By Dr. Rami Derbas, Managing Partner
The UBS Global Family Office Report 2026, published yesterday, marks a structural shift in the global family office landscape. 60 percent of the 307 family offices surveyed, jointly managing 627 billion US dollars, plan to adjust their strategic asset allocation in the next twelve months. The highest figure since the survey began in 2020.
Two further findings are particularly relevant for Gulf family offices. First: two-thirds expect trust in the US dollar as the reserve currency to decline further over the next twelve months. The dollar lost twelve percent against the euro in 2025 alone. Second: Middle East family offices show the highest reallocation readiness of any region. UBS calls it a wake-up call.
The single most important statement from a DACH perspective comes from UBS manager Benjamin Cavalli: "For the first time, we feel that family offices in Asia-Pacific and to some extent in Western Europe want to build up."
Why DACH is strategically attractive now
Three factors explain the shift. First, the valuation gap: stakes in DACH SMEs trade at multiples that have not existed in the United States for years. Second, pipeline depth: over 12,000 German Mittelstand companies with revenues between 50 million and one billion euros face succession situations in the next ten years. DACH industrial companies are global market leaders in specialty segments that cannot be replicated in Asia. Family-owned, high-margin, export-strong. These are cash-flow stable holdings, not speculative bets. Third, the AI substrate: Munich, Karlsruhe, Berlin and Vienna form one of Europe's strongest AI ecosystems.
Three asset classes with a clear Akroporos track record
The UBS study identifies concrete themes where family offices want to build up. Three align precisely with our pipeline.
Mittelstand Private Equity with succession dynamics remains the largest and least transparent M&A market in Europe. These mandates are rarely auctioned. They change hands through senior personal relationships.
Critical infrastructure and energy: the UBS study shows 35 percent increased allocation readiness, plus 39 percent for defense and security infrastructure. DACH offers long-term, inflation-indexed cash flow profiles in exactly these segments.
AI-capable Mittelstand platforms are the most specific Akroporos domain. We combine senior M&A expertise with our own AI building experience. Family offices investing in such platforms buy at pre-AI multiples and exit in five to seven years at post-AI multiples.
The next twelve months
The reallocations being prepared now will be visible in twelve months. Family offices acting with clarity now will be structurally better positioned in five years.
If you would like to discuss specific DACH allocations or mandates in M&A, infrastructure or AI platforms, contact us at contact@akroporos.com.
About Akroporos Partners — Akroporos Partners is a senior advisory boutique with offices in Munich, Dubai and London. Three pillars: M&A and Private Capital, the Germany–Gulf Corridor, and AI finance transformation. Selective by design. Senior by conviction.
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