More than half of surveyed Benelux family offices expect succession within a decade

More than half of the family offices surveyed for the Benelux Family Office Report 2025 expect control of their family wealth to pass to the next generation within the coming decade, according to the study's summary of key findings.

Van Lanschot Kempen Private Banking produced the report with Mercier Van Lanschot and Campden Wealth, based on in-depth interviews and surveys of 59 Dutch and Belgian family offices based across the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Sixty percent of participating offices were established since 2010, and one in three was set up within the past five years.

Participants average €1,393 million in total family wealth and €654 million in assets under management once the value of operating businesses is excluded. This publication reported the formation and wealth figures on Oct. 8.

Wendy Winkelhuijzen, a member of the Van Lanschot Kempen management board, said the conversations with respondents surfaced what she described as a "high percentage of first-generation owners, increasing leadership roles for external professionals, and a strong focus on private equity investments." Respondents also said more needed to be done to address increased investment complexity, take up advances in technological innovation and prepare younger generations, she said.

Seventy percent of participating offices engage in philanthropy and 40% in impact investing, according to the study's key-insights summary. The report describes the group as active, long-term investors that support entrepreneurial businesses through direct investment, with private equity named a priority.