Key Takeaways
- • Family offices are expected to expand deeper into private markets and international investments in 2026, according to Crain Currency's outlook piece by Marcus Baram published December 23, 2025.
- • Multiple 2026 family office surveys point to AI as a dominant investment theme, with one report noting 59% of respondents named it their top investment priority.
- • Eighty-three percent of family members expect their family office to implement new technology, per a Bank of America Family Office Study cited in related coverage.
- • Citi Wealth's 2026 Global Family Office Report found nearly 90% of family offices posted positive year-to-date performance.
- • Next-generation family members are increasingly shaping strategy, governance and operations as leadership transitions across the sector.
Summary
Crain Currency's outlook for 2026 frames family offices as moving toward greater diversification, broader technology adoption and a larger role for next-generation leaders. The article, written by Marcus Baram and dated December 23, 2025, is expected to push deeper into private markets and international investments. The full text could not be retrieved, so this summary draws on the article's headline and on related 2026 coverage from the same publisher and other sources.
Several industry reports published alongside the piece point to the same themes. A family office report cited by the publisher says AI is a dominant investment theme for 2026, with 59% of respondents identifying it as their top investment focus. A Bank of America Family Office Study found 83% of family members expect their family office to implement new technology, reflecting rising demand for digital tools in operations and reporting.
Citi Wealth's 2026 Global Family Office Report found that nearly 90% of family offices recorded positive year-to-date performance, with portfolios evolving to absorb new asset classes. Other 2026 outlooks highlight expectations that families will become more global over the next five years, that the UAE will emerge as a hub for family offices, and that leadership and philanthropic intent are becoming more prominent.
Taken together, the coverage suggests that 2026 will bring continued allocation shifts toward private markets, greater emphasis on data-driven operations, and an accelerating handover of decision-making to younger family members.
Several industry reports published alongside the piece point to the same themes. A family office report cited by the publisher says AI is a dominant investment theme for 2026, with 59% of respondents identifying it as their top investment focus. A Bank of America Family Office Study found 83% of family members expect their family office to implement new technology, reflecting rising demand for digital tools in operations and reporting.
Citi Wealth's 2026 Global Family Office Report found that nearly 90% of family offices recorded positive year-to-date performance, with portfolios evolving to absorb new asset classes. Other 2026 outlooks highlight expectations that families will become more global over the next five years, that the UAE will emerge as a hub for family offices, and that leadership and philanthropic intent are becoming more prominent.
Taken together, the coverage suggests that 2026 will bring continued allocation shifts toward private markets, greater emphasis on data-driven operations, and an accelerating handover of decision-making to younger family members.
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