Report reveals growing number of firms along with highlighting investment strategies
The global family office landscape continued to broaden in the first quarter of 2026, fueled by rising entrepreneurial fortunes and an accelerating transfer of wealth across generations.
Private wealth intelligence platform FINTRX added 119 family office profiles to its database during the quarter, bringing its total coverage to 4,503 firms worldwide as of March 31 with the new additions including both single family offices and multi-family offices spanning every major region and a range of investment mandates.
Single family offices accounted for the bulk of newly identified firms, making up 63% of Q1 additions, while multi-family offices represented 37%. That mix contrasts with FINTRX's broader database, where multi-family offices hold a slight majority at 52%.
The report said the reversal reflects growing demand for insight into less visible wealth structures.
"The inversion between new additions and total database composition reflects ongoing demand for intelligence on the more opaque end of the wealth spectrum, where data scarcity is greatest and relationship development requires the most precise targeting."
North America
North America remained the largest source of new family office formations, accounting for 49 of the 119 firms added during the quarter. Europe and Asia/Oceania each contributed 25 new profiles, despite Asia/Oceania representing a much smaller share of FINTRX's overall dataset.
Within the United States, the West stood out as the most active region, with 28 of the 57 new US-based family offices located there. FINTRX attributed the concentration to continued wealth creation tied to technology and entrepreneurship in California and neighboring states.
Among the 75 new single family offices added, 57% were categorized as entrepreneur-origin, while 40% were generational. FINTRX noted that founder-led offices often bring deep sector knowledge linked to the industries that created their wealth, whereas multigenerational offices typically feature more formal governance and longer-term investment approaches.
"First-generation entrepreneurial families are not just creating more family offices — they are investing in ways that look more like an extension of their business-building experience," said Patrick Galvin, research associate for FINTRX. "That often means a preference for direct deals, private equity and venture capital, and a more selective approach to commingled fund structures."
Investment strategies
On the investment side, direct investments and private equity remained the most widely pursued strategies among both new and existing family offices. Venture capital stood out as a key area of growth, with new firms showing significantly stronger interest than the broader family office universe. At the same time, hedge funds attracted less attention, suggesting a shift toward direct ownership and equity-focused opportunities.
Of the 44 new multi-family offices added in the quarter, half were non-SEC registered international firms. Registered multi-family offices accounted for 34%, while non-registered US firms made up the remaining 16%.
FINTRX also expanded its contact database with 1,904 new family office professionals, lifting its total to 29,663 contacts. Women represented 30.5% of new additions, compared with 26.2% across the full database.
Managing director was the most common title among newly added contacts, followed by partner and investment analyst. Career histories showed a strong pipeline from large financial institutions and professional services firms, with Ernst & Young, UBS, and J.P. Morgan among the most frequently cited prior employers.
Educational backgrounds were led by Harvard University in the United States and the University of St. Gallen internationally.
According to FINTRX, the data highlights a family office sector that continues to diversify by geography, structure, and investment preferences as private wealth expands globally.
