Company formations and structuring, built to survive the audit.
A structure on paper is not a structure. We form operating entities with real substance, real banking, real licensing and real reporting across 33 jurisdictions — and we coordinate the file so the regulator, the bank and the auditor see the same story.
Jurisdictions we form companies in
35 jurisdictionsEvery jurisdiction below is a live mandate, not a brochure. Each has its own briefing — costs, timeline, substance, banking, best-fit use cases. If the jurisdiction you need isn't listed, it usually means we won't form there — ask on the call.
Caribbean
3Crown Dependency
3APAC
3MENA
4United Arab Emirates
9% corporate tax above AED 375k (free zones 0% on qualifying)
DIFC (Dubai)
0% on qualifying income (9% otherwise)
ADGM (Abu Dhabi)
0% on qualifying income (9% otherwise)
RAK ICC
0% on qualifying income
EU
6Malta
35% headline, ~5% effective via refund system
Estonia
0% on retained earnings, 20% on distributions
Cyprus
12.5% corporate, NID brings effective lower
Ireland
12.5% trading, 15% Pillar 2 for large groups
Luxembourg
24.94% effective; SOPARFI structuring lowers materially
Netherlands
25.8% corporate; participation exemption for holdings
EU-adjacent
4North America
2Latin America
2Africa-adjacent
1Pacific
4Four pillars of a defensible structure.
Jurisdiction selection
Backwards from tax residency, banking access, regulator posture, talent and the exit plan. We frequently advise against the jurisdiction the client arrived with.
Substance build-out
Directors, registered office, employees, board minutes, transfer-pricing files, contractual arrangements. The substance that makes the structure defensible under ESA, ATAD, BEPS and CFC rules.
Coordination
We sit between licensing counsel, tax counsel, banking, audit and the corporate-services provider in each jurisdiction. One coherent file.
Maintenance
Annual filings, periodic reviews, BO updates, regulatory reporting, ESA notifications. The discipline that keeps a structure alive past year three.
What founders actually ask before they commit.
Which jurisdictions do you actually form companies in?
Live coverage across 33 jurisdictions: BVI, Cayman, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Seychelles, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Labuan, Mauritius, UAE (mainland, DIFC, ADGM, RAK ICC), Malta, Estonia, Cyprus, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Monaco, Andorra, Georgia, Panama, Paraguay, Delaware, and Wyoming. Each has its own detail page below with cost, timeline, substance, banking and best-use notes.
How do you choose the right jurisdiction?
Backwards from tax residency, banking access, regulator posture, talent, and the exit plan. The cheapest formation is rarely the cheapest structure once banking, audit and regulator friction are priced in. We frequently advise against the jurisdiction the client arrived with.
Can you handle multi-jurisdictional groups?
Yes. Most operating groups need a topco, a holdco, a regulated opco and one or more IP/treasury vehicles — across two to five jurisdictions. We design the chain, coordinate counsel in each jurisdiction, and own the timeline end-to-end.
Do you build real substance or just paper companies?
Substance only. Director and officer appointments, registered office, employees, board minutes, transfer-pricing files, contractual arrangements. Substance Acts in BVI, Cayman, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, IoM, UAE and Mauritius mean the paper-only era is over.
Do you handle licensing?
We coordinate with specialist licensing counsel in each jurisdiction — VARA in UAE, MAS in Singapore, SFC in Hong Kong, DFSA in DIFC, FSRA in ADGM, MFSA in Malta, CIMA in Cayman. Our role is making sure the corporate structure is the right vehicle for the licence.
How long does formation typically take?
Delaware, Wyoming, Singapore, Estonia and Georgia can be filed in one to three days. BVI, Seychelles and most Caribbean / Pacific jurisdictions in three to seven days. Hong Kong, Mauritius and Labuan in one to two weeks. UAE free zones, DIFC, ADGM, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein in two to four weeks. Monaco is a multi-month process.
What about banking?
Banking is sequenced with formation, not after it. A Cayman fund needs a prime broker before it has investors. A UAE opco needs Emirates NBD or Mashreq before it has trading flow. See the banking and payment-rails practice for the live institution map.
Can you redomicile an existing entity?
Yes — BVI, Cayman, Jersey, Guernsey, IoM, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mauritius, Malta and Singapore all support inward continuation. Often used to move out of a deteriorating jurisdiction without triggering disposal events.
Can you take over an existing structure?
Yes. A large part of our work is fixing structures built without coordination — replacing the registered agent, rebuilding substance, re-sequencing the banking, and reconciling the transfer-pricing file.
How is this priced?
A flat advisory retainer plus per-jurisdiction formation and substance fees, quoted in writing after a 30-minute partner call. No pitch deck.
One coherent file, not five disconnected ones.
A confidential 30-minute call. We map the operating reality, the tax-residency picture and the licensing exposure, then send a written structure proposal with jurisdictions, costs and timelines.