Since we conducted our first survey of multi-family offices in 2024, Canadian Family Offices‘ annual MFO study, The Multi-Family Office Landscape in Canada, has become one of our most widely read and cited editorial productions. Our 2026 version of the survey has just dropped, and we are inviting MFOs across the country to once again devote a few minutes of their time to helping us round out the collective understanding of MFOs, where they invest (or don’t), the families they support and how they support them, as well as the common challenges and opportunities they face. Last year, more than 70 MFO representatives answered the call (up from about 50 in 2024), and our 2025 report was downloaded more than 1,000 times. We are, of course, hoping for an even more enthusiastic response this year.
One reason for our annual MFO study’s popularity, we think, is that it helps to fill a real gap in the data about multi-family offices. As anyone who follows the family office space surely knows, there is precious little Canadian-specific research into MFOs; even on a global basis, most extant research focuses on single family offices. (There are some notable exceptions, such as a recent report by S&P Global’s With Intelligence.)
Yet beyond the passive reality of an information gap, interest in and from MFOs is riding high because multi-family offices comprise such a dynamic and rapidly evolving corner of the financial services industry. On a broad level, the opportunities of a growing UHNW customer base, client demand for integration of services, and simple economies of scale are driving consolidation. As industry veteran Tom McCullough, founder of Northwood Family Office, wrote in his column for us late last year, “Capital providers have been attracted to this expanding business and have been building and buying in this attractive sector and also providing liquidity for early founders of family offices.” (Northwood itself provides a close-to-home example of the trend: it is part of CI Financial’s wealth management business Corient, which with the acquisition of UK-based MFO Stonehage Fleming and European wealth management and advisory firm Stanhope Capital now lays claim to being the world’s largest multi-family office.)
On a more granular level, the ongoing evolution of the MFO industry is creating on-the-ground opportunities and challenges. For instance, as a firm grows from, say, supporting a few families to supporting dozens, how does it maintain its service levels? If it’s founded on a particular skill set, such as investment management, how can it meet the growing demands from families for integrated services that are outside the firm’s core capabilities (and which might not provide very appealing margins)? How are MFOs adopting and deploying new technologies, like AI, and to what effect?
While we are under no illusions that any one survey (including our own) can answer all of those complicated questions, we do hope that this year’s study will contribute a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of multi-family offices in Canada, identify common issues and explore best practices.
Compared with previous surveys, we have nipped-and-tucked the list of questions, and we have added more specific queries about operational challenges and technology. We have also sharpened the focus on assets under management and/or administration with a view to developing a clearer picture of the Canadian MFO client base. Even with those changes, the survey should take only a few minutes to complete.
If you are a representative of a multi-family office, please complete the survey here. The full Multi-Family Office Landscape in Canada 2026 study will be available on our site in the November/December period. (Last year’s study is available for download here.) Feel free to contact us with any questions at newsroom@canadianfamilyoffices.com.
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