As wealth becomes increasingly global and intergenerational, wealth management is no longer defined solely by portfolio construction and performance.
Today’s clients are increasingly seeking support in ensuring wealth endures for future generations by preserving, transferring and growing wealth across borders, and are seeking wealth managers who can effectively navigate estate planning.
Estate planning: A double-edged sword
Estate Planning ensures wealth is not only built but also protected, structured, and successfully passed on. Although managing and protecting generational wealth can be complex, the alternative can result in the following:
- Delays and client frustration: Beneficiaries waiting months (or years) for access to assets due to probate bottlenecks across jurisdictions.
- Asset leakage: Unexpected tax exposure, legal costs, and administrative fees eroding portfolio value and limiting growth while assets are tied up.
- Loss of control: Assets tied up in unfamiliar legal systems (Foreign Probate, Master’s offices, Legal processes) with conflicting rules and uncertainty.
- Client attrition risk: Heirs disengaging and moving assets elsewhere due to poor experience or lack of prior relationship. Additionally, frustrations and delays from the probate process being associated with the wealth manager.
- Reputational damage for the adviser: Being seen as reactive rather than proactive in protecting client wealth.
Despite the above challenges, if done strategically, estate planning can be used as an enabler that helps the wealth manager empower clients, build enduring legacies, and future‑proof their practice.
The International Beneficiary Nomination (IBN) is not only an essential estate planning tool — it is also one of the simplest.
International Beneficiary Nomination: The power of simplicity
This process enables the efficient transfer of assets to beneficiaries, often bypassing lengthy probate and reducing administrative barriers. The commercial relevance of IBN for wealth managers is significant, particularly around asset retention, continuity of client relationships, and protecting AUM across generations.
Additionally, this simple administrative process can assist with the following:
- Faster, smoother transfer of assets without unnecessary delays
- Preservation of portfolio strategy and value
- Continuity of the adviser-client relationship into the next generation
- Early engagement with beneficiaries, reducing attrition risk
- Greater certainty and control for both client and advisor
Account holders of Capital International Limited can plan their estates in conjunction with their professional legal, financial and tax advisers and instruct Capital International in one of the following manners:
Setting up an International Beneficiary Nomination: Ideal for globally domiciled clients, it lets the owner or owners of a Capital International Limited account nominate who should receive their account assets when they or, where applicable, the last account owner dies.
The account owner(s) retain(s) full control of the investment account and its assets and can revoke or alter the nomination at any point before their death. Additionally, if there is no dispute about who should receive the assets, this process avoids the need for probate.
The beneficiaries named on the IBN form will receive the assets in the account, and their right to those assets becomes effective when the last account owner passes away. Once complete, the beneficiary/ beneficiaries can choose to withdraw all funds or to retain these assets by opening an account with Capital International Limited in their own name.
This option is globally applicable and is available to all investment account owners, irrespective of jurisdiction, however as per the below, for those domiciled in South Africa, a Deed of Donation Mortis Causa may be more appropriate.
Making a Deed of Donation Mortis Causa (DoD): This enables the donor (account owner/s) to nominate a donee (nominated beneficiary) to receive the proceeds of their investment account after their death. Additionally, it assists in navigating through probate matters in the Isle of Man and can help to avoid delays at the Masters Office in South Africa.
Building a portfolio that last over generations: A case study
Peter is a British national living in Dubai. He is married to Susan, and they have a 25-year-old daughter, Lucy and a 20-year-old son, Edward.
They have an account with Capital International Limited, in their joint names, and their financial adviser has suggested that they nominate their children as Beneficiaries by way of an International Beneficiary Nomination to receive the proceeds of their investment account, thereby mitigating against possible delays in the children accessing the account funds whilst their deceased estates are administered elsewhere through the probate system.
Their wealth manager confirms that an IBN is put in place which will come into effect upon the death of the last surviving investment account owner. Until that time, Peter and Susan have full control of the investment account and at any time can change the nominated Beneficiaries named in the IBN or even cancel the form, as the rights of the Beneficiaries named will not crystallise until the death of the last surviving account owner.
After Peter’s untimely death, the joint account automatically transfer to Susan. When Susan dies several years later, the IBN comes into effect, and the children can receive the proceeds of the account by liquidation or alternatively have the assets transferred to new custody accounts in their own capacity.
Ensuring continuity, growth and impact
A 2025 survey from Capgemini shows that 81% of ‘next generation millionaires’, or those set to inherit large wealth from their families, plan to replace their parents’ wealth management firms. Wealth managers who don’t actively address Estate Planning with their clients potentially risk losing the assets and relationships they’ve worked so hard to build.
IBN creates an opportunity to engage beneficiaries early, where relationships can be built before wealth transfer occur, ensuring the wealth manager’s investment practice remains relevant, resilient, and growth-oriented.
It provides the client with access to assets when it’s needed most and is offered at no additional cost to Capital International Limited account holders.
And perhaps most importantly, it secures relationships with the next generation of wealth holders, ensuring the investment strategies can endure beyond many lifetimes.
David Noon is commercial director at Capital International Limited
For further information, please access Capital International webpage (https://www.capital-iom.com/) or contact our Business Development team:
- Worldwide including Dubai – [email protected]
- South Africa & Latam – [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts and opinions expressed within this article are those of the author, and not those of Capital International Group Limited (Group) and/or any of its subsidiary companies and as such are neither given nor endorsed by the Group or any company within the Group. Information in this article does not constitute investment advice or an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of any company within the Group to buy or sell any product or security or to make a bank deposit. Any reference to past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. The value of investments may go down as well as up and may be adversely affected by currency fluctuations. The Group, its subsidiary companies, clients, and officers may have a position in, or engage in transactions in any of the investments mentioned. Opinions constitute views as at the date of issue thereof and are subject to change. In addition, individuals would be wise to seek their own legal and tax advice for clarification and confirmation specific to their own personal circumstances, to make sure that the International Beneficiary Nomination or the Deed of Donation Mortis Causa is the appropriate solution for them.
