Corient Acquires $2.6 Billion Cayman Islands Family Office

The Miami-based RIA adds FortCay Family Advisory, which serves 14 ultra-high-net-worth families, to establish its first presence in the offshore jurisdiction.

By the Family Office Real Estate Daily Desk·Monday, September 28, 2026·2 min read

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What family office did Corient acquire in the Cayman Islands and what are the deal details?

Corient has acquired FortCay Family Advisory, a $2.6 billion multi-family office based in the Cayman Islands, marking Corient's first presence in that jurisdiction. FortCay serves 14 ultra-high-net-worth families and was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty. Corient, headquartered in Miami, now manages approximately $572 billion in global assets across its expanding network.

Key facts

Corient acquired FortCay Family Advisory, a Cayman Islands-based multi-family office with $2.6 billion in assets under management.
FortCay Family Advisory serves 14 ultra-high-net-worth families and offers wealth management, estate planning and other family office services, according to the article.
FortCay was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty and is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.
Corient CEO Kurt MacAlpine said 'a meaningful share of the world's most complex family wealth is structured and administered in the Cayman Islands.'
Corient was founded in 2020 and has approximately $572 billion in global assets, according to the article.
Corient's parent lineage traces to CI Financial, a Toronto-based firm that was taken private in 2025 by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital.

Corient Acquires $2.6 Billion Cayman Islands Family Office — Image: editorial illustration · Story sourced from wealthmanagement.com

Corient acquired FortCay Family Advisory, a $2.6 billion multi-family office based in the Cayman Islands. The deal marks the Miami-based RIA's first entry into the offshore jurisdiction.

FortCay serves 14 ultra-high-net-worth families and offers wealth management, estate planning and other family office services. The firm was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty and is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

Harty worked as a Wall Street bond broker, at a German investment bank and brokerage firm in Ireland, before moving to the Caymans, where he was an investment advisor for RBC Dominion Securities and headed a London-headquartered multi-family office, according to the firm's site. Houghton served as chief executive of GroupHealth Benefit Solutions, a Canada-based benefits plan administrator, for nearly 15 years and remains on the board.

"A meaningful share of the world's most complex family wealth is structured and administered in the Cayman Islands," Corient Chief Executive Kurt MacAlpine said. "Many of our clients live, work and invest across borders - establishing a presence in Cayman deepens our ability to serve them."

Houghton and Harty said the move would give their firm access to the depth and scale of a global firm. MacAlpine lauded the firm's outstanding business.

Corient was founded in 2020 and has become one of the world's largest RIAs, with about $572 billion in global assets. The firm spawned from the rebranding of the U.S. wealth business of Toronto-based CI Financial, which was taken private in 2025 by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital.

The FortCay acquisition is the latest in a rapid expansion. Last month, Corient announced a deal to buy Summit Trail Advisors, a New York-based RIA with the Dynasty Financial Partners Network overseeing $21 billion in client assets. Summit Trail launched when a group of former Barclays advisors left to form their own team. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

Other acquisitions this year include Seven Bridges Advisors, a New York-based RIA with $4.9 billion in managed assets, and two U.K. firms overseeing a combined $175 billion in assets. Corient also acquired the Bedrock Group, a European wealth manager with $10.7 billion in assets, with offices in Geneva, London, Monaco and Lisbon. The firm bought Capital Advisors, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based wealth manager with $7.8 billion in managed assets, with a presence in Texas and seven other states.

In an interview last month, MacAlpine detailed his push for a global wealth manager. He said Corient was the only choice in that regard, arguing that banks may be multi-jurisdictional but aren't global, with local silos, local P&Ls and local compensation plans. "That set of circumstances does not set people up well for collaboration because it's zero-sum," he said. "In our model, when we have a client across four jurisdictions that wants to consolidate assets, every single person here who's a partner is in the same equity."

The Deployment Angle

Family Office Real Estate Daily Desk · our analysis, not the source's

Family offices with Cayman structures should evaluate whether consolidation under a single global platform creates operational efficiency or introduces new counterparty risk. Corient's partner equity model aims to eliminate jurisdictional silos, but principals need to verify that cross-border collaboration is contractual, not aspirational.

The FortCay deal implies a $2.6 billion valuation spread across 14 families, or roughly $186 million per family on average. That scale suggests the acquired client base includes operating-company liquidity events or multi-generational trusts. If your family office is evaluating a sale or partnership, that per-family benchmark is a starting point for pricing discussions, adjusted for fee run-rate and complexity.

Corient's $572 billion in global assets and its backing by Mubadala Capital position it as a potential co-investment counterparty for direct deals. Family offices considering manager relationships in private markets should ask whether the platform can offer co-GP economics or separate-account structures, not just aggregated fund exposure. The cross-border footprint is an advantage only if it translates to deal flow in your target geographies.

Offshore jurisdiction choice is not static. The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority registration signals regulatory substance, but tax treaties, beneficial ownership reporting and succession law evolve. Families with existing Cayman structures should re-underwrite the jurisdiction annually with tax counsel, particularly if U.S. or European domicile changes are under consideration.

Questions this story answers

01Why did Corient acquire a Cayman Islands family office?

Corient CEO Kurt MacAlpine said the acquisition establishes Corient's first presence in the Cayman Islands because 'a meaningful share of the world's most complex family wealth is structured and administered' there. MacAlpine also noted that many Corient clients live, work and invest across borders, and a Cayman presence deepens the firm's ability to serve them.

02How large is FortCay Family Advisory and how many families does it serve?

FortCay Family Advisory manages $2.6 billion in assets and serves 14 ultra-high-net-worth families. The firm offers wealth management, estate planning and other family office services. FortCay was founded in 2023 by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty and is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

03How large is Corient after its recent acquisitions?

Corient has approximately $572 billion in global assets, according to the article. Recent acquisitions include FortCay Family Advisory ($2.6 billion), Summit Trail Advisors ($21 billion), Seven Bridges Advisors ($4.9 billion), two U.K. firms with a combined $175 billion, the Bedrock Group ($10.7 billion) and Capital Advisors ($7.8 billion).

04Who founded FortCay Family Advisory and what are their backgrounds?

FortCay Family Advisory was founded by Matt Houghton and Billy Harty. According to the article, Harty previously worked as a Wall Street bond broker, at a German investment bank, at a brokerage firm in Ireland, as an investment advisor for RBC Dominion Securities, and headed a London-headquartered multi-family office. Houghton served as CEO of GroupHealth Benefit Solutions, a Canada-based benefits plan administrator, for nearly 15 years.

05Who owns Corient and where is it headquartered?

Corient is headquartered in Miami and was founded in 2020. The firm emerged from the rebranding of the U.S. wealth business of Toronto-based CI Financial. CI Financial was taken private in 2025 by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital, according to the article.

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