Private Wealth · Trust Structures
International trusts for familycapital and assets
We design and support international trust structures for holding assets, succession planning and the long-term management of family capital.
BRIDGES GLOBAL analyses the composition of the assets, the family structure, the participants’ tax residency and the client’s aims, and then coordinates the choice of jurisdiction and trustee, the drafting of the trust deed, the transfer of the assets and the administration that follows.
The work is done together with licensed trustees and specialist advisers in the jurisdiction concerned.
Trust Deed
- 02Letter of Wishes
- 03Protector Powers
- 04Asset Schedule
- 05Beneficiary Schedule
- 06Trustee Resolution
- 07Banking Profile
- 08Annual Trust Review
- Settlor
- Trustee
- Trust
- Assets
- Beneficiaries
The task
What is the trust being considered for
How it works
The parties to an international trust
Transfers the assets into the structure on the terms of the trust deed.
Holds legal title to and manages the trust property in accordance with the applicable law and the trustee’s duties.
The persons or classes of persons in whose interests the structure acts.
Where the structure provides for one, holds the powers of control or consent given by the trust deed.
The principal legal document of the structure.
A further expression of the settlor’s wishes, whose legal role depends on the applicable law and the trust’s documentation.
A trust in the classic common-law sense is usually not a separate legal person: legal title rests with the trustee, who holds and manages the trust property in accordance with the trust deed and the applicable law. Each jurisdiction’s terminology is checked separately.
The forms
The main forms of international trust
The trustee has the discretion the trust deed provides for in distributing income and/or capital among the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries’ rights to particular distributions or shares are set by the structure’s documentation.
Created for a particular permitted purpose rather than solely for a traditional class of beneficiaries, where the jurisdiction concerned allows such an instrument.
The settlor may retain particular powers, where the law of the jurisdiction allows it.
A long-term structure for holding capital across generations where the law concerned allows a trust to exist for a long period or in perpetuity.
The form is chosen for the task and the applicable law: there is no universally best type of trust.
A comparison
Trust, foundation or holding company
| Trust | Foundation | Holding Company | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal nature | A contractual construct of common law | A legal person in its own right with no members | A company with shareholders |
| Legal owner of the assets | The trustee holds legal title | The foundation as a legal person | The company |
| Control | The trustee within the trust deed, and a protector where there is one | The foundation council under the charter | The directors and shareholders |
| Beneficiaries | Persons or classes under the trust deed | Beneficiaries under the charter | Shareholders |
| Succession | The order of distribution is set by the structure’s documentation | The order is set by the foundation’s charter | Shares are inherited under the ordinary rules |
| Governance | The trust deed, the letter of wishes, a protector | The charter, the council and a protector where there is one | The charter and the governing organs |
| Banking | The account is opened by the trustee for the structure | The foundation’s account | A corporate account |
| Disclosure | Depends on the jurisdiction and on financial institutions’ requirements | The register and disclosure depend on the jurisdiction | Corporate registers and UBO |
| Accounting | The trust’s accounting and reporting to the extent the trustee and the law require | The foundation’s reporting | The company’s accounting and reporting |
| Annual Administration | The trustee fee and administration | The council, the agent and administration | The agent, the address, the reporting |
| Typical tasks | Family capital, succession, long-term ownership | The continental alternative to a trust, family capital | Operating activity, holding shareholdings |
Jurisdictions
Jurisdictions for international trusts
6 / 6
- from $12,500Setup
- 2-4 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $6,000 a yearAnnual
- Asset Protection
- Family Wealth
- Succession
- from $14,500Setup
- 3-5 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $7,000 a yearAnnual
- Asset Protection
- Family Wealth
- from $9,500Setup
- 2-3 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $4,500 a yearAnnual
- Succession
- Family Wealth
- Investment
- from $13,500Setup
- 2-4 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $6,500 a yearAnnual
- Business
- Succession
- from $22,000Setup
- 4-8 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $12,000 a yearAnnual
- Succession
- Family Wealth
- Investment
- from $18,000Setup
- 4-6 weeksTiming
- upkeep thereafter from $9,500 a yearAnnual
- Investment
- Family Wealth
- Business
The cost of establishment and annual administration is given for BRIDGES GLOBAL’s confirmed packages. The final estimate is fixed after the trustee is chosen and the composition of the assets analysed.
A comparison of jurisdictions
Compare up to three trust jurisdictions
Tick up to three jurisdictions in the catalogue above.
Assets
Which assets can go into a trust structure
- Cash & Banking
- Securities
- Shares in Companies
- Holding Companies
- Real Estate
- Investment Portfolios
- Intellectual Property
- Digital Assets
- Family Business
Whether a particular asset may be transferred depends on its nature, the country where it sits, contractual restrictions, the tax consequences and the applicable law.
Property
International property in a trust structure
Depending on the country, property is not always held directly by the trustee: a holding company or an SPV in the country where the property sits may stand between the structure and the asset.
- Trust
- Holding
- SPV
- Property
Business
A family business and a trust structure
- Settlor / Family
- Trustee
- Trust
- Holding Company
- Operating Companies
- Business
- Succession
- Governance
- Voting
- Distributions
- Continuity
- Beneficiaries
- Protector
Succession
Passing capital to the next generation
- Founder
- Trust Structure
- Children
- Grandchildren
- Future Generations
A trust can be used to organise the long-term order of ownership and distribution of family capital, but the particular succession and tax consequences depend on the applicable law and on the participants’ residency.
