Universal Trustees

What Universal Trustees does

Universal Trustees Private Limited is a Mumbai-based professional services firm incorporated on August 3, 2010, and operating since January 2011, that delivers trusteeship, estate planning, and asset protection services to ultra high net worth individuals, family businesses, charitable institutions, and corporate clients across India. The firm operates an integrated portfolio of eight service modules — Estate & Succession Planning, Trust Creation & Management, Family Constitution, Asset Ring-fencing, Will & Execution Services, Fiduciary Services (acting as trustee/administrator for private, business, and charitable trusts), Pre-IPO & IPO Related Legal Services (escrow, monitoring agency, debenture/securities trustee), and Charitable Trust Administration — delivered as a unified branded offering rather than separate product lines. Its first three years (2011–2014) were exclusively dedicated to serving ICICI Bank's clients, after which it broadened to serve a wider financial-sector audience.

The firm was founded by Dileep Choksi (former Joint Managing Partner of Deloitte India, dedicated to succession planning and tax advisory) and Pradip Shah (Founder Managing Director of CRISIL and co-founder of HDFC), with institutional shareholders including ICICI Bank Group, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie (Switzerland), and CIM Financial Services (Mauritius). The current leadership and board draw on veterans from ICICI Bank (including Chairperson H.N. Sinor, former Joint MD), Khaitan & Co, Central Bank of India, National Housing Bank, Amazon UK, and other institutions, with MD & CEO Ashish Nasa (ex-ICICI Bank, 22+ years) leading operations. Revenue is generated through managed-services fees for ongoing trust administration and fiduciary roles, and professional-services fees for advisory and legal engagements, with pricing bespoke to each engagement. Go-to-market relies on direct advisory relationships led by senior professionals, institutional referrals (anchored by ICICI Bank and Lombard Odier), and content marketing through the company website and newsletter.

The firm's underlying technology is described as 'technology-enabled processes' supporting onboarding, workflow management, governance, and accounting, with a fully integrated platform reportedly in development to enhance transparency and operational discipline. It currently operates from a single headquarters office at Nariman Point, Mumbai, with primary presence in India and stated strategic ambition to extend capabilities to global centers for internationally mobile families. In 2025 it was recognised by Capital Finance International (CFI.co) with the Award for Excellence in Structuring Generational Wealth in India.

Name

Universal Trustees

Legal name

Universal Trustees Private Limited

Website

https://universaltrustees.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Universal Trustees is a Mumbai-based private professional services firm providing estate planning, trust creation, fiduciary, and pre-IPO trusteeship services to ultra high net worth individuals, family businesses, charitable institutions, and corporate clients across India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trusteeship and Fiduciary Services

akta.pro primary industry

Personal & Family Trust Services (FSAAANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services (FSAAANAL), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services (FSAEAKAG), Structured Finance Legal, Trustee & Administration (FSACACAJ)

Keywords

• Trusteeship services
• Estate planning
• Succession planning
• Trust administration
• Fiduciary services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Trusteeship Services: Fees for acting as trustee and administrator for private trusts, business trusts, and charitable trusts. Managing trust assets in line with trust deeds.
2. Estate & Succession Planning Advisory: Advisory services for creating succession frameworks, family constitutions, and asset protection structures.
3. Fiduciary Services: Escrow account management, security trustee services, and AIF trusteeship services with associated fees.
4. Pre-IPO & IPO Related Legal Services: Trustee services for pre-IPO fund allocation, escrow account management, and monitoring agency services for fund utilization post-IPO.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Universal Trustees is a specialist trusteeship services firm that creates, administers, and acts as trustee for private, business, and charitable trusts on behalf of ultra high net worth families, family businesses, charitable institutions, and corporate clients. Its service portfolio spans estate and succession planning, trust creation and management, family constitution drafting, asset ring-fencing, will execution, fiduciary services, and pre-IPO/IPO-related trustee and monitoring agency engagements.

