Services / 03
AML compliance, regulatory approvals and corporate governance services in the UAE
Compliance and governance
The work after the licence and the incorporation: approvals, AML and KYC frameworks, boards, registers and filings. The part that decides whether a structure survives its first inspection.
Approved is not finished.
Conditions, renewals and changes of control are where licensed groups get into trouble. We keep the calendar.
VAT returns: usually quarterly. Corporate tax return: once a year. Licence renewal: once a year. Annual filings: once a year. UBO register: on each change of ownership.
A year in filings. How often each recurring obligation comes round; the dates follow your financial year and your licence.
Regulatory approvals
Most regulated groups need approval before they change. We plan and file it before the change, not after.
What we do
- Change of control and shareholder approvals
- Approved persons and key individuals
- Variations of licence scope
- Notifications and regulator correspondence
AML and KYC compliance, goAML registration
A framework that fits the business and holds up in an inspection.
What we do
- Business-wide risk assessment
- AML / CFT policies, procedures and controls
- Customer due diligence and UBO records
- goAML registration and reporting set-up (UAE)
- MLRO and compliance officer support
Governance
Boards, committees and records that match how the group actually makes decisions.
What we do
- Board and committee structures
- Company secretarial services
- Registers, resolutions and minute books
- Annual filings and licence renewals
Example
Change of control
A new investor takes a stake in the holding company. The route shows where the regulator’s approval is needed before completion.
Illustrative only.
FAQ / Questions
Questions we are asked.
What is goAML registration?
goAML is the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit’s platform for suspicious transaction reports and other filings. Financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions must register and report through it.
What is a UBO register?
UAE companies must identify their ultimate beneficial owners, keep a register of them and file it with their registrar, updating it when ownership changes.
Do I need regulator approval for a change of control?
Usually yes for a licensed entity. A new controlling shareholder, or a change above the thresholds in the licence rules, normally needs prior approval. We plan and file it before completion.
Bring us the complicated one.
Tell us what you are building, where, and what stands in the way. A principal replies, not a sales desk.