By Nazneen Abbas, Founder, Ma’an

Families with wealth across borders are already used to complexity. They live with different legal systems, different inheritance regimes, and different tax realities, often all at once. That part is not new. What has changed is the speed at which the environment around those structures is moving. The geopolitical backdrop is no longer something families can treat as distant noise. It is beginning to alter the conditions in which wealth is held, transferred, and protected.

That is becoming visible in the questions families are now asking. Across the GCC, many who already have Wills, trusts, foundations, and succession structures in place are no longer asking whether they have planned. They are asking whether what they put in place still holds. The conversation is shifting away from documents and toward durability, resilience, and relevance over time.

The issue is not complexity, it is movement

Cross-border planning has always required care. What feels different now is the sense that the regulatory environment may be entering a period of faster movement. Tax agreements that were once taken as given could come under review. Reporting standards may tighten further.  Frameworks in some jurisdictions may no longer offer the same level of certainty that families have relied on.

That does not automatically make an existing plan ineffective. It does mean the assumptions on which it was built may no longer be fully reliable. A structure that made sense five or seven years ago may still be valid on paper, but it may now interact differently with another jurisdiction’s rules. That difference is where risk begins to accumulate.

Many families are not dealing with poor planning. They are dealing with planning built for a slower-moving environment. A framework can be professionally drafted and entirely appropriate for its time, yet still require review because the conditions around it have changed. The gap, in many cases, is one of timing rather than quality.

 

Families do not experience risk as corporations do

Public discussion around geopolitical risk is usually framed in corporate language – market access, supply chains, revenue exposure. But geopolitical literacy is no longer just a corporate issue.

The same forces that alter corporate decision-making also alter the legal and tax environment in which private wealth sits. The difference is that families encounter those forces at far more personal moments. A business responds through compliance and restructuring. A family may discover, during a bereavement or a generational transition, that a structure meant to preserve stability is now sitting between conflicting legal systems or newly expanded obligations. The cost of outdated planning is rarely just technical. It is emotional, and it often surfaces when a family is least equipped to navigate it.

What a meaningful review actually covers

Families and family offices in the GCC with assets or obligations across multiple jurisdictions need to review their planning as a connected system. The question is not whether the Will is signed or the foundation properly established. It is whether those elements continue to work together under current conditions.

Do existing Wills still align with the succession laws of each jurisdiction involved? Do trust or foundation structures still operate as intended alongside local inheritance frameworks, reporting obligations, and tax treatment? The review also needs to reach instruments often created with care and then left untouched. Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI), for example, may still be appropriate, but its treatment can vary depending on where the family is resident, where beneficiaries sit, and how international agreements evolve. Dynasty Trusts and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs), especially when governed by US law, deserve renewed scrutiny where family circumstances or legal interpretation have materially changed.

This is not about alarm. It is about alignment. Cross-border structures fail less often because a single instrument is flawed, and more often because the instruments stop speaking to one another.

The plan may hold. Does it still fit?

A plan can remain legally intact and still fall behind. Families change. Children grow up. New dependents enter the picture. Businesses expand into new jurisdictions. Property is acquired in places never part of the original conversation.

If a structure no longer reflects the family’s wishes, responsibilities, or values, it is no longer doing its full job. The real test is not whether it remains untouched, but whether it continues to reflect the life it is meant to support. That matters especially in this region, where families operate across borders almost by default.

The strongest plans are not always the most elaborate. They are the ones revisited honestly and adjusted before pressure forces the issue. Families often treat estate planning as something to complete and put away, which is understandable.

Cross-border wealth planning across jurisdictions cannot remain static. It requires ongoing stewardship. Families that pause to review their structures now are doing what good planning has always required: ensuring the framework continues to reflect not just the world it operates in, but the family it is there to serve.

Tally Solutions, a leading global technology company providing business management software to small and medium businesses worldwide, has been included in the UAE Ministry of Finance’s list of Pre-Approved E-Invoicing Service Providers under the country’s upcoming e-invoicing framework.

With this recognition, Tally further strengthens its position as one of the most trusted and relevant business management solutions for SMEs in the UAE. As one of the few globally established providers with a strong SME focus to achieve this status, Tally is well placed to help businesses transition confidently to the next phase of digital compliance.

The inclusion reflects Tally’s long-standing approach of combining simplicity, localisation, and regulatory readiness into everyday business workflows. For SMEs, where time, cost, and ease of adoption are critical, the move to e-invoicing requires more than technical compliance; it requires a solution that is dependable, intuitive, and built around real business needs.

Over the years, Tally has supported businesses across multiple markets through major regulatory transitions, including VAT implementation, e-invoicing mandates, and digital tax reforms. In the UAE, this experience is complemented by continued investments in bilingual capabilities, connected compliance features, secure cloud-enabled access, and product innovations that help businesses remain future-ready without added complexity.

Commenting on the announcement, Vikas Panchal, General Manager – MENA, Tally Solutions, said: “At Tally, our purpose has always been to empower SMEs with technology that is simple to adopt, reliable to run, and easy to scale. Being recognised as a Pre-Approved E-Invoicing Service Provider by the UAE Ministry of Finance is an important milestone and a reflection of the trust we have built with businesses across the region. Having supported regulatory transitions in multiple markets, we understand that compliance must be practical, not complicated. Our focus is to ensure UAE businesses can embrace e-invoicing with confidence while continuing to grow without disruption.”

The recognition also comes at a time when the UAE’s e-invoicing market is witnessing strong momentum, driven by the country’s broader digital economy agenda and the growing adoption of structured financial systems. As businesses prepare for this shift, Tally’s pre-approved status gives SMEs the confidence of choosing a solution already aligned with the government’s evolving framework.

