The business has subsidiaries in several countries
A holding company can centralize ownership and simplify governance, reporting and dividend planning.
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Centralize ownership, protect assets and prepare your business for international growth.
We help business owners, founders, investors and family groups create foreign holding company structures for shares, subsidiaries, intellectual property, real estate, investment assets and international business operations.
A holding company can provide a clearer ownership framework, support tax-efficient dividend planning, separate operating risks from strategic assets, improve investor confidence and make the business easier to manage, finance, transfer or sell.
Our work covers jurisdiction selection, holding structure design, company formation, subsidiary planning, tax coordination, corporate governance, banking readiness, reporting and ongoing administration.
As a business grows, one operating company may no longer be enough. A foreign holding company can be used to own:
This allows the client to separate day-to-day business risks from long-term ownership and control.
From centralized ownership to succession planning — the outcomes a well-designed holding structure supports.
A holding company can own several subsidiaries or assets under one parent structure. This makes the ownership chain clearer and easier to manage.
Strategic assets can be separated from operational risks, commercial disputes, creditor pressure or local jurisdictional instability.
A holding structure can help organize dividends, intercompany payments and profit repatriation in a more predictable and tax-aware way.
Investors, lenders and buyers often prefer a clean holding structure with clear ownership, reporting and governance.
A dedicated holding company can own software, trademarks, patents, licences, brands and other intellectual property used by operating companies.
A holding structure can support inheritance planning, transfer of control, family governance and long-term continuity of business ownership.
Typical moments where a holding structure removes risk and creates room to grow.
A holding company can centralize ownership and simplify governance, reporting and dividend planning.
Real estate, IP, shares or investment assets can be separated from operating companies that carry commercial risk.
A holding structure may make the business easier to understand, value, finance and invest in.
Software, trademarks, brands and licences may need to be owned by a dedicated company and licensed to operating entities.
A structure created years ago may no longer match tax rules, banking expectations, substance requirements, beneficial ownership rules or investor expectations.
Changes in personal tax residence, family planning or inheritance goals may require a more sophisticated ownership structure.
Six types of company, combined to fit the client's operations, assets and long-term plans.
Companies that own operating subsidiaries, asset-holding companies, IP companies or investment vehicles.
Intermediate companies used to separate business lines, countries, assets, partners or investor groups.
Companies that conduct commercial activity, sign contracts, employ staff, invoice clients or operate locally.
Companies that own and license software, trademarks, brands, patents, platforms, databases and other intellectual property.
Companies used to own real estate, vehicles, yachts, aircraft, investment portfolios or valuable movable property.
Companies used for financing, shareholder loans, group treasury, investment activity or capital allocation.
From structure analysis through to ongoing administration — covering jurisdictions, design, formation, tax, substance and banking.
We review the client's existing companies, shareholders, directors, assets, contracts, banks, payment flows and tax position. This helps identify:
We compare jurisdictions for the holding company based on legal, tax and practical factors. This may include:
We do not select a holding jurisdiction based only on tax rates. The structure must work for banks, auditors, tax authorities, investors and counterparties.
We design the ownership structure around the client's commercial and private goals. This may include:
The structure should be understandable, documented and commercially justifiable.
We coordinate the formation and administration of the holding company and related entities. This may include:
If the client already has operating companies, we help plan how they may be owned by the holding company. If the structure is new, we help create the group from the beginning. This may include:
A holding structure must be tax-aware from the start. We coordinate analysis of:
The aim is to create a lawful and defensible structure, not an artificial tax arrangement.
Modern holding structures often require real governance and economic logic. We help plan and document:
This reduces the risk that the holding company is treated as a purely artificial or unsupported structure.
Banks and payment providers often review holding structures carefully. We help prepare:
This makes the structure easier to explain during bank onboarding or review.
Where the group owns valuable intellectual property, we help structure IP ownership and licensing. This may include:
This is especially important for SaaS, fintech, crypto, digital platforms, media businesses and technology companies.
A holding company must be maintained after incorporation. We support:
Seven structured stages from initial consultation through to ongoing maintenance.
We review the client's business, assets, current companies, ownership chain, tax residence, banking needs and long-term goals.
At this stage, we determine whether a holding company is appropriate and what structure may be required.
We compare possible holding jurisdictions and evaluate the legal, tax, banking, reporting and compliance implications.
This includes reviewing DTT, CFC, substance, AML/KYC, beneficial ownership and reporting considerations.
We create a practical structure showing the parent company, subsidiaries, sub-holdings, asset companies, IP companies and payment flows where relevant.
The result may include an ownership chart, implementation roadmap and list of required documents.
We coordinate incorporation of the holding company and any required subsidiaries or related companies.
This includes corporate documentation, registered office, corporate secretary, directors, shareholders, registers and initial resolutions.
Where needed, we help transfer shares, IP rights, assets or intercompany relationships into the new holding structure.
This may require local legal, tax, accounting or registry coordination.
We help prepare the structure for bank onboarding, tax registration, accounting, reporting calendar, audit coordination and compliance review.
We support annual renewals, reporting, governance, changes in ownership, dividend documentation, investor due diligence and future restructuring.
From founders separating operations from ownership to family offices planning succession.
For clients who need to separate ownership from operations and create a clearer long-term structure.
For companies operating through several entities, jurisdictions or business lines.
For companies that need to hold software, platforms, brands or licences separately from operating risk.
For clients holding shares, real estate, investment assets or family business interests.
For businesses that need a clean ownership structure before due diligence, financing or M&A.
Four principles guide every holding company engagement.
Holding structures usually involve several jurisdictions, tax systems, banking relationships and reporting regimes. We connect these elements into one practical structure.
We help not only with the structure, but also with company formation, documentation, banking readiness, reporting and ongoing administration.
We design holding structures that can be explained to banks, auditors, tax authorities, investors and regulators.
We consider not only the immediate setup, but also future growth, dividends, investor entry, succession, sale and restructuring.
By the end of the process, the client receives a structured and documented foreign holding framework. This may include a selected holding jurisdiction, an incorporated holding company, subsidiaries or a sub-holding structure, an ownership chart, corporate records, shareholder and director documentation, intercompany agreements, a dividend and tax planning roadmap, a banking support file, substance and governance recommendations and a reporting and maintenance calendar. The result is a holding structure that can support business expansion, asset protection, tax planning, investor readiness and long-term ownership control.
Foreign holding structures must comply with applicable corporate, tax, reporting, AML, sanctions, beneficial ownership, substance, exchange control and anti-avoidance rules. We do not assist with sham structures, false ownership records, tax evasion, sanctions circumvention, concealment of assets, fraudulent transfers or structures intended to mislead banks, courts, tax authorities, creditors or regulators. Where a proposed structure creates legal, tax, sanctions, creditor, family law or reputational risk, we may recommend a safer alternative or decline the matter.
International legal advisory for founders, investors, and businesses operating across borders.
Office 2001-72 Prime Tower,
Business Bay,
Dubai, UAE
+971 4 000 0000
Mon–Fri, 10:00–19:00 (GMT+4)
