On 28 August 2025, the inaugural Asia-Pacific Family Office Forum convened at the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei. The event was jointly organized by Timeless International Family Office and the International Chinese Inheritance Association, and co-hosted by the Family Inheritance Association Malaysia (FIAM). It drew regulators, academics, wealth advisers and family representatives from across the Asia-Pacific to examine the future of family office structures and cross-border legacy planning.
Since its establishment in 2020, the International Chinese Inheritance Association has adhered to the principle of “family legacy at the core.” Over the past five years the association has delivered more than 35 runs of its Certified Family Legacy Planner programs across Hong Kong, Taipei, Taichung, Shenzhen and Kuala Lumpur, training in excess of 1,000 professional legacy planners and building a systematic, professionalized and institutionalized education platform, setting a benchmark for Chinese family legacy education internationally.
This forum carried historic significance: for the first time, representatives from the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC Malaysia) were invited to Taiwan to present the Single Family Office (SFO) framework and to discuss its policy advantages and development pathway. Co-organized with Timeless International Family Office, the event demonstrated a high degree of cross-border professionalism and international perspective. The association reiterated its mission to connect industry, government, academia and professional institutions, to promote practical application of legacy planning, and to support corporate members on governance and intergenerational succession issues. The forum, the association said, marks a new chapter for Asia-Pacific family office engagement and signals the continued institutionalization, professionalization and internationalization of family legacy practices.
FIAM’s Positioning and Strategic Priorities — Vicky (Chairperson, FIAM)
Vicky, Chairperson of FIAM and General Manager of Timeless International Family Office Malaysia, set out FIAM’s role as an industry association focused on advancing family legacy practice. FIAM aims to provide ongoing education, resources and industry connectivity for Malaysian families and professional service providers. Its work centers on three strategic pillars:
Legacy Education & Professional Certification: deepen and expand the Certified Family Legacy Planner curriculum and localized training modules, promoting practical, modular education to raise professional standards in governance, trust and legacy planning across the region;
International Industry Linkages & One-Stop Resources: build a cross-border service network spanning trust, tax, legal, insurance, education and health management, enabling member families and advisers to efficiently source appropriate service providers while reducing transaction friction;
Industry Guidance & Practice Promotion: publish research, case studies, host forums and produce white papers to drive standardization and repeatable practice in family office operations, offering practical references for families building governance frameworks and intergenerational succession arrangements.
Vicky also urged families and advisers to place governance and education on equal footing at the outset of succession planning, combining a family charter, a family council, and a structured next-generation development program to form an institutionalized legacy pathway. FIAM will pursue these priorities through annual forums, hands-on workshops, professional certification and sector white papers.
Ms. Amardeep Kaur — Strategic Significance of the SFO Regime
Ms. Amardeep Kaur, General Manager & Head of Investment Management Development at the Securities Commission Malaysia, gave a keynote presentation outlining the strategic importance of the Single Family Office (SFO) framework in Malaysia. She highlighted:
Regulatory clarity — SC Malaysia provides unified oversight, delivering a transparent and predictable compliance environment;
Cost advantage — relative to Hong Kong and Singapore, SFO establishment and operating costs are more accessible, lowering entry barriers;
Flexible structuring — the regime permits families to tailor governance arrangements and investment strategies to their needs;
Cross-border friendliness — the framework supports international asset allocation and institutionalizes provisions for intergenerational succession.
Ms. Kaur stressed that the SFO framework is not merely a compliance mechanism, but an enabling tool for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families to enhance efficiency across governance, investment and succession. She outlined three priority areas for SC Malaysia’s continued efforts: (1) strengthening institutional frameworks to enhance international competitiveness; (2) deepening cross-border cooperation with Asia-Pacific markets; and (3) developing professional talent to ensure a sustainable wealth management ecosystem.
Mr. DaoZhen Ch’ng, CFA — Practical Strengths of the SFO Regime
Mr. DaoZhen Ch’ng, CFA, Manager of Market Development at SC Malaysia’s Investment Management Development Department, examined the SFO’s practical advantages. He identified the regime’s hallmark as balancing stability with flexibility:
Governance — provides a legal and institutional basis for long-term stewardship of family assets and affairs;
Operations — offers cost-efficient operating models that reduce the burden of establishing and maintaining family offices;
Compliance — designed to be adaptable, meeting domestic regulatory requirements while facilitating efficient cross-border asset flows.
Mr. Ch’ng emphasized that Malaysia’s SFO framework is a tailored solution that combines international standards with local strengths, enhancing Malaysia’s competitive edge in the family office landscape.
