Family Trusts & Wealth Structuring in the UAE

Yes. DIFC and ADGM each have a common-law trust regime, so a trust can be created under the law of either centre, with that centre’s courts available to resolve disputes. Assets held by the trustee can include shares in UAE holding companies, investment portfolios, cash and other property, subject to the rules where each asset is registered. Qualified legal counsel drafts the trust deed; we coordinate the structure around it.

Depending on the regime and the design, the trustee may be a professional trust company or trusted individuals. Acting as a trustee by way of business is a regulated activity in DIFC and ADGM, so a professional trustee must hold the appropriate licence there. The choice affects cost, continuity and how decisions are made. We help you weigh the options and coordinate the appointment with your legal counsel.

No — the two work together. Assets you transfer into the trust during your lifetime are governed by the trust deed, while anything still in your own name passes under your will or, without one, under the rules that would otherwise apply. A UAE-registered will usually sits alongside the trust. We work with your legal counsel so the two are consistent and nothing important is left outside both.

Often more than one. A holding company owns the operating businesses and keeps them together; a trust or a foundation sits above it and sets who benefits and who decides. We set out which layers your family’s assets and goals actually need, what each adds in cost and administration, and how they work together — without adding layers for their own sake.

That is not what we set trusts up for. A trust is about control, continuity and protecting the family’s interests. Each company in the structure still has its own corporate tax registration, returns and records, and transfers into the structure are reviewed for their tax effect before they happen. We keep every entity’s filings in order so the structure stays transparent to the FTA, banks and auditors.

A protector is an optional role, often a trusted adviser or family member, given specific powers in the trust deed — for example consenting to distributions, approving changes to the deed or replacing the trustee. The protector does not manage the assets; that stays with the trustee. Choosing who holds this role, and what powers it carries, is one of the main design decisions we work through with you and your legal counsel.