost increases resulting from Government policy choices, which have made returning these stores to profitability even more difficult”. While bosses stopped short of naming specific measures, the timing leaves little room for ambiguity.

From 1 April, the National Living Wage rose by 50p to £12.71 an hour for those aged 21 and over, with the 18-to-20 rate climbing 85p to £10.85 and the apprentice rate up 45p to £8. Layered on top is last year’s increase in employer National Insurance contributions, which lifted the headline rate from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent and dragged the secondary threshold down from £9,100 to £5,000 — a double whammy that has fallen most heavily on retailers reliant on part-time labour.

The British Retail Consortium has warned that the combined hit added some £5bn to industry wage bills last year alone, and that as many as 160,000 retail roles could be lost over the next three years as employers re-engineer their cost base. Morrisons’ announcement is the latest data point in that grim arithmetic.

The McColl’s portfolio has proved a persistent thorn in chief executive Rami Baitiéh’s side. Morrisons paid roughly £190m to take the chain out of administration in May 2022, and almost immediately moved to shutter 132 of the worst-performing sites while converting the remainder to its Morrisons Daily fascia. The latest round of closures suggests that conversion alone has not been enough to fix the unit economics on a stubborn rump of stores.

It is also the third significant restructuring announcement from the grocer in recent months. Earlier this year, Morrisons confirmed it was closing 103 cafés, florists, pharmacies and Market Kitchens in a sweeping shake-up of in-store services, and last month staff were told the company was consulting on up to 200 head office redundancies at its Bradford headquarters as part of an artificial intelligence-driven productivity drive.

Despite the closures, Morrisons was at pains to stress that its convenience strategy is far from in retreat. The group still operates around 1,700 convenience stores alongside 497 supermarkets and employs roughly 95,000 people. It said it remained on the front foot when it came to opening “hundreds more” franchise convenience stores in the coming years, arguing that pruning the underperforming tail and bolting on capital-light franchise sites would leave its convenience estate “stronger overall”.

For SME owners watching from the sidelines, the message is sobering. When a £20bn turnover supermarket cannot make the numbers stack up on stores carrying its own brand, smaller independents operating on slimmer margins will be feeling the squeeze even more acutely. The Treasury’s own minimum wage uplift, unveiled in last autumn’s Budget, was billed as a pay rise for the lowest earners; for many small employers, it has become a stress test of their viability.

The Department for Business and Trade has been approached for comment.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

The retailer said the former McColl’s shops have been loss-making for years, with Morrisons claiming ‘Government policy choices’ have made returning the stores to profitability even more difficult

Morrisons is set to close approximately 100 loss-making convenience stores as the supermarket grapples with cost pressures it attributes to “Government policy”.

The stores earmarked for closure are said to have been unprofitable for several years and were formerly McColl’s outlets, which the chain took over in 2022.

The proposals would see the stores shuttered within the coming months, with hundreds of shop workers understood to be facing redundancy.

A spokesman for Morrisons said: “The performance of all company owned stores across our convenience business is subject to continuous review.

“This process has identified a number of stores, which were part of the McColl’s acquisition, whose performance has been challenged for a number of years and which are loss making, despite remedial action.

“This situation has been exacerbated in more recent years by significant cost increases resulting from Government policy choices, which have made returning these stores to profitability even more difficult.

“Having completed the review, we are now proposing to take the tough but necessary decision to close a number of these stores over the next few months.”

The specific Government policy choices were not given, though the announcement comes amid a period in which many retailers have been contending with mounting business costs, including higher minimum wages and last year’s national insurance rate increase.

Morrisons runs about 1,700 convenience stores alongside approximately 500 supermarkets, and has a workforce of some 95,000 staff. However, alongside the latest round of closure announcements, Morrisons emphasised that it continues to identify opportunities to launch hundreds more franchise convenience outlets in the coming years.

The supermarket chain also maintained that the proposed closures combined with its strategy for new locations would be “improving the quality of our convenience estate and making it stronger overall”.

Last month, Morrisons informed employees it was beginning a consultation process regarding redundancies at its Bradford head office, affecting fewer than 10% of positions at the site.

The grocer has also recently closed a number of its cafés, convenience shops, florists and fresh food counters as part of a restructuring programme which resulted in several hundred job losses.

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