More than half of surveyed Benelux family offices expect next-generation control within a decade

More than half of the 59 Dutch and Belgian family offices surveyed for the Benelux Family Office Report 2025 expect control of family wealth to pass to the next generation within a decade. The report was produced by Van Lanschot Kempen Private Banking with Mercier Van Lanschot and Campden Wealth, based on in-depth interviews and surveys covering offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Sixty percent of participating offices were established since 2010. 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.

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

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