Labuan Trust Companies (Equity Trust/TMF, ZICO Trust, Noblehouse)
Non-Malaysian settlors and cross-border families wanting an offshore Malaysian trust for asset protection, succession, and tax planning rather than a domestic Malaysian estate plan
Trustee Footprint Index
66/100A reproducible score of public-record footprint and disclosure, not fees, quality or suitability. See the methodology. Disclosed scale is often self-reported.
| Category | Offshore / Labuan |
| Ownership | Mixed: TMF Trust Labuan (global, CVC-owned TMF Group); ZI Labuan Trust (ZICO Holdings, SGX-listed); Noblehouse (independent, family-owned) |
| Established | Noblehouse 1991; ZICO Trust 1996; Equity Trust (now TMF Trust Labuan) 1990s |
| Headquarters | Labuan (Federal Territory), Malaysia |
| Licensing | Labuan FSA under the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010; trusts governed by the Labuan Trusts Act 1996. Members of the Association of Labuan Trust Companies (ALTC). |
| Scale | Largely undisclosed. Noblehouse reports 200+ clients and (per RAM Ratings) RM2.4m revenue in FY2021; TMF and ZICO do not break out Labuan-specific figures. |
| Best for | Non-Malaysian settlors and cross-border families wanting an offshore Malaysian trust for asset protection, succession, and tax planning rather than a domestic Malaysian estate plan |
Labuan trust companies are a distinct category from onshore Malaysian trustees. They are licensed by Labuan FSA under the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010, and the trusts they administer are created under the Labuan Trusts Act 1996 rather than the Trustee Act 1949 that governs West Malaysian trusts. The pitch is offshore: strong statutory asset protection (including defences against foreign forced-heirship and creditor claims), the ability to name non-Malaysian settlors and beneficiaries, and favourable treatment under the Labuan tax regime. Labuan also offers structures onshore trustees generally do not, notably the private trust company (PTC), where a family sets up its own licensed company to act as trustee for connected persons, and Labuan Islamic trusts and foundations. All three named players belong to the Association of Labuan Trust Companies.
Equity Trust (Labuan) was part of the global Equity Trust fiduciary group. In January 2011 Doughty Hanson acquired Equity Trust and merged it into TMF Group in mid-2011; the Labuan entity now operates as TMF Trust Labuan Limited (Brumby Centre, Labuan). It is the most institutional of the three, backed by TMF Group's worldwide network, and focuses on fund administration, corporate services, and capital-markets trustee work rather than retail estate planning. TMF does not disclose Labuan-specific scale.
ZICO Trust has operated in Labuan since 1996 (the Labuan-licensed vehicle is ZI Labuan Trust Company Limited). It is part of ZICO Holdings, an ASEAN-focused professional-services group historically listed on the Singapore Exchange's Catalist board. Its Labuan menu covers Labuan company incorporation, resident secretary and nominee services, trust and foundation establishment (conventional and Islamic), fund administration, licence applications, and ship registration, with the group pitching a one-stop, ten-country ASEAN reach.
Noblehouse International Trust Ltd, founded in 1991, is the independent, family-owned option and describes itself as among the largest Labuan trust companies, with a portfolio of more than 200 clients. RAM Ratings has assigned it an "LECA2" rating (second-highest on that scale), citing a strong capacity to meet obligations, while noting FY2021 revenue of about RM2.4m, pre-tax profit near RM0.4m, and a disclosed contingent liability from a court case tied to its former role as nominee for three ex-clients. As with most Labuan trust companies, public disclosure across all three is thin: fees, assets under trusteeship, and detailed ownership are largely not published, so figures beyond those cited here could not be independently verified.
Services
- Labuan trust establishment and trusteeship
- Labuan foundations
- Labuan Islamic trusts and foundations
- Private trust company (PTC) setup and administration
- Labuan company incorporation and management
- Resident secretary, nominee directors and shareholders
- Fund administration and custodial services for wealth management
- Corporate, accounting and licence-application support
Strengths
- Regulated by Labuan FSA with a dedicated offshore trust statute (Labuan Trusts Act 1996) built for foreign settlors
- Strong statutory asset protection: Labuan trusts can be shielded from foreign forced-heirship and creditor claims
- Favourable tax treatment under the Labuan tax regime, including exemptions on many non-trading and foreign-source arrangements
- Can create Labuan Islamic trusts and foundations alongside conventional structures
- Options range from a global network (TMF) to an ASEAN group (ZICO) to a long-standing independent (Noblehouse)
Watch-outs
- Built for offshore and cross-border clients; less suited to a straightforward domestic Malaysian will or estate
- Very opaque: most Labuan trust companies publish little on fees, assets under trusteeship, or ownership
- Setup and annual maintenance costs are higher than an onshore trust, and Labuan structures draw more scrutiny post-BEPS and under economic-substance rules
- Noblehouse carried a disclosed contingent liability from a nominee-related court case (flagged by RAM Ratings)
- Names and providers shift: Equity Trust (Labuan) is now TMF Trust Labuan Limited after the 2011 TMF/Equity Trust merger
Official website: https://www.labuanibfc.com/service-providers/trust-and-corporate-service-providers