22nd April 2025, India: Lighthouse Canton, a global investment institution, has released its latest white paper, The Multi-Family Office Advantage, presenting a compelling case for institutional family office structures as the future of strategic wealth management.

As intergenerational wealth transfer accelerates and affluent families diversify investments across jurisdictions, many are seeking scalable, governance-driven frameworks. This paper explores how Multi-Family Offices (MFOs) offer a cost-effective and strategic solution by helping families consolidate investment operations, enhance transparency, and future-proof wealth through technology and regulatory preparedness.

The paper also sheds light on the emergence of family offices in Asia and the Middle East- regions where the concept remains relatively nascent compared to its more established Western counterparts. In Asia Pacific, single-family offices have grown to 2,290 surged by 28% since 2019 and the region is expected to outpace North America moving forward, growing 40% by 2030 to 3,200 offices. This underscores the growing importance of AI and digital innovation as critical tools for multi-family offices to remain competitive. As new family office patrons continue to emerge in Asia, digital transformation is expected to become indispensable by 2028. 

India is undergoing a similar evolution. A growing number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and startup founders are turning to institutional family office structures to manage wealth and succession planning. According to a recent industry report, the number of family offices has grown nearly sevenfold over the past six years, rising from 45 in 2018 to close to 300 in 2024. The nation’s booming startup ecosystem and generational wealth transfer are fuelling this growth, with many Indian families increasingly seeking institutional-grade investment strategies and governance solutions. 

Sumegh Bhatia, MD & CEO, of Lighthouse Canton in India, commented, “India’s family office ecosystem is standing at a defining threshold. As families evolve in their investment outlook and prepare for generational transitions, the demand for institutional frameworks has become essential. This isn’t just about managing assets, but it’s about building long-term structures aligned with purpose, governance, and stewardship. We believe family offices in India will increasingly shape the country’s capital markets, entrepreneurial ecosystem, and philanthropic landscape.”

The whitepaper explores key elements of an institutional approach for families including how these family office models can benefit families in:

• Creating structured and scalable investment and specialist services

• Attracting and retaining best-in-class talent 

• Using technology effectively and efficiently to enhance and consolidate reporting for multi-asset portfolios, manage risk, and increase transparency for families

• Navigating evolving risk and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions and global asset allocations