Svetlana Ivanova Participated as a Speaker at the Kommersant Legal Forum

On April 16, the legal forum “Law and Business 2026”, organized by Kommersant, took place in Samara.

Svetlana Ivanova, Head of Family and Inheritance Practice at IPN Partners, spoke at a session dedicated to estate planning instruments.

Topic: “Alternatives to the UAE for International Estate Planning: Where to Establish a Foundation and Where to Use a Trust?”

During the session, Svetlana discussed structuring instruments for international private assets as alternatives to the UAE, including foundations in the Seychelles, Panama, and Malaysia, as well as trusts in Hong Kong and Mauritius:

“Today, estate planning for relocated individuals is no longer merely a matter of legal convenience — it is a necessity for preserving control over assets. In nearly 100% of cases, individuals retain ties to Russia through registration records, which creates a high probability that Russian inheritance law may apply even to foreign assets. This gives rise to significant risks, ranging from mandatory spousal shares to the freezing of bank accounts due to the six-month inheritance acceptance period established under Russian law.

When choosing between available instruments, it is important to understand that wills and inheritance agreements merely express intent but do not protect against mandatory heirship claims. By contrast, private foundations in Russia and closed-end mutual investment funds (ZPIFs) effectively remove assets from the ownership of the deceased, thereby mitigating potential disputes while preserving control over the assets.

As for international structuring solutions, we are moving away from stereotypes and comparing jurisdictions based on strict criteria: taxation, confidentiality, and limitation periods applicable to creditor claims. If the objective is long-term reputation management and wealth structuring in Asia, Hong Kong should be considered. Labuan is optimal for combining asset ownership with operational business activities, while the Seychelles remain suitable for traditional estate planning with relatively low maintenance costs. Today, choosing a jurisdiction is a matter of balancing prestige with the actual level of asset protection.”