Each year, we look at the latest research and what we are hearing from clients to answer a simple question: what is most likely to shape family office operations in the year ahead?
Recent studies, including the 2025 North America Family Office Report conducted by RBC shows a sector that is becoming more institutional in how it operates, more thoughtful about risk, and more open to technology that can reduce manual work and improve decision making.
Below we cover five themes we expect to define family office operations in 2026, and what they mean for teams that manage bill pay, accounting, and financial reporting.
AI and automation shift from pilot projects to a core infrastructure
The latest 2025 North America Family Office Report conducted by RBC highlights shows that family offices are now several times more likely to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation to support operations than they were just a year ago, especially in areas like data aggregation and reporting.
At the same time, manual processes and overreliance on spreadsheets continue to rank among the top operational risks, highlighting the need for more robust systems.
In 2026, we expect AI, machine learning and automation to move deeper into the operational stack, particularly in:
- Capturing and categorizing invoice and transaction data
- Reconciling accounts across multiple entities and banks
- Flagging anomalies in payments and approvals
- Producing standard reports for principals and advisors more quickly
The offices that will benefit most will not be the ones chasing experimental tools, but those that embed carefully selected AI use cases into existing platforms, with clear controls and audit trails.
Governance and succession become part of day-to-day workflows
Global family office research points to a clear reality. Many offices expect a generational transition within the next decade and are formalizing constitutions, decision frameworks, and roles to prepare. Separate analysis on operational excellence shows that structure, governance, and the operational plan are now viewed as three pillars that must work together, rather than as disconnected topics.
For operations teams, this shift will show up as:
- More detailed approval hierarchies that mirror governance documents
- Clearer mapping of signers, entities, and thresholds into payment workflows
- Increased demand for reporting that supports family councils and boards with a single, multi-entity view
In 2026, we expect more offices to replace informal, email-based approvals with system-based workflows that reflect how decisions are made.
Risk, resilience, and liquidity outrank headline returns
After a volatile period in markets, several recent reports indicate that family offices are moderating their return expectations and placing more emphasis on portfolio resilience, liquidity, and scenario planning.
This has direct consequences for operations:
- Treasury, cash management, and bill pay need to be tightly coordinated so liquidity is visible across entities in real time
- Investment and accounting data need to be integrated so teams can model capital calls, distributions, and recurring expenses across the structure
- Offices require reporting that connects spending, commitments, and liquidity into one story that principals can understand
In 2026, the family offices that are best prepared for uncertainty will be the ones that treat treasury, bill pay, and accounting as an interconnected system rather than separate functions.
Purpose built technology displaces spreadsheets and consumer tools
Across multiple studies, a consistent message is emerging. Manual data consolidation and spreadsheet-based workflows remain a major pain point; widely recognized as a source of operational risk.
At the same time, adoption of automated reporting and aggregation tools has grown rapidly, with one recent analysis showing usage jumping from under half of offices to roughly two thirds in a single year.
In 2026, we expect more family offices to:
- Move off retail or commercial accounting and bill pay tools that were not designed for multi-entity structures
- Replace isolated payment solutions that do not connect to the general ledger or banking relationships
- Standardize on platforms that bring bill pay, accounting, banking, treasury, and cash management into one secure environment
The question will no longer be whether to modernize, but which systems are truly built for the complexity of high-net-worth clients and which are not.
Human centered wealth and next generation voices shape priorities
Several outlooks for 2026 highlight a shift toward more human centered themes in family offices. These include long term thinking, identity, and wellbeing, as well as a stronger focus on involving the rising generation in decision making and governance.
Alongside that shift, research shows a growing emphasis on talent, culture, and the ability to attract people who can navigate both financial complexity and family dynamics. Many offices report challenges hiring and retaining qualified staff, even as they expand their service offerings.
For operations and technology, this likely means:
- More intuitive, client-facing portals and reporting that help educate and engage younger family members
- A stronger preference for tools that reduce manual workload so teams can spend more time on high value client work
- Increased interest in technology that supports collaboration between the office, external advisors, and family members in a secure way
In short, 2026 will not be only about systems. It will be about how those systems support the people who rely on them.
How operations teams can prepare for 2026
Across all these themes, one conclusion stands out: family offices cannot meet the demands of AI, governance, resilience, and next generation expectations if their core operations still depend on manual processes and tools that were never built for their level of complexity.
AgilLink was created to address exactly this challenge. As part of City National Bank and the broader RBC organization, AgilLink combines bill pay, accounting, embedded banking, treasury, and cash management in one secure platform that is purpose built for firms serving high-net-worth clients. By reducing manual work, integrating data, and providing audit ready workflows and approvals, we help family offices turn operational risk into operational strength.
If 2025 was the year many offices acknowledged the gaps in their operational infrastructure, 2026 can be the year they start to close them with systems that truly match the way they work.
Top