Estate, succession and family-governance coordination
Family wealth structures.
Designed around purpose.
SCGIBC coordinates company, trust, foundation and family-governance workstreams with independent legal, tax, fiduciary and estate-planning professionals.
Succession · Governance · Ownership · Administration · Cross-border coordination
A structure should express the family’s documented plan.
3
Core vehicle families
1
Integrated fact pattern
Ongoing
Governance and review
Planning in context
The legal vehicle is only one part of the plan.
A credible estate or family-office structure starts with the family, assets, citizenship and residence, beneficiaries, control expectations, succession events, tax exposures and the laws of every connected country.
01
Family objectives
Define succession, stewardship, education, philanthropy, support and business-continuity goals.
02
Asset and ownership map
Identify assets, accounts, companies, liabilities, locations and present legal ownership.
03
Control and governance
Clarify trustees, councils, protectors, directors, reserved powers and decision procedures.
04
Tax and legal advice
Obtain coordinated advice for the settlor or founder, beneficiaries, assets and relevant jurisdictions.
Structure comparison
Trust, foundation, company or a coordinated combination.
These vehicles perform different legal and governance functions. Their suitability depends on current advice, provider acceptance and the precise family and asset profile.
TR
Trust
A trustee holds and administers property under the trust instrument and applicable law for beneficiaries or a permitted purpose.
FDN
Foundation
A separate legal entity governed by its charter, regulations, council and any protector or guardian arrangements.
CO
Company
A corporate ownership or operating layer governed through shares, directors, constitutional records and shareholder arrangements.
FO
Family-office framework
A coordinated governance, reporting, investment, administration and adviser model rather than a single legal vehicle.
Jurisdiction pathways
The family plan may span more than one legal system.
Bahamas, Cayman, BVI, Panama, Nevis and selected UAE financial-centre structures may support different estate, foundation, trust or ownership objectives. Local counsel and tax advisers must confirm availability and effect.
BS
The Bahamas
International trusts, foundations and companies may form part of a coordinated plan, subject to Bahamian counsel and licensed fiduciary review.
KY
Cayman Islands
Trusts, foundation companies and holding entities may support institutional or family governance with Cayman professional advice.
VG
British Virgin Islands
Trust and company structures, including specialised trust arrangements, require BVI fiduciary and legal advice.
PA
Panama
Private-interest foundations and companies are commonly considered for succession and ownership planning with Panama counsel.
KN
Nevis
Trust, multiform foundation, LLC and company options require current Nevis legal, tax and provider review.
UAE
UAE financial centres
Foundation and trust structures in appropriate UAE financial centres require specialist counsel and authority-facing providers.
Planning pathway
From family objectives to an administered structure.
The process should create a factual record of purpose, advice, authority, ownership, provider responsibility and continuing review.
01
Discovery
Map family members, assets, residences, citizenships, existing documents and objectives.
02
Adviser review
Coordinate legal, tax, estate, fiduciary and regulatory advice across connected countries.
03
Design
Document the proposed vehicles, governance, control, beneficiaries and reserved matters.
04
Implementation
Coordinate provider onboarding, formation, transfers, resolutions and record assembly.
05
Administration
Review accounts, distributions, governance, tax reporting, succession events and provider obligations.
What SCGIBC coordinates
The workstream around the professional advice.
SCGIBC organizes information and provider engagement; it does not draft the legal plan or exercise fiduciary discretion unless separately authorised and legally permitted.
01
Family and asset fact pattern
Prepare the ownership, relationship, asset, jurisdiction and objective map for adviser review.
03
Document and evidence file
Coordinate KYC, source-of-wealth, governing instruments, resolutions, registers and supporting records.
05
Banking and custody readiness
Prepare structure, ownership, governance and source-of-wealth information for independent institutions.
02
Provider and adviser coordination
Organize engagement with independent estate counsel, tax advisers, trustees, foundation providers and accountants.
04
Company and vehicle formation
Manage the formation workflow through the responsible authority-facing and licensed providers.
06
Review calendar
Track renewals, accounts, tax reporting, protector or council reviews and major family or asset changes.
LEGACY
Family governance
Professional reliance
Estate planning requires coordinated legal and tax advice.
The legal and tax consequences can differ for every settlor, founder, beneficiary, asset and jurisdiction. Trusts, foundations and companies should be implemented only after qualified advisers have confirmed the intended effect and the responsible fiduciary or authority has accepted the arrangement.
SCGIBC does not promise secrecy, tax elimination, creditor avoidance, probate avoidance or any guaranteed asset-protection result. Beneficial ownership, tax, AML, sanctions, reporting and court disclosure requirements continue to apply.
Begin with the family map
A durable structure starts with documented people, assets and intentions.
Tell us the family, assets, present ownership, connected countries, succession concerns and advisers already involved. We will organize the first-stage coordination file.