Citi Private Bank brought more than 150 family office principals to Hong Kong this week for its largest-ever Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum, built around one question: how AI is about to reshape the way Asian family wealth gets invested and governed.

TL;DR

  • Citi Private Bank held its annual Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum in Hong Kong on 14 September 2026, its largest edition to date, drawing more than 150 family office principals, next-generation leaders and investors under the theme "The Intelligence Decade: AI, Capital and the New Asian Order."
  • Speakers included Brookfield chief executive Bruce Flatt, EQT chair Jean Eric Salata, Kioxia chief financial officer Yoshihiko Kawamura and HKU's Professor Li Cheng, alongside senior Citi Wealth executives, covering AI, direct investing, governance, succession and philanthropy.
  • Citi executives framed Hong Kong's pull as resting on its status as home to Asia's largest billionaire population, a claim independent wealth-tracking data broadly supports, and pointed to a broader shift toward family offices investing and governing themselves more like institutions.

What happened at Citi's Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum?

Citi Private Bank hosted its annual Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum in Hong Kong on 14 September 2026, describing it as the flagship event's largest format to date. More than 150 family office principals, next-generation leaders and investors from across the region attended a day of sessions on wealth, investment and legacy planning, held under the theme "The Intelligence Decade: AI, Capital and the New Asian Order." The program covered artificial intelligence, direct investing, family office governance, succession planning and philanthropy, and featured Brookfield chief executive Bruce Flatt, EQT chair Jean Eric Salata, Kioxia chief financial officer Yoshihiko Kawamura, and Professor Li Cheng, founding director of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, alongside senior Citi leaders.

What did Citi executives say about AI and family offices?

Dawn Nordberg, Citi Wealth's head of integrated client solutions and global family office, said artificial intelligence is reshaping capital allocation, business models and competitive dynamics globally, and argued that the choices family offices make on investment, innovation and governance over the next decade will define opportunities and legacies for future generations. Bernard Wai, Citi Wealth's head of Asia for integrated client solutions and global family office, said Citi's Global Family Office Group, which serves more than 1,900 family office clients worldwide, is seeing families take an increasingly institutional approach to investing and governance; he added that while AI creates new efficiency opportunities, long-term success still comes down to strong leadership, trusted relationships and preparing the next generation to steward wealth.

Why is Hong Kong positioning itself as the forum's hub?

Horace Yip, Citi Private Bank's head of Hong Kong, said the city continues to strengthen its position as one of Asia's leading wealth management and family office hubs, pointing to its status as home to Asia's largest billionaire population as evidence of its enduring pull for wealth creation and investment. That framing lines up with independent data: the 2026 Billionaire Census from wealth intelligence firm Altrata, as reported by the South China Morning Post, found Hong Kong retained its position as Asia's top city for billionaires even as its own headcount slipped slightly on the back of real-estate weakness. Hong Kong has also been actively courting new family offices; this site has tracked the government's push past 3,380 registered family offices as it targets 220 more by 2028 (https://asiafamilyofficehub.com/hong-kongs-family-offices-pass-3-380-as-government-sets-sights-on-220-more-by-2028/).

What does this signal for family office strategy in the region?

The forum's AI focus tracks a theme this site has covered from several angles: CAIA has argued AI could reshape the family office org chart itself (https://asiafamilyofficehub.com/caia-ai-could-reshape-the-family-office-org-chart/), while UBS has separately found that Southeast Asia's family offices lead the world in AI investing (https://asiafamilyofficehub.com/southeast-asias-family-offices-lead-the-world-in-ai-investing-ubs-finds/). Citi's own talent moves reinforce the point that Asia's family office and private banking worlds are increasingly intertwined: Raffles Family Office recently named its first-ever CIO by poaching Citi's APAC investment strategy chief (https://asiafamilyofficehub.com/raffles-family-office-names-its-first-ever-cio-poaching-citis-apac-investment-strategy-chief/). Taken together, the forum reads less as a one-off client event and more as a signal that the region's largest private banks expect AI, direct investing and governance sophistication to be the defining battlegrounds for family office wallet share over the next few years.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where was Citi's Asia Pacific Family Office Executive Forum held?

It was held in Hong Kong on 14 September 2026. Citi Private Bank described it as the largest edition of the annual forum to date.

How many family office clients does Citi serve globally?

Citi said its Global Family Office Group serves more than 1,900 family office clients worldwide, a figure disclosed by the bank itself rather than independently audited.

Is Hong Kong really home to Asia's largest billionaire population?

Independent wealth data supports this. Altrata's 2026 Billionaire Census, as covered by the South China Morning Post, found Hong Kong retained the top spot in Asia for billionaire population, even though its own count edged down slightly year over year.

Sources and method

Event details and executive quotes are drawn from Citi Private Bank's own announcement, distributed via Media OutReach Newswire on 14 September 2026 and syndicated across regional outlets. Citi's claim about Hong Kong's billionaire population was independently checked against the Altrata 2026 Billionaire Census as reported by the South China Morning Post (scmp.com). Figures describing Citi's own client base and event attendance are the bank's own disclosures and have not been independently audited. This is not financial or investment advice; readers considering family office structures or advisers should seek independent, licensed guidance.