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More than half of Asia-Pacific’s rich worry about recession, Lombard Odier says

By Thomson Reuters May 28, 2026 | 5:22 AM

SINGAPORE, May 28 (Reuters) – More than half of wealthy individuals in Asia-Pacific consider an economic recession their biggest worry over the next ​three years, a survey by Lombard Odier ‌found, and nearly half are also concerned about an equity market correction or crash.

Here are some details:

• Investors are trying to navigate a turbulent global backdrop, marked by U.S. ‌President ​Donald Trump’s tariffs and the ⁠three-month-old war in the ⁠Middle East that has driven up energy prices with implications for inflation.

• The survey found that nearly four in 10 respondents do not ​have any kind of succession planning despite their desire for wealth preservation, with Japan, the Philippines, ⁠Malaysia and Hong Kong among ⁠the least prepared markets.

• “For most of ​the Asian families, the patriarchs are still on the ​helm, and they have not engaged the ‌next generation enough,” said Louisa Loo, Lombard Odier’s head of wealth planning for Asia, at a media roundtable in Singapore on Thursday. “So as a knock-on ⁠effect, the next generation, since they have not been engaged, and they might have already found their own career ⁠paths and ‌entrepreneurial interests… they are not ready, ⁠or they are not interested at ​all ‌to take over.”

• The survey was ​conducted between ⁠December 2025 and February 2026 and covered more than 390 high-net-worth individuals residing in the Asia-Pacific region, including clients of Lombard Odier with at least $1 million in net investable assets.

(Reporting by Rae Wee; editing by ​Barbara Lewis)