Johnson Liao — Taiwan’s Experience and Lessons Learned
Johnson Liao, Senior Partner for Greater China at Timeless, analyzed Taiwan’s market maturity and institutional evolution. He observed that early Taiwanese family offices were often reduced to investment teams, overlooking governance, education and cultural continuity. He argued for transforming family offices into integrated governance platforms, with core components including:
a family charter and formal governance structures (family council and external advisory boards);
next-generation education and capability building through structured succession training, external placements and mentorships;
a multi-tier asset allocation and risk framework combining long-term strategic allocations with tactical, opportunistic investments, overseen by independent risk and compliance functions;
professional outsourcing and local partnerships for non-core services (back-office compliance, tax, trust administration) to balance control and cost efficiency.
Johnson cited examples showing that successful family offices place legacy education on equal footing with investment returns, and he recommended periodic KPI assessments and external reviews to align daily operations with long-term objectives.
Martin Chin — Regional Outlook: Opportunities and Implementation Considerations
Martin Chin, Senior Partner for Southeast Asia at Timeless, provided a macro assessment of the Asia-Pacific family office ecosystem and practical guidance for families and advisers establishing offices in the region:
Demand driven by capital internationalization — cross-border asset allocation is now routine, generating demand for integrated solutions that combine tax, compliance, immigration and governance;
Malaysia’s relative strengths — policy flexibility, lower set-up and operating costs, and openness to talent and capital make Malaysia an attractive jurisdiction for family offices;
Due diligence & compliance remain paramount — irrespective of jurisdiction, comprehensive early-stage due diligence is essential to validate governance arrangements, tax implications and risk exposure;
Executional imperatives — families should secure trusted in-market execution partners (trust companies, custodians, accounting and legal firms) and formalize service-level arrangements and contingency protocols.
Martin concluded that the next decade will see Asia-Pacific emerge as a core growth region for family offices. As financial infrastructure and professional services mature, Malaysia has the potential to occupy a competitive position within the cost-compliance-service triangle, becoming a preferred location for many cross-border families.
Roundtable: The Future of Family Offices in a Cross-Border Era
In the forum’s marquee roundtable session, the three panellists exchanged perspectives from regulatory, operational and regional angles:
Martin Chin underlined Southeast Asia’s strengths in capital internationalization and policy pragmatism, and argued that Malaysia’s cost and operational advantages position it as a strategic hub for emerging family offices;
Mr. DaoZhen Ch’ng, CFA emphasized that the SFO’s value lies in striking the right balance between compliance and flexibility — designing a regime that facilitates, rather than hinders, cross-border family operations;
Johnson Liao reiterated that family offices must transcend a narrow investment mandate and become custodians of culture and values through robust governance and next-generation education. He said, “A truly successful family office is not only a steward of wealth but also a guardian of values.”
The dialogue showcased Malaysia’s institutional strengths and affirmed FIAM’s mission to promote standardization, capability building and international collaboration across the Asia-Pacific family office community.
Key Highlights of Malaysia’s SFO Regime
Regulatory clarity — overseen by SC Malaysia;
Cost efficiency — lower establishment and ongoing costs relative to certain peers;
Structural flexibility — customizable governance and investment arrangements;
Cross-border friendliness — built to support international asset allocation and generational succession.
Timeless International Family Office — Service Pillars
As a principal organizer, Timeless presented its full service offering across four core domains:
Global residency & immigration planning — Japan senior welfare visa, Dubai property residency, Malaysia PVIP (Platinum VISA/Investment Program) and similar programs;
Family governance & legacy — family charters, standby/offshore trust structures, family funds, art banking services;
Wealth & asset management — fixed income, PE/VC deal sourcing and execution, IPO advisory, digital asset and property funds;
Cross-border & compliance services — SFO establishment in Malaysia/Singapore, insurance planning in Singapore/Hong Kong, offshore company formation, tax & accounting services, trust asset-linked credit facilities;
Education & health — certified legacy planning courses, next-generation education programs and health & wellness initiatives.
Timeless reiterated that its mission extends beyond wealth preservation to building sustainable governance and legacy systems. Through collaboration with FIAM and the International Chinese Inheritance Association, Timeless aims to advance the institutionalization and internationalization of the Asia-Pacific family office sector.
FIAM concluded the forum by reaffirming its commitment to work with government agencies, professional advisers and family enterprises to accelerate the institutionalization, professionalization and internationalization of Malaysia’s family office industry, supporting families in achieving resilient succession in an increasingly cross-border environment.
The 1st Asia-Pacific Family Office Forum also marked the fifth anniversary of the International Chinese Inheritance Association and symbolized a fresh starting point for Asia-Pacific family office cooperation. FIAM will continue to host summits and professional courses to build a more robust platform for cross-border governance and legacy planning — strengthening Malaysia’s strategic role in the regional family office ecosystem.
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