ASIA PACIFIC-WIDE Trends and Developments Contributed by: Lu Li, Yinuo Zhang and Wenting Ma, Xuxiaoping Law Firm
Xuxiaoping Law Firm 7th Floor, Block B, Kaiai Mansion No 1 Xihua Gate Lianhu District Xi’an City Shaanxi Province China Tel: +86 298 720 1100 Email: yintongxin@xuxiaoping.com.cn Web: www.xuxiaoping.com.cn/
Introduction The Asia-Pacific region stands at the forefront of pro - found shifts in demographic and wealth structures. As the world’s most dynamic region for wealth growth, it is home to two thirds of the global population and has accumulated unprecedented private wealth over the past half-century. According to UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, by the end of 2025, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for roughly one third of total glob - al wealth. Aggregate personal wealth expanded by nearly 6%, with more than 100,000 new US-dollar mil - lionaires. Yet, as wealth accumulation enters a critical phase of intergenerational transfer, the region also fac - es a structural challenge: population ageing advanc - ing far more rapidly than in Europe and the United States. Data from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) indicates that the region is already home to over 630 million people aged 60 and above, representing more than 60% of the world’s elderly population. This figure is projected to rise to 1.3 billion by 2050, meaning one in every four people will be aged 60 or older. The con - vergence of massive intergenerational wealth transfer and an unprecedented wave of population ageing is fundamentally reshaping the underlying logic of legal services for private wealth. For lawyers and wealth management institutions oper - ating across jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region, understanding this macro trend and keeping abreast of cutting-edge institutional innovations in various jurisdictions has become a core competency to iden - tify market opportunities and serve cross-border high net worth (HNW) clients. Analysis will be conducted
from three dimensions below, and practical cases under Chinese law will be incorporated to deliver valuable references for business deployment within the region. Surging Demand for Cross-Border Wealth Management: Complex Legal Challenges Amid Transnational Family Structures The wealth landscape of the Asia-Pacific region forms an intricate network woven by cross-border popula - tion mobility, multi-jurisdictional asset allocation and diversified identity planning. As international financial hubs, Hong Kong and Singapore attract affluent capi - tal from Mainland China, South-East Asia and across the globe. Boasting high-quality education and liv - ing environments, Australia and New Zealand draw numerous Asia-Pacific HNW families for children’s education and retirement arrangements. Such trans - national family structures mean wealth succession is no longer a domestic matter within a single jurisdic - tion. Instead, it has evolved into a multifaceted legal issue involving conflicts of succession laws across multiple countries, disparities in cross-border tax regimes, foreign exchange controls, and the recogni - tion of cross-border guardianship. Taking China as an example, this trend is particularly prominent. Wealth creators who accumulated fortunes during the reform and opening-up era are collectively entering retirement and wealth succession phases, while their children often reside overseas, pursue studies abroad or hold foreign citizenship. Within such family structures, clients’ core concerns have undergone a fundamental shift. They no longer focus
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