國際接軌

Asia Pacific and North American business families of wealth have powered the record-breaking growth in the number of family offices by more than one-third in only two years.

Asian companies face increasing pressure from large fund managers to bolster female representation in management, as more shareholders stress environmental, social and governance principles in their investment choices.

Many founders struggle with the big question: "Do I sell the family business or do I look to transfer it to the next generation?" There are great benefits of selling, and there are many ways a sale can be accomplished. It allows the founder to cash in the chips and retire without any second thought of social security benefits or Medicare. It allows them to pursue dreams and once-in-a-lifetime payouts that are well-earned.

A recent environmental report by Refinitiv examines the impact that industries, countries, and companies are having on the planet. Using its ESG data, Refinitiv identified trends in corporate emissions, and progress on recycling, supply chain risk, and water efficiency.

The trend throughout Asia is for companies to embrace ESG reporting. Goldman Sachs’ Sharmini Chetwode tells Andrew Holt how companies are increasing their ESG disclosures

Research shows that a gender-balanced workforce positively supports corporate performance in relation to company profitability, risk reduction or share price. It has been proposed that women's different sensibilities and perceptions counterbalance prevailing attitudes and "group-think" tendencies. This can lead to richer debates, better decisions and ideas, and ultimately, better results.

Many companies are talking about digital transformation, and even though they may be at different stages of the transformation, there’s a strong rationale behind all the buzz. Technology is disrupting everything we do, how we interact, and how companies deliver products and services. Companies have always had to innovate to be successful and stay relevant, but the magnitude of change and the speed at which organizations can succeed or fail is faster than ever before.

Corporate governance is an important element in not only every institution but also the economy at large. However, globally, there are increased cases of questionable ethical conducts and weak internal controls which have eroded organisations’ reputation, risk management, challenges in accounting and reporting.

Japan is known for its plethora of mature businesses, with an estimated 50,000 businesses over a century old. Of these, many are successful family businesses that have stood the test of time. Family firms interwoven with the local culture have succeeded in creating quality products that represent the Japanese identity, and the tradition and attention to detail behind their creations is attracting an increasing number of international consumers.

Preparations are well underway for the next family office conference season starting this autumn. With organizers working harder than ever to attract the top families to their events, the topics under discussion are becoming increasingly vital. In general, there's a definite shift from pure investment topics to focussing more closely on purpose and values as families attending these events interact more frequently concerning these soft asset topics.

Corporate succession planning is necessary when the top leader suddenly dies or exits for any other reason. This is especially so where the company’s identity is strongly linked to its leader, especially if one is the founder of the business.

Investments in real estate, private equity, land, venture capital, intellectual property, and equity long-short strategies are all alternative investments. An investment not made in bonds, stocks, and cash may be considered an alternative investment.