Product overview

Universal Trustees operates as a single-service trusteeship platform offering eight integrated service modules focused on wealth protection and succession planning. The core offerings include Estate & Succession Planning, Trust Creation & Management, and Fiduciary Services, which form the primary value proposition. These are complemented by specialized advisory services (Family Constitution, Asset Ring-fencing, Will & Execution Services) and capital markets services (Pre-IPO & IPO Related Legal Services, Charitable Trust Administration). The company employs technology-enabled processes for onboarding, workflow management, governance, and accounting operations. No individual product brands exist—all services are delivered under the Universal Trustees brand as a unified service portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate & Succession Planning Advisory service providing structured succession frameworks, entity structures to minimise liabilities, and guidance on industry best practices for managing and transferring wealth across generations, targeted at ultra high net worth families and family businesses.
• Trust Creation & Management Comprehensive trust lifecycle service including structure advice, trust deed drafting, regulatory compliance, PAN/TAN facilitation, asset settlement, distributions management, periodic reviews, and tax filing support, for clients establishing and operating private, business, or charitable trusts.
• Family Constitution Advisory service establishing governance frameworks for family businesses including vision/mission documentation, succession rules, decision-making protocols, ownership guidelines, conflict resolution, and exit strategies, for promoter-led and family-owned enterprises.
• Asset Ring-fencing Advisory service for protecting assets against personal or professional liabilities through entity creation, asset structuring, and regulatory cost minimisation strategies, targeted at ultra high net worth families and businesses facing liability exposure.
• Will & Execution Services End-to-end will preparation and probate execution service including will drafting, registration guidance, co-executor coordination, probate petition filing, estate entity management, and final settlement statement preparation, for individuals and families requiring estate administration.
• Fiduciary Services Trustee and administrator services for private, business, and charitable trusts including asset management, secure asset transfers, escrow account maintenance, payment tracking, and compliance with local and international laws, for trust settlors, beneficiaries, and capital markets participants.
• Pre-IPO & IPO Related Legal Services Capital markets advisory including pre-IPO fund allocation trustee services, escrow management, due diligence support, post-IPO monitoring agency role, and securities/debenture trustee services for unlisted instruments, for issuers, AIFs, and corporate clients undergoing IPO or capital markets transactions.
• Creation and Administration of Charitable Trusts Full-service charitable trust management including Charity Commissioner registration, Income Tax Section 12A and 80G certifications, annual budget filing, audits, IT returns, and FCRA registration, for charitable institutions and philanthropic foundations.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Khaitan & Co: One of India's leading law firms with a strong private client and wealth structuring practice. Director Udayan Choksi is a partner there; firm is adjacent rather than directly competitive, often co-serving UHNI succession matters.
• Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas: Top-tier Indian law firm with a substantial private wealth, trust, and estate planning practice. Adjacent competitor for advisory mandates and a potential referral partner for trustee appointments.

Direct peers

• IDBI Trusteeship Services Limited: Large India-based trustee company providing debenture trustee, securitisation trustee, and escrow services. Comparable as a bank-affiliated incumbent competing for many of the same institutional and pre-IPO mandates.
• TMF Group: Global provider of trust, fiduciary, and corporate services with presence in India. Competes for cross-border trust administration, succession planning, and corporate trustee mandates, especially for internationally mobile Indian families.
• KCT Trusteeship Services Limited: Indian trusteeship services firm focused on debenture, security trustee, and escrow mandates. Comparable for institutional and corporate trustee business overlapping with Universal Trustees' capital markets service line.
• Axis Trustee Services Limited: Bank-affiliated trustee company offering a wide range of trustee services in India including debenture, security, and securitisation trusteeship. Competes for institutional and capital markets mandates alongside Universal Trustees.
• Beacon Trusteeship Limited: Indian trusteeship services firm offering debenture trustee, security trustee, and escrow services. Directly comparable as a domestic professional trustee competing for the same corporate and institutional mandates as Universal Trustees.
• SBICAP Trusteeship Services Limited: Indian trustee company providing security trustee, debenture trustee, and securitisation services. Comparable as a domestic institutional trustee competing for capital markets and corporate trust mandates.
• Vistra (Vistra ITCL India): Global trust, fiduciary, and corporate services group with significant India operations through ITCL. Direct peer for cross-border trust structuring, escrow, and capital markets trusteeship mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universal-trustees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Universal Trustees