Currently, around 20 companies have been listed by the Ministry of Finance as pre-approved e-invoicing service providers. While many providers in the accounting and ERP segment primarily cater to large enterprises, Tally continues to stand apart through its strong focus on SMEs, delivering compliant, accessible, and scalable solutions designed for the realities of growing businesses.

An exclusive conversation on AI ecosystems, smart learning and how modern leadership paradigms are redefining agility and long-term business resilience

As he marks nearly 25 years with BenQ Middle East, Managing Director Manish Bakshi looks firmly ahead, sharing his vision for the next decade of AI-powered ecosystems, smart learning, hybrid collaboration, esports and immersive home entertainment. In this exclusive Q&A, he discusses how BenQ is preparing to lead the next phase of digital transformation in the region.

After nearly 25 years of building BenQ in the region, what excites you most about the next decade?

Manish Bakshi: What excites me most is that we are moving beyond individual devices into connected, intelligent ecosystems. The next decade will not simply be about better hardware; it will be about how technology works together seamlessly to make experiences more intuitive, productive and human-centric.

At BenQ, we see the future being shaped by AI-powered ecosystems across education, enterprise and consumer technology. Whether it’s smart classrooms, intelligent meeting spaces or immersive home entertainment, our focus is on enabling technology that feels almost invisible, powerful, but effortless to use.

The Middle East is a particularly exciting region for this evolution because of the pace of digital transformation and the ambition we see across sectors.

You often speak about moving from products to ecosystems. What does that mean in practical terms?

Manish Bakshi: Traditionally, technology companies focused on standalone products. Today, the real opportunity lies in ecosystems, where displays, software, collaboration tools, cloud services and AI work in harmony.

For us, innovation is increasingly about creating connected solutions rather than isolated devices. In a meeting room, for example, the display, conferencing tools, wireless presentation systems and collaboration software should operate as one seamless environment.

AI will take this further by making those ecosystems adaptive, learning user preferences, simplifying workflows and enabling smarter decision-making.

That is where we see the future of technology heading.

Education is evolving rapidly. How do you see smart classrooms developing over the next five to ten years?

Manish Bakshi: We believe classrooms will become far more intelligent and personalised. The future is not just digital whiteboards replacing traditional ones, it’s AI-enabled learning environments where technology adapts to students’ needs in real time, provides teachers with actionable insights and makes learning more interactive and inclusive.

In the Middle East, governments and institutions are investing heavily in education transformation, and we see strong momentum around smart learning.

BenQ intends to play a leading role in this space by developing solutions that combine interactive displays, software ecosystems and well-being-focused innovation, including technologies designed around eye care and healthier learning environments.

The goal is simple: technology should support better learning outcomes, not add complexity.

Hybrid work has matured significantly. What’s the next chapter for workplace innovation?

Manish Bakshi: The first phase of hybrid work was about enabling remote participation. The next phase is about optimising the experience.

The future workplace will be frictionless. You walk into a meeting room, your device connects instantly, the room recognises your preferences, collaboration starts without delays, everything just works. We’re focused on intelligent meeting ecosystems that make collaboration natural regardless of location.

Another major focus will be human-centric workplace design, ergonomic displays, wellness-driven technologies and environments designed for long-term productivity and comfort.

The future office is not only smarter; it has to be healthier.

AI is driving much of today’s innovation conversation. How do you see AI transforming BenQ’s categories?

Manish Bakshi: AI will become the intelligence layer across everything we do. In education, it will personalise learning. In an enterprise, it will streamline collaboration and improve productivity. In consumer technology, it will create richer, more intuitive experiences.

But importantly, we see AI as an enabler, not a replacement for people. The role of AI is to remove friction, simplify complexity and empower users. That human-centric approach is very important to us.

Esports and gaming have become major growth sectors in the region. How do you view this opportunity?

Manish Bakshi: Esports is no longer niche; it is a mainstream ecosystem with economic, cultural and technological significance. The Middle East has made remarkable investments in gaming infrastructure, tournaments and talent development, and we see enormous long-term potential.

Our vision is not only to support professional esports through high-performance gaming innovation, but also to contribute to the growth of grassroots gaming communities in the region. This sector represents the convergence of technology, youth culture and digital creativity, and it will continue to expand.

BenQ has also been expanding into home entertainment. What trends do you see shaping that space?

Manish Bakshi: The home is being reimagined as an immersive entertainment space. Particularly in the GCC, where home experiences and family gatherings are such an important part of culture, we are seeing strong interest in cinematic home technologies. Laser TVs and ultra-short-throw projectors are transforming how people think about entertainment at home.

We see significant growth in this category over the coming years and plan to continue expanding solutions designed for the unique lifestyle and architectural preferences of the region.

This is one of the most exciting consumer opportunities ahead.

How do you see BenQ Middle East contributing to the region’s wider digital transformation agenda?

Manish Bakshi: Our role is to be more than a technology provider; we want to be a transformation partner. Across education, corporate and consumer segments, our focus is on supporting the region’s ambitions through innovation that aligns with future needs. That includes smarter ecosystems, sustainability-driven design, AI-enabled solutions and technologies that improve both productivity and well-being.

The Middle East is not just adopting innovation; in many areas, it is helping define it. We want to be part of shaping that future.

What leadership principle will guide you into this next decade?

Manish Bakshi: One principle remains constant: technology must serve people. No matter how advanced innovation becomes, the human element stays central. Leadership today is increasingly about orchestration, bringing together people, ideas and technology to create value collectively.

The next decade will belong to organisations that combine intelligence with purpose. For us at BenQ, the future is not simply about building smarter technologies. It is about enabling smarter, more meaningful experiences. And that is the vision driving our next chapter.