Why relationships still matter in Asia’s ultra-high-net-worth market 

Wealth advisory in Asia has always run on institutional pedigree and global brand names. Giig Tanaporn built Unique Prime Group on the opposite conviction: That in this region, relationships matter more than paper credentials. That bet is now defining how the industry consolidates.

Giig’s own career trajectory guides this belief. Her skills at explaining complex ideas clearly and building rapport – honed through her years as a television host – translated directly to advising clients comprising established families and business founders across Asia.

After establishing a practice across the region, Giig moved to Shanghai to deepen her exposure to the multidimensional needs of families operating across borders and expand the reach of her business advisory and global mobility work.

A client there asked her to formalise her advisory into a Singapore-based platform supporting families and business owners across the functions of international business planning, regional expansion, corporate transitions and legacy continuity. That request eventually formed the genesis of Unique Prime Group, which now offers wealth management, mergers and acquisitions advisory and succession planning across Asia.

Why Singapore is the natural base

Wealthy families in Bangkok, Seoul and Shanghai face different tax structures, regulatory environments and generational pressures. Yet many are looking for the same thing: an advisor who understands how wealth, business and family interests intersect across jurisdictions.

For Giig, choosing Singapore as Unique Prime Group’s home ground was strategic signalling; Singapore’s institutional stability and regulatory clarity provide a strong foundation for those conversations – an attractive proposition for prospective clients.

“Singapore, with its institutional machinery and financial infrastructure, lends us credibility with institutions and families across the region who trust the jurisdiction before they trust the firm,” she says.

For her, the choice also signifies her conviction in how the industry will evolve within the region. “I’m Thai, and I’ll always be Thai. But I built this in Singapore because this is where the region’s future will be decided.”

How wealth advisory is evolving in Asia

What began as a one-woman advisory practice has since grown to encompass corporate advisory, business expansion support and client services across multiple markets.

It’s a calculated positioning. Giig believes the next phase of growth in Asia’s wealth market will be driven by consolidation, as families seek to streamline relationships across wealth management, business succession and cross-border planning.

Unique Prime Group is poised to capture that evolution – a “new-generation Asian advisory group where wealth, structure, migration and succession are handled under one roof, with the intimacy of a private advisor and the reach of an institution”.

With this vision as its north star, Unique Prime Group will embark on its next expansion phase over the next five years. Its immediate priority: to deepen its regional partnerships, strengthen its operating platform, and prepare for the next stage of institutional growth.

That approach will come to life through Unique Prime 360° – Beyond the Gateway 2026, a by-invitation-only gala at Marina Bay Sands that brings together family office principals, investors and business leaders from across Asia. Speakers will include representatives from JP Morgan, BitGo and SM Universe, reflecting Giig’s belief that wealth conversations increasingly extend beyond traditional finance into areas such as digital assets, entrepreneurship and succession planning.

Rather than compete with global institutions on scale, Giig is focused on building a regional advisory platform shaped by local knowledge, trusted relationships and access to specialised expertise. As Asia’s wealthy families become more international in their outlook, she believes those qualities will matter as much as the size of the institution behind them.