Comparison · 16 material differences
Family Business Association vs Family Business Network (FBN)
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Business Association
Owners, family members, emerging-generation members and non-family executives of Australian and New Zealand family businesses, family enterprises and family offices, plus the…
Family-business organization
Family Business Network (FBN)
Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business
What the records say
- Minimum age: Family Business Association: No published minimum age; Family Business Network (FBN): Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34.
- Minimum ownership stake: Family Business Association: No published minimum ownership stake; Family Business Network (FBN): The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic direction.
- Accredited-investor status: Family Business Association: Advisor members (accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants) complete an accreditation course to become an FBA Accredited Advisor; Family Business Network (FBN): No published accredited-investor status.
- Geographic restriction: Family Business Association: Australia and New Zealand; Family Business Network (FBN): Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membership.
- Annual dues: Family Business Association: A$695 a year; Family Business Network (FBN): S$7,000 a year.
Side by side
| Family Business Association | Family Business Network (FBN) | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Family-business organization |
| Founded | 1998 (FBA dates the merger that created Family Business Australia to 1998, while tracing its origins to Family Business Services SA in 1992 and the Australian Family Business Network in 1995. It describes itself as supporting the sector for over 25 years.) | 1989 (Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, per FBN's own About page.) |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Geographic footprint | Australia and New Zealand, with team representatives across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and both New Zealand islands | A federation of 34 member associations covering 65 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed: FBA describes "a growing community of family business members and advisor members" and says 44 industries are represented across its membership, but publishes no member figure. | 25,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | FBA does not publish a chapter count. It lists team representation across seven Australian states and territories plus New Zealand's North and South Islands, and runs Forum Groups by region. | 34 |
| Primary audience | Owners, family members, emerging-generation members and non-family executives of Australian and New Zealand family businesses, family enterprises and family offices, plus the accountants, lawyers and consultants who advise them | Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business |
| Typical member | Members are people connected to a family business, family enterprise or family office in Australia or New Zealand, at any size and any stage: the association names start-up founders, family members in the business, the emerging generation, family business leaders, non-family executives, transitioning leaders and retired mentors as its audiences. A separate advisor membership serves accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants seeking FBA accreditation. | Members are individuals from families that own and control an operating business that has reached at least the second generation of family ownership, management or involvement. Membership is typically taken out in the name of the family or family company and then extends to family members including spouses and next-generation members from age 18. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum age | No published minimum age | Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34FBN Asia terms. FBN International describes its NxG community as covering members aged 18 to 40.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic directionStated as a qualitative test; no numeric ownership percentage is published. Criteria published by FBN Asia, the member association that discloses them most fully.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Accredited-investor status | Advisor members (accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants) complete an accreditation course to become an FBA Accredited AdvisorAdvisor dues fall from A$810 to A$635 plus GST once accreditation is complete.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Geographic restriction | Australia and New ZealandFBA describes itself as the peak body for families in business across Australia and New Zealand.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application process | Family businesses join online through the FBA join page by selecting Family Business Membership and adding further family members at the reduced rate; there is no published vetting. Advisors join on a separate track and then complete the accreditation course. Forum Group entry is a four-step process rather than a purchase: an expression of interest, a conversation with the Forum Group team about fit, an introduction to the proposed facilitator, then formal placement into a group of non-competing peers. | Applicants approach the FBN member association for their country or region rather than FBN International. At FBN Asia, the published route is to review the eligibility criteria, complete and submit an application form, then be contacted by the association to work through the remaining steps. Membership is normally taken in the name of the family business, with a principal member plus alternate, next-generation and supplementary family members nominated afterwards. FBN International's central contact address is connect@fbn-i.org. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed for membership, which appears open at the published rates. Forum Group placement is curated: the FBA team matches participants to a group of non-competing peers and both sides confirm the fit before joining. | Not publicly disclosed: FBN publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance rate or applicant volume. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | A$695 a yearFamily Business Membership, first family member, plus GST. Each additional member from the same family business joins for A$350 plus GST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | S$7,000 a yearFBN Asia corporate (family) membership, covering all members of the business family including spouses; FBN Asia states the rate drops to SGD 5,000 a year from year three. This is one member association's price, not a network-wide fee.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | All published prices exclude GST. Card payments attract a surcharge and processing fee; EFT does not. Prices are quoted in AUD; the join page also offers an NZD toggle. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | A$4,345 a yearIn-Person Forum Group: ten four-hour sessions a year, plus GST. Additional participants from the same family business pay A$3,695 plus GST. Requires an FBA Family Business Membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | FBN International publishes no network-wide dues. Fees are set by each member association and vary by country; the FBN Asia schedule above is recorded because it is published openly and gives an order of magnitude. |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual, renewed through the local member association |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Forum Groups meet ten times a year, monthly from February to November; plus a year-round calendar of local networking events, education courses and the annual Family Business Conference: Asia-Pacific | Local member-association events year-round plus FBN International global and regional summits; FBN Ireland reports roughly 750 member activities a year across the network |
| Peer forums | Small confidential peer groups of non-competing family business peers, led by an independent facilitator, meeting ten times a year for four hours in person or three hours online. Streams include In-Person, Virtual, Women in Forum and a two-year Emerging Leaders programme. Running since 1998 on a "what's said in the room stays in the room" rule. | Not a facilitated-forum organisation in the peer-advisory sense; FBN organises members into thematic communities (Next Generation, Impact, Now Gen, Entrepreneurs, Family Office, Large Families) alongside national associations |
| Confidentiality | Forum Groups operate on an explicit confidentiality rule dating to the programme's founding in 1998; FBA also publishes a Member Code of Conduct. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Forum Group participants commit to ten meetings a year, of four hours in person or three hours virtual | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Chapter-based, Virtual | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | Not documented |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | Yes | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Business Association · Family Business Network (FBN)