Citywealth Top 100 International Powerwomen 2026: the women guiding global wealth through change
The annual Citywealth Top 100 International Powerwomen list recognises leading women working across the global private wealth industry. See the Citywealth Leaders List Top 100 International Powerwomen 2026; click here.
This year’s list brings together 100 professionals from 17 jurisdictions, including lawyers, trustees, private bankers, tax advisers, family office specialists, investment professionals, art advisers and business leaders.
While their practices vary considerably, collectively these women advise thousands of entrepreneurs, family offices and ultra high net worth families around the world, influencing decisions affecting hundreds of billions of pounds of private wealth.
Karen Jones, CEO, Editor at Citywealth said. “What stands out in this years list, is the breadth of leadership represented here. We have global managing partners, founders, chief executives, heads of private wealth, trust specialists, family office advisers and private bankers working across every major international financial centre. Collectively they represent decades of experience advising some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurial families.”
The United Kingdom has the largest representation, with 38 women, followed by the United States and Jersey with 11 each. Switzerland and the Isle of Man each have seven representatives, while Guernsey, Singapore, Cyprus, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Barbados, Bermuda, Malta, Luxembourg, Monaco, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates are also represented. Submissions were invited via a URL link and with marketing during 2026.
The result is a list that reflects not only individual excellence, but the changing geography of international private wealth.
A profession responding to uncertainty
Submissions for this year’s list show a clear pattern.
Wealthy families are reviewing where they live, how they hold assets, how wealth will pass between generations and whether structures created years ago are still fit for purpose.
The dominant themes are international relocation, tax reform, succession planning, family governance, disputes, capacity issues, asset protection and long-term wealth preservation.
For advisers, the work is no longer simply technical. It increasingly involves helping families make decisions in a world where politics, tax, regulation, family relationships and personal security are closely connected.
Special mention goes to: Véronique Hoffeld, Partner, Loyens & Loeff who is representing Mondo Bongo (Brad Pitt) in a shareholders’ dispute over Chateau Miraval.
Relocation becomes a central planning issue
Relocation and mobility continue to be one of the most frequently mentioned client themes.
Families are moving between the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Cyprus, Switzerland, the Isle of Man and the United Arab Emirates.
Some are motivated by tax. Others are responding to political uncertainty, regional instability or concerns about personal security. Many are looking for jurisdictions with legal certainty, regulatory stability and strong professional infrastructure.
Cyprus is attracting interest from European clients, Middle Eastern families and Indian entrepreneurs seeking a base for European expansion.
Switzerland continues to be viewed as a stable hub during geopolitical turbulence.
The Isle of Man and UAE are attracting internationally mobile families looking for long-term planning options.
In the UK, advisers report interest from US individuals considering the Foreign Income and Gains regime. At the same time, they note the difficulty of aligning UK and US tax treatment where assets are held through LLCs, trusts and other vehicles.
The Great Wealth Transfer moves from theory to practice
The Great Wealth Transfer is no longer a future concept. It is happening now.
Across the submissions, advisers reported rising demand for estate planning, inheritance tax advice, trust restructuring, lifetime gifting, family investment companies and succession planning.
Families are preparing for the transfer of businesses, investment portfolios, property, art, digital assets and philanthropic capital.
Many are also involving children earlier in conversations about wealth, responsibility and stewardship. This is particularly noticeable where women are leading family discussions around education, governance and the next generation’s role in family businesses.
The focus is not only on preserving capital. It is also on preparing families for the responsibilities that come with it.
Modern families are testing old structures
Several advisers noted that family structures created decades ago are now being tested by modern family life.
Blended families, second marriages, later-life relationships, divorce, post-nuptial agreements and differing levels of involvement in family businesses are creating more difficult planning questions.
Trusts and estate arrangements may no longer reflect the personal realities of the families they were designed to serve.
There is also growing tension between beneficiaries and fiduciaries over control, transparency and decision-making. Trustees and executors are under greater scrutiny, particularly where beneficiaries believe they are slow to adapt or reluctant to share information.
Capacity is another growing issue. Advisers report more disputes around decision-making before formal loss of capacity, the conduct of attorneys and retrospective challenges to estate planning undertaken later in life.
Inheritance tax is back at the centre
Inheritance tax concerns featured strongly in the submissions.
Clients are reviewing discretionary trusts, family investment companies, corporate structures, gifting strategies and existing estate plans.
For business-owning families, the question is often how to protect shareholder interests while preparing for succession, divorce risk and changing tax treatment.
For internationally mobile clients, the challenge is greater. Families may have assets, residences, businesses and beneficiaries across several jurisdictions, each with different rules.
That makes coordination between advisers increasingly important.
Simplicity is now part of the strategy
One notable trend is the move away from unnecessary complication.
Several advisers said clients are seeking to simplify beneficial ownership and rationalise existing structures.
The aim is not always to create something new. Often it is to make existing arrangements clearer, more resilient and easier to administer.
This reflects a wider shift in private wealth planning. Families want structures that can withstand tax enquiries, family disagreements, regulatory reporting and generational change.
Digital assets and creative wealth enter the mainstream
Digital assets continue to appear in private wealth planning, particularly in relation to succession, reporting, philanthropy and cross-border structuring.
Advisers are also seeing more work around creative industries, intellectual property, music catalogue sales, art collections and family-owned cultural assets.
For creative clients, protecting control and ownership of intellectual property remains a recurring concern.
Art advisory is also becoming more integrated into wealth planning, with work involving collection management, deaccession, philanthropy, freeport issues and generational transfer.
Women are changing the wealth conversation
The Powerwomen list also reflects a broader change in the market.
Women are not only advising wealthy families. Increasingly, they are creating, inheriting, managing and directing wealth themselves.
Several submissions referred to women generating wealth, leading family businesses, shaping philanthropic priorities and becoming more involved in governance decisions.
This is changing the tone of private wealth advice. Conversations around legacy, family education, personal development, social impact and responsible stewardship are becoming more prominent.
Jurisdiction breakdown
The 2026 Top 100 includes:
What the list tells us
The Top 100 International Powerwomen 2026 shows an industry at an important moment.
Families are more mobile. Structures are under review. Tax regimes are changing. Succession is becoming more urgent. Disputes are becoming more personal. Assets are becoming more diverse.
At the centre of this change are advisers who are expected to combine technical skill with judgement, sensitivity and international perspective.
This year’s Powerwomen are helping clients navigate not only wealth, but uncertainty, family change and legacy.
Powerwomen Awards 2027 now open
Entries are now open for the Citywealth Powerwomen Awards 2027, celebrating women and organisations across the private wealth sector.
Submissions are open for both the International and USA awards.
The deadline for submissions is 25 September 2026.
International entries:
https://www.citywealthmag.com/powerwomen-awards-submissions-international/
USA entries:
https://www.citywealthmag.com/powerwomen-awards-submissions-usa/
Citywealth Forum USA, New York
Citywealth will also host its Forum USA in New York on 10 March 2027, followed by the Citywealth Powerwomen Awards USA 2027.
The forum will examine the changing landscape of American and international private wealth, including mobility, marriage, wealth protection, dynasty trusts, succession, art, alternative investments and family office planning.
Forum details:
https://www.citywealthmag.com/citywealth-forum-usa-agenda-speakers-topics-schedule/
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