In this article, first published in London Arabia Magazine’s January 2026 edition, Accuro’s Natacha Onawelho-Loren and Mustafa Hussain explore the topic of protecting family, assets and legacy.
There is nothing more important than family. This is particularly true of Arab society, where family comprises a core component of that society itself. Caring for and protecting your family is therefore one of the most important mandates you will ever have.
You will take time, care and attention over a period of decades to ensure values, religion, culture, education and etiquette are imbibed into the younger members of your family. They will come to respect, admire and learn from their elders and peers; developing strong senses of identity, belonging, loyalty and legacy along the way.
When it comes to your wealth and assets, the responsibility to care for and protect your family for the long term is as equally important. Families with significant assets and multiple generations or several branches need to take a strategic approach to wealth and succession planning in order to achieve a bespoke solution that comprehensively protects their family in the optimal way.
Family Trusts
There is no universal solution to wealth planning needs, however a common option that offers several strategic benefits is a trust. A trust can ensure assets are managed and distributed in accordance with your wishes after your lifetime. It can also prevent the break-up of your asset portfolio when passed down to multiple heirs. Halting break-up in this way can ensure that the family’s portfolio and legacy is kept intact.
Another benefit of trusts is that you can express your wishes for when and how members of the family access funds or use assets and you can put in place safeguarding measures. For example, with youngsters you can require education or work experience and with young people of marriageable age you can stop reckless spending or misuse.
Tax efficiency
Certain trust structures can reduce inheritance taxes and some other taxes, so tax efficiency can be another principal draw towards using a trust. However, careful and detailed tax advice is key and should be engaged well in advance of arranging anything else.
Privacy
In the Middle East, privacy can be a principal concern for families who do not want it widely known what they own and where. Unlike Wills, trusts often avoid public probate processes, keeping family wealth and asset information confidential. This is important if you value discretion and it is possible to even restrict how much information is known to your own family members if you wish.
For Arab families who have assets not just locally in the GCC but also in London and other parts of Europe, shielding assets from creditors, lawsuits and marital disputes, as well as having them held under a unified holding structure can be a distinct advantage.
Smooth Succession
From a succession planning perspective, trusts can facilitate the smooth transition of family owned businesses. Family companies are a key component of the economy in the Arab world. Some Arab family businesses have grown over decades to the size of multinational conglomerates: but supplier, customer and banking relationships can be heavily dependent on the comfort of the family name and identity. Families and their businesses are not separate from community and society in the Arab world and so philanthropy also features prominently and is another strategic advantage of trusts. Trusts allow the enshrining of family values, legacy and giving through formal structures that are enduring and tax efficient.
What is a Trust?
Understanding what a trust is and how it works can be a challenge because they are unfamiliar to many people. They are also challenging to describe without the use of legal jargon or complex terminology. But in its essence, the easiest way to think of a trust is as follows: it is possible within the law of some territories for a person to transfer some of their property to a separate and responsible person who holds it on their behalf. This ‘responsible person’ therefore owns the property. But they do not do so for themselves. Instead they hold it for the benefit of, for example, that individual’s family. Detailed instructions as to how and for whom are set out by the individual.
This means, of course, that the relationship between the individual and the ‘responsible person’ (a trustee, such as Accuro) is a profound one, characterised by integrity, accountability, responsibility and duty. This is what a trust arrangement is all about.
How do Trusts Help?
The trust fulfils the individual’s objectives of protecting their property and family in a planned way, since if they die, their wishes are followed and their property is preserved. The property in the trust can be real estate, company shares, investments, art, jewellery, cash or other assets. Assets will be managed by specialist wealth and asset managers externally. It is an advantage (avoiding conflict of interest) to have this done by someone other than the trustee.
Accuro is driven by a vision of being a progressive force for good for families, for our staff and for our industry as a whole. As a trust company, we take a long term perspective over generations and we focus only on serving private clients. Families are at the heart of our business. A true understanding of the complex dynamics of Arabian families and their assets is only achieved through expertise, experience and trusted relationships built over years.
Arabian Families
There are many ‘layers’ of knowledge, insight and expertise that a trustee needs, in order to understand, anticipate the needs of and dutifully fulfil the requirements of an Arab family. Regional and global geopolitics and international public relations have an impact on the choice of law and place of administration of a family trust (ensuring safe harbour).
Culture and family values, the family name and aspirations for legacy and philanthropy (such as Zakat, Sadaqa or support for the arts and culture, aid or local community) are key considerations. Knowledge of the intended or unintended impact of Islamic heirship rules (Faraid) in the home country and in other territories, where assets are located, are vitally important to know and anticipate.
Within the family itself, dynamics are sometimes spoken about and sometimes not: they can be related to relationships between older and younger members of the family, interactions between spouses, the role of eldest children and the protection of minors or family members with special learning needs, disabilities, medical conditions or other unique circumstances that mean they are dependent on care.
Caring and Protecting
At Accuro, we commit to enduring relationships with the families who appoint us. We take a long term approach and knowing, anticipating and planning for the diverse range of needs of Arab families in a proactive, insightful and holistic manner is important to us.
Our award-winning service is particularly known for its commitment to serving the Middle East and Women in Wealth initiatives, which is why we are distinctly proud to partner with London Arabia and the Arab Women’s Summit in 2026.
For more information about our bespoke services, please contact Natacha Onawelho-Loren or Mustafa Hussain.