IE University, Franklin Templeton and OpenWealth Strengthen the IE Family Offices Knowledge Hub with the Addition of Cuatrecasas as a New Strategic Partner

Madrid, February 25, 2026. The IE Center for Families in Business at IE University, in collaboration with IE Foundation, held a new session this morning of the initiative promoted together with Franklin Templeton and OpenWealth (Grupo CaixaBank), the IE Family Offices Knowledge Hub, marking the incorporation of Cuatrecasas as a new strategic partner of the project. The event brought together a distinguished audience from the business, financial and academic communities. 

The addition of Cuatrecasas reinforces the hub’s cross-disciplinary nature, integrating academic insight, financial expertise and specialized legal advisory to address the real challenges faced by family offices in structuring, investing and managing wealth. 

The session focused on one of the most relevant areas for business families: investing in private markets from a tax and long-term perspective, in a context marked by the increasing sophistication and professionalization of these investment structures. 

Cristina Cruz, Director of the IE Center for Families in Business and Head of the IE Family Offices Knowledge Hub, opened the session by welcoming Cuatrecasas as a new strategic collaborator of the initiative. During her remarks, she presented progress on the global study currently underway on the role of family offices as investors in private markets, offering an initial overview of the research findings. 

Among the most relevant data points, she highlighted that 94% of the family offices surveyed invest in private markets and that, on average, 44% of their portfolios are allocated to this type of asset, confirming its strategic weight in their investment decisions. In line with the theme of the event, she also emphasized that 78% of respondents consider tax planning a key element in private market investing, reinforcing the need to integrate tax considerations into the design and structuring of these strategies. 

Javier Villegas, Managing Director of Franklin Templeton for Iberia and Latin America, then shared his perspective on the key trends shaping private markets in 2026 and the role played by family offices as long-term investors. 

Subsequently, Carlos Ferrer, Íñigo Bengoechea, and Paz Irazusta partners at Cuatrecasas, addressed the tax implications of investing in private markets—the central theme of the session—focusing on the importance of legal structuring and tax planning within the wealth strategies of business families. 

The event concluded with a panel moderated by Marta Alonso Jiménez, CEO of OpenWealth (Grupo CaixaBank), featuring several representatives of family offices. The discussion explored practical experiences in private market investing, its tax implications and the criteria guiding family offices’ decision-making in these markets.  

The initiative reaffirms the commitment of IE University, Franklin Templeton, OpenWealth (Grupo CaixaBank) and Cuatrecasas to generating rigorous and applied knowledge on family offices and their evolution as key players within the financial ecosystem.