Wealth Structures
Foundations, SPVs & Family Offices

Protect, hold and pass on wealth through the UAE's common-law financial centres. Avyanco structures foundations, SPVs and family offices in ADGM and DIFC — for succession planning, asset protection and consolidated family-wealth governance.

  • ADGM & DIFC
  • Foundations
  • SPVs & Holding
  • Family Offices
  • Succession & Asset Protection

Common-Law Vehicles for Private Wealth

Wealth structures hold, protect and pass on private wealth through the UAE's two common-law financial centres, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The core vehicles are foundations for succession and asset protection, special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for holding shares, property or IP, and family offices governing a family's combined affairs.

Families and entrepreneurs increasingly use the UAE to hold and protect wealth and to plan succession — and the natural home for that is the country's two common-law financial centres, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Both operate independent, English-common-law frameworks with their own courts and registrars, which is what makes them suited to the structures private wealth relies on.

The core vehicles are foundations (a flexible, orphan structure used for succession planning and asset protection, holding assets in its own name without shareholders), special purpose vehicles or SPVs (clean, low-substance holding companies for shares, property, IP or investments), and family offices (the governance and management structure for a family's combined affairs). Used together, they let a family consolidate ownership, ring-fence assets, set a succession plan that survives the founder, and govern it all under a respected legal system. Avyanco designs the structure, sets up the ADGM or DIFC vehicles and coordinates the legal and tax advice around them.

Wealth structures — foundations, SPVs and family offices in ADGM and DIFC — Avyanco

The Core Wealth Vehicles

Three structures that do most of the work in private-wealth planning.

Foundations

An orphan structure that holds assets in its own name for succession and asset protection — no shareholders, governed by its charter and by-laws.

  • Succession & estate planning
  • Asset protection / ring-fencing
  • Holding shares, property & investments
  • Charter & by-laws design
  • Council & guardian roles

SPVs & Holding Companies

Clean, low-substance holding vehicles for shares, real estate, IP or investment portfolios.

  • Share & asset holding
  • Real-estate & IP holding
  • Investment-portfolio vehicles
  • Joint-venture & deal SPVs
  • Group holding structures

Family Offices

The governance and management structure for a family's combined wealth, business and succession affairs.

  • Single & multi-family offices
  • Family governance & charters
  • Consolidated asset oversight
  • Succession & next-generation planning
  • Coordination with foundations & SPVs

How Avyanco Builds a Wealth Structure

Six steps from objectives to a working structure.

  1. 01

    Objectives & Discovery

    We map the family's assets, jurisdictions, succession goals and protection concerns.

  2. 02

    Structure Design

    We design the right combination of foundation, SPVs and family office, and choose ADGM or DIFC.

  3. 03

    Legal & Tax Coordination

    We coordinate the legal drafting and tax advice — UAE and, where relevant, cross-border — around the structure.

  4. 04

    Establish the Vehicles

    We set up the foundation, SPVs and/or family office with the ADGM or DIFC registrar.

  5. 05

    Asset Transfer & Governance

    We help move assets into the structure and put the governance — councils, by-laws, mandates — in place.

  6. 06

    Ongoing Administration

    We support the structure's ongoing compliance, filings and changes over time.

Why Structure Wealth in the UAE

The right structure protects assets and the family's future.

English-common-law framework in ADGM and DIFC

Succession planning that survives the founder

Asset protection and ring-fencing

Consolidated ownership of a family's holdings

Confidentiality within a regulated system

A respected base for cross-border wealth

Governance for the next generation

Independent courts and registrars

The Avyanco Advantage

Avyanco designs the structure and runs the setup — coordinating the legal and tax specialists around it.

Structure-First Thinking

We start from the family's objectives and design the foundation/SPV/family-office mix that meets them.

ADGM & DIFC Expertise

We know both common-law centres and place each vehicle where it fits best.

Tax-Aware Structuring

We coordinate UAE and cross-border tax advice so the structure is efficient and compliant.

Family Governance

We help put the charters, councils and mandates in place that keep the structure working across generations.

End-To-End Setup

From design to registrar setup to asset transfer, the whole build is coordinated by one team.

Ongoing Administration

We support the structure's compliance, filings and changes long after it is established.

Meet Our Specialists

Partner-level advisors coordinating structure design, ADGM/DIFC setup, legal drafting and tax.

Vikas Dhingra, CFO at Avyanco

Vikas Dhingra

Chief Financial Officer · Tax & Structuring

Chandy Joseph, Sales Director at Avyanco

Chandy Joseph

Sales Director · UAE Company Setup

Ishan Naruka, Head of Growth at Avyanco

Ishan Naruka

Head of Growth · Free Zones & Expansion

Pritesh Mehta, Head of Operations at Avyanco

Pritesh Mehta

Head of Operations · Visas & PRO Services

Why Families Choose Avyanco for Wealth Structures

Three things that come up in every wealth-structuring engagement.

Avyanco advisor handling a UAE wealth structure

Protection & Succession

Foundations and SPVs that ring-fence assets and carry a succession plan beyond the founder.

The Right Centre

ADGM or DIFC, chosen for your family's assets, residence and goals — under English common law.

Governed to Last

Family-office governance and ongoing administration that keep the structure working over time.

What Clients Say

A slice of recent feedback from families and founders who structured their wealth through Avyanco.

Wealth Structures — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about UAE foundations, SPVs and family offices.

What is a foundation, and why use one?
A foundation is an orphan legal structure — it holds assets in its own name and has no shareholders, governed instead by its charter and by-laws and run by a council. Families use foundations for succession planning and asset protection: assets placed in a foundation are ring-fenced and pass according to the founder's plan, which survives the founder. ADGM and DIFC both offer foundation regimes under English common law.
What is the difference between ADGM and DIFC for wealth?
Both are UAE common-law financial centres with their own courts and registrars, and both offer foundations, SPVs and family-office frameworks. The right choice depends on your assets, residence, the wider group and specific regime features. We assess both and place each vehicle where it fits best.
What is an SPV used for?
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) is a clean, low-substance holding company used to hold a specific asset or set of assets — shares, real estate, IP or an investment portfolio — separately from operating risk. SPVs are often held under a foundation as part of a wider structure.
Do I need a family office?
A family office is the governance and management layer for a family's combined wealth and succession affairs. It makes sense once there are multiple assets, entities or family members to coordinate. We advise whether a single- or multi-family-office structure fits, and how it sits alongside foundations and SPVs.
Is this confidential?
These structures operate within regulated, common-law frameworks that balance confidentiality with compliance — including beneficial-ownership and substance requirements. We design structures that are private and fully compliant, never one at the expense of the other.
How does this connect to my operating business?
Wealth structures usually sit above the operating business — holding the shares of trading companies, real estate and investments. We coordinate the wealth structure with your existing UAE companies, free-zone entities and tax position so the whole picture is coherent.
Verification & independence

This page describes UAE wealth structures in general terms, referring to the ADGM and DIFC common-law frameworks as understood in June 2026. Avyanco Business Consultancy LLC provides advisory and administrative services and coordinates specialist legal and tax advice; it is not a law firm and is independent of all UAE government authorities, ADGM and DIFC.

Foundation, SPV, family-office and trust regimes, their rules and their tax treatment differ between ADGM and DIFC and evolve. Wealth and succession structuring should be taken with qualified legal and tax advice; always confirm the current rules directly with ADGM, DIFC and your advisors before acting on any fact on this page.

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