Riyadh Event Focusses on GCC Wealth Planning

We were pleased to sponsor and host a panel discussion at Informa Connect’s event, “Cross-border Planning: Critical issues impacting Middle Eastern business families,” in Riyadh on Wednesday, 8 October 2025. The session brought together local and international practitioners to explore the complexities of multi-jurisdictional wealth planning for business families in the Gulf region.

The panel, moderated by Jersey Finance’s Director – Middle East, Africa and India, Faizal Bhana, focussed on three core strategic themes:

1. The Institutionalisation of Wealth: Discussions centred on the trend of Saudi and Middle Eastern families moving away from traditional, informal structures. Experts highlighted the increasing adoption of formal governance frameworks, such as Private Trust Companies and foundations, as essential tools for managing intergenerational conflict and securing smooth succession planning.
2. Local-to-Global Synergy: The importance of achieving seamless integration between local GCC structures and operational entities and those in International Financial Centres like Jersey was a major focus. This synergy is viewed as critical for ensuring optimal tax compliance and establishing robust, modern governance structures.
3. Balancing Governance: The session addressed the challenge of finding an “equilibrium governance level” to reconcile the differing demands of family ownership versus professional business management across diverse jurisdictions.

The panel session featured expert contributions from Ian Rumens, Head of Private Client, Jersey, Ocorian, Omer Saleem, Country Leader, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, TMF Group and Nancy Chien, Partner, Bedell Cristin.