Establish Single & Multi-Family Office – For Wealth Management in UAE

Overview

At first, I found the term ‘single & multi-family office’ unusual and didn’t realize it was related to finance and wealth management. Later I learnt about the importance and relevance of this concept for maintaining proper and neat financial records. A single-family office abbreviated as SFO is a stand-alone business entity to manages the wealth of a single wealthy family. Example – Walton Enterprises a private family office that manages the wealth, investments, and philanthropic activities of the Walton family. 

Multi-family office MFO serves multiple wealthy families, providing similar expert financial management but at a lower cost. This makes it a great option for high-net-worth families who want professional wealth management without the high expenses of a single-family office. Example Hottinger Group – A private firm that manages the financial needs of families from 15 countries. In this article, you’ll get to know how to set up these family offices in UAE.

Establishing Family Offices – UAE

Why to set up a family office in UAE? Well, the answer is simple to protect family’s wealth. Family offices in Dubai are essential in preserving and growing the wealth of high-net-worth families. They provide services like financial advisory, investment management, tax optimization, estate planning, philanthropy, and family governance. These offices unite experts to offer tailored solutions, ensuring families’ long-term financial stability.

Single Family Office

Family members can establish a Single Family Office (SFO) as a regular Free Zone Establishment (FZE), Free Zone Company (FZCO), or an offshore entity to own and manage the affairs of a single family. They can obtain a specific license to oversee professional services such as wealth, asset, and investment management, as well as succession planning, governance, financial, and legal affairs for the family, its members, businesses, entities, trusts, or foundations. The same family must fully own the SFO, with 100% of its shareholding held by lineal descendants.

Multi Family Office

Consultants, professional service providers, or advisory firms establish a Multi-Family Office (MFO) to manage financial affairs under one organization. Businesses can register an MFO as a Free Zone Establishment (FZE) or Free Zone Company (FZCO) with a specialized license for managing professional and administrative services. This caters to multiple families, their members, businesses, entities, trusts, and SFO foundations. The DWTC Authority’s MFO regulations impose no restrictions on ownership, structure, board composition, or minimum capital requirements beyond the standard guidelines applicable to FZEs and FZCOs.

What Arnifi can do?

Arnifi simplifies business setup, whether for holding companies, subsidiaries or in this case family office by taking care of licensing, documentation, and regulatory compliance. Our expert team takes care of smooth visa processing, effective accounting and tax services, and continuous post-establishment support. Whether you opt for a free zone, mainland, or offshore setup, we assist you in navigating legal and tax obligations with ease. Concentrate on business expansion while Arnifi takes care of the rest.

Also Read: https://arnifi.com/blog/is-crypto-mining-taxed-in-uae-updates-in-2025/