The limits
The legal limits of asset protection
- Existing claims
- Fraudulent transfer
- Insolvency
- Clawback periods
- Sham trust
- Settlor control
- Public policy
- Sanctions
- Tax obligations
A trust structure is designed before claims arise, not after an asset has to be kept from an existing creditor.
Sanctions
Sanctions restrictions and trust structures
- settlor
- trustee
- protector
- beneficiaries
- companies
- assets
- banks
- jurisdictions
- ownership/control
- distributions
A structure is not created to get round sanctions restrictions unlawfully.
Run a sanctions review →The origin of capital
The origin of capital when a trust is established
- Source of Funds
- Source of Wealth
- business history
- tax residency
- assets
- beneficiaries
- sanctions
- PEP
- purpose of trust
A licensed trustee and a bank may run a deep check before taking a structure on.
Prepare a Source of Wealth dossier →The bank
The banking and investment infrastructure of a trust
- Trustee
- Trust Banking Profile
- Bank / Custodian
- Investment Portfolio
- Distributions
BRIDGES GLOBAL coordinates the banking preparation and the dealings with the trustee and the financial institutions to the agreed extent. Establishing a trust does not open an account automatically.
The scope of work
Creating an international trust turnkey
- 01Private Wealth Analysis
- 02Jurisdiction Comparison
- 03Trustee Selection
- 04Trust Architecture
- 05Trust Deed
- 06Protector Powers
- 07Letter of Wishes
- 08KYC / Source of Wealth
- 09Establishment
- 10Asset Transfer
- 11Banking / Custody
- 12Annual Administration
The result
What the client has once the trust is established
- 01Trust Deed
- 02Letter of Wishes
- 03Protector Documentation
- 04Beneficiary Schedule
- 05Asset Schedule
- 06Trustee Acceptance
- 07Ownership Structure
- 08Banking Documentation
- 09Tax / Reporting Calendar
- 10Annual Review Schedule
The composition depends on the jurisdiction.
The cost
The cost of establishing and running a trust each year
It is not only the setup fee that has to be counted: a cheap establishment can mean an expensive year.
- Structuring
- Legal drafting
- Trustee onboarding
- Establishment
- KYC
- Asset transfer
- Trustee fee
- Administration
- Accounting
- Reporting
- Bank / Custody
- Tax coordination
- Protector, where paid separately
The cost of a trust structure over three years
- Setup
- Trustee
- Legal
- Banking
- Asset transfer
- Trustee
- Administration
- Reporting
- Trustee
- Administration
- Reporting
The calculation is assembled for the chosen jurisdiction and trustee and fixed before the agreement.
The consultation
A consultation on the ownership structure — $300
In the consultation we go through the task and settle which structure applies.
- the composition of the assets
- the family structure and the beneficiaries
- the participants’ tax residency
- the countries where the assets sit
- the business and shareholdings in companies
- the banking and investment infrastructure
- the aims of succession and governance
- the client’s existing structures
The result: the applicable jurisdictions and form of structure, the main limits and a preliminary budget for establishing and running it.
FAQ
Questions and answers
In the classic common-law sense a trust is usually not a separate legal person: legal title passes to the trustee, who holds and manages the trust property in accordance with the trust deed and the applicable law.
Some powers may be provided for in the structure’s documentation, through a protector or reserved powers where the law of the jurisdiction allows. Excessive control by the settlor is the main risk of the structure being treated as a sham.
No. There are rules on existing claims, setting transactions aside, insolvency and clawback periods. A structure is designed before claims arise.
The tax consequences depend on the applicable law and on the residency of the settlor, the trustee and the beneficiaries. Establishing a trust does not in itself remove the participants’ tax obligations.
Banking funds, securities, shareholdings, property through the appropriate structures, investment portfolios, intellectual property and digital assets. What is permissible depends on the nature of the asset and the law of the country where it sits.
Establishment under the confirmed packages starts at $9,500 and depends on the jurisdiction, the trustee and the composition of the assets; the annual administration is quoted separately. The final estimate is fixed before the agreement.
From two or three weeks to a month and a half or two, depending on the jurisdiction, the trustee and how ready the file on the origin of capital is.
Yes. The bank and the trustee check the settlor, the beneficiaries, the sources of capital and the purpose of the structure; concealing that information makes the work impossible.
Whether changes are possible depends on the terms of the trust deed and the applicable law: some decisions are the trustee’s, some require the consent of a protector or of other persons provided for.
A foundation is a legal person in its own right with a charter; a trust is a common-law construct where the trustee holds the assets. The choice depends on the task, the law of the jurisdiction and what the client’s banks are used to working with.
The structure and the calculation
We will design a trust structure for your capital
Describe the composition of the assets, the countries where they sit, the family structure and the task. We will compare the applicable jurisdictions and trustees and prepare a calculation for establishing and running it.
A preliminary calculation is not a guarantee that a particular trustee or bank will accept the structure. The tax and succession consequences depend on the applicable law and on the participants’ residency.