超级富豪们正在变得更有组织。一个总部设在巴黎、将少数几个国家的家族办公室汇聚在一起的组织，正试图争取支持，以联合这个不断增长的行业。
The ultra-wealthy are getting organized. A Paris-based group bringing together family offices from a handful of countries is trying to drum up support for uniting the growing industry.
这个初露端倪的国际家族办公室联合会（简称IFFO）表示，作为其构建跨境网络努力的一部分，该组织迄今已吸引了来自比利时、法国、立陶宛以及最近加入的加拿大的国家级协会，同时已在德国、意大利、瑞士和新加坡“建立了联系”。
The nascent International Federation of Family Office, or IFFO, says it has so far pulled in national associations from Belgium, France, Lithuania and most recently Canada, while “contacts have been established” in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Singapore as part of its effort to build a cross-border network.
此举正值全球超级富豪阶层快速增长之际，专门负责其投资、银行业务、公司治理、法律及其他需求的家族办公室专业人士也在同步扩张。根据德勤的一项研究，单一家速办公室（通常是监管松散的私人实体）的数量预计将从2024年的略超8000家增加到本十年末的全球约10700家，德勤称其为新兴的“经济大国”。其他估算则认为现有数量要高得多。
The move comes amid rapid growth in the ranks of the ultra-wealthy around the world and a parallel expansion of professionals working through family offices dedicated to their investment, banking, governance, legal and other needs. The number of single family offices — which are generally loosely regulated private entities — is expected to increase to about 10,700 globally by the end of the decade from just over 8,000 in 2024, according to a study by Deloitte, which called them an emerging “economic powerhouse.”Other estimates have put the existing number much higher.
IFFO总裁弗雷德里克·克罗特列举了紧密持股企业的继承、跨代财富传承和慈善事业等例子，并表示：“世界各地的富裕家庭正面临着一些类似的问题。关于交易、猎头和家族办公室薪酬的讨论也可能是有益的。”克罗特说，建立一个代表该行业的国际机构的努力也表明，这个传统上具有神秘色彩的行业可能会开放，尽管只是稍微开放一点。
“Wealthy families the world over are facing some of the same sorts of issues,” said Frederick Crot, president of IFFO, citing examples like succession within closely held enterprises, inter-generational wealth transfer and philanthropy. “Discussions about deals, head hunters and family office remuneration can also be helpful.”The bid to create an international body representing the profession is also a sign the traditionally secretive sector may be opening up, albeit just a little bit, Crot said.
他此前曾领导法国家族办公室协会（简称AFFO），该协会将法国的这一行业汇聚在一起。创建国际组织的构想产生于AFFO在2020年访问米兰期间，自那时起，他和他的前任就一直在试图招募合适的国家级组织。
He previously headed the Association Francaise du Family Office, or AFFO, which groups together the sector in France. The idea for creating an international organization came during a visit by AFFO to Milan in 2020 and he and his predecessor have been trying to recruit suitable national organizations ever since.
但克罗特承认，尽管该行业对这一想法逐渐接受，但这需要时间。在他的祖国瑞士，瑞士单一家速办公室协会尚未加入IFFO，该联合会还包括代表所谓联合家族办公室的组织。
But Crot acknowledges that while the profession is warming to the idea, it’s going to take time. In his native Switzerland, the Swiss Single Family Office Association has yet to sign on to IFFO, which also includes organizations representing so-called multi-family offices.
在成立年限、资产、成熟度和投资方法方面，各家家族办公室之间可能存在巨大差异。近年来，随着这些通常保持低调的架构寻求与其它家族进行低调联系以分享知识和交易线索的方法，越来越多的网络和有组织的社群应运而生。
Family offices can vary drastically from firm to firm in terms of age, assets, sophistication and investment approach. More and more networks and organized communities have emerged in recent years as the typically low-profile structures have sought ways to connect discreetly with other families to share knowledge and leads on deals.
根据彭博亿万富翁指数，全球500名最富有的人中，至少有五分之一现在拥有管理其财富的投资公司，协助管理总额超过5万亿美元的财富。
At least a fifth of the world’s 500 richest people now have an investment firm overseeing their wealth, helping manage fortunes totaling more than $5 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
在1980年代初，约翰·D·洛克菲勒组建了被认为是第一家家族办公室的公司，以整合和管理他的投资。最大的家族办公室包括比尔·盖茨的瀑布投资有限责任公司和飒拉创始人阿曼西奥·奥特加的庞特加德亚投资公司。
John D. Rockefeller formed what’s considered the first family office in the early 1880s to consolidate and manage his investments. Among the biggest family offices are Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment LLC and Zara founder Amancio Ortega’s Pontegadea Inversiones SL.