Family Business Network (FBN) · Requirements

Family Business Network (FBN) membership requirements

Every criterion Family Business Network (FBN) publishes, with its source, the date it was verified and how confident we are in it — plus superseded figures, so you can see how the tests have moved.

A farmhouse kitchen table set for a family meeting — Illustration

Read a requirement as the organization's published floor, not as a promise. A revenue test may have alternative versions for different business types, chapters can set stricter local tests, and invitation-only bodies publish criteria that describe members rather than admit them.

Current published criteria

5 rows

Criterion	Published requirement	Note	Provenance
Minimum ownership stake	The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic direction	Stated 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 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Other criterion	The family must have reached at least the second generation in terms of ownership, management or involvement, with a commitment to succession	Published by FBN Asia as a core eligibility criterion.	Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Other criterion	The business must contribute significantly to the family's wealth, income and identity		Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Minimum age	Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34	FBN Asia terms. FBN International describes its NxG community as covering members aged 18 to 40.	Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗
Geographic restriction	Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membership		Verified September 2026High confidenceSource ↗

FBN International does not publish a single set of criteria. The tests recorded here are those published by FBN Asia, whose materials are the most complete; other member associations apply their own versions.

How admission works

Application process

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.

Invitation required

Sponsor required

— not documented by the organization or a source we could verify

Selectivity

Not publicly disclosed — FBN publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance rate or applicant volume.

Membership term

Annual, renewed through the local member association

Primary audience

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 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.

Do you appear to meet them?

The qualification tool reads these rows against a profile you give in ranges and explains which criteria appear met, unclear or unmet. Check your profile

If not: alternatives to Family Business Network (FBN) — Family Business Association, Family Business UK, Family Enterprise USA, Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center.

Last verified: 6 September 2026 Report an error on this page

Sources

Family Business Network, FBN International. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
About us — FBN, FBN International. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
Member Associations — FBN, FBN International. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 1
Membership — FBN Asia, FBN Asia. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
Become a Member — Family Business Network Asia, FBN Asia. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
FBN International — FBN Ireland, FBN Ireland. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2
How we connect — FBN Switzerland, FBN Switzerland. Accessed 6 September 2026.tier 2

Source tiers follow the published hierarchy: 1 official site · 2 official membership materials · 3 application documents · 4 annual reports · 5 government filings · 6 reliable business publications · 7 credible interviews · 8 other reputable secondary sources. Sources and data policy.