Wealth structuring
SPVs, foundations, trusts, family holdings and succession: I analyse your assets and your family, and design in the Emirates the structure you really need, in a way that fits your home country.
Before you choose
A wealth structure cannot be bought off the shelf. It starts with understanding what you have, whom you want to protect and what should happen when you are no longer here.
Property, companies, accounts and investments follow different rules depending on the country they are in.
Ring-fencing a business risk is not the same as avoiding a conflict between heirs. The objective determines the vehicle.
The tax residence of founders and beneficiaries can completely change the outcome of the structure.
Governing bodies, family councils and protectors: continuity is prepared with specific names.
Minor children, companies that should not be split or heirs in different countries call for rules thought through in advance.
Comparison
Three tools with different purposes, which can also be combined. The decision depends on your assets and your family.
To ring-fence a specific asset or hold shares.
To organise family wealth and its long-term continuity.
To separate the ownership of assets from those who benefit from them.
What I see go wrong
What works for one estate can be useless or counterproductive for yours.
A structure that is correct in the Emirates can carry a high tax cost for a beneficiary living in another country.
Without valid provision, the applicable law may not match your wishes and the assets may be frozen for a time.
A foundation or SPV requires governance, registers and documented decisions. Without them, it loses much of its usefulness.
From start to finish
You tell me about your situation, whether you are abroad or already in the Emirates. This conversation is to understand it, not to sell you a structure.
I analyse your case and explain your options, what each one involves and which I recommend, with its legal basis.
Before we start, you know what will be done, by when and what it will cost.
I handle your matter from start to finish as your single point of contact, and I stay with you afterwards, letting you know when something that affects you changes.
Common questions
A foundation is an entity with its own legal personality that acts through its council. A trust is a relationship in which a trustee administers assets for the benefit of beneficiaries, without creating a new legal person. A foundation is usually easier to fit for families from civil law countries.
It is strongly advisable. Without valid provision, rules that do not match your wishes may apply, and assets or accounts may be frozen while the succession is resolved. Non-Muslims can register their will, for example, at the DIFC, at Dubai Courts or in Abu Dhabi.
Not on its own. If you live in another country, you must declare your assets and income under its rules, and a structure with no economic sense may be disregarded. What it does allow is to organise, protect and plan with confidence.
Yes, but not all companies can appear as owners of property in every area. You have to check what each emirate's registry accepts before choosing the vehicle.
Yes, if that has been provided for. That is why the charter must set out from the start how beneficiaries are changed, how the next generation comes in and how assets leave.
I reply personally and suggest the first step.
