Financial
Verification of financial records, quality of earnings, working capital, debt structure and the assumptions underpinning the price you are being asked to pay.
M&A and Investment Risk
M&A, investment and financial due diligence
Know who you are buying before the money moves
A clean balance sheet does not tell you whether a target's owners are who they claim to be, whether a director sits on a sanctions list, or whether a competitor has wired the boardroom. Our M&A due diligence in the UAE pairs financial due diligence consulting with corporate intelligence, so the numbers, the people behind them, and the risks around them are verified before you commit. We work from the Dubai World Trade Center across the UAE and the wider GCC, and bring local regulatory knowledge together with a Switzerland headquarters and offices in Italy, the UK, the USA, Hong Kong, South Africa and Brazil.
Ownership verifiedUBOs traced to natural persons
Earnings testedQuality of earnings, not just totals
Reputation screenedAdverse media, sanctions, PEPs
Why a clean audit is only half the picture
Financial due diligence answers "how much", intelligence answers "who" and "what if"
Most financial due diligence services in the UAE stop at the financial statements: revenue trends, quality of earnings, working capital, debt and tax exposure. That work matters, and we do it. But the failures that destroy deal value rarely sit in the numbers. They surface months after closing as an undisclosed dispute, an owner who is not the real owner, a director with a regulatory history, or a key contract that terminates the moment control changes hands.
As a buyer, investor or partner considering a merger, acquisition, joint venture or strategic investment, you need the financial, legal, regulatory, operational, reputational and compliance risks identified and mitigated before the transaction is completed, not explained afterwards. That is the brief we work to. Our financial due diligence consulting is built into a wider corporate intelligence engagement rather than handed off in isolation.
What we investigate
Six risk dimensions in one M&A financial due diligence engagement
Legal and regulatory
Assessment of litigation and regulatory exposure, licensing, and approvals across mainland and free zone structures including DIFC, ADGM and DMCC.
Ownership and people
Background checks on companies, shareholders, directors and key executives, with beneficial ownership traced through holding structures to the natural persons in control.
Compliance and sanctions
Fraud detection, sanctions and compliance screening, and PEP checks against the lists that determine whether you can lawfully complete the deal at all.
Reputational and ESG
Reputation analysis and adverse media review covering the target, its leadership and its associates, plus ESG-related exposure that can erode value after completion.
Market, geopolitical and cyber
Market and geopolitical risk that could affect the value of the investment, and cybersecurity exposure in the target's systems and, where it matters, your own deal room.
Numbers vs. the full picture
What a financial-only review tends to miss
×Financial due diligence on its own
- Confirms the figures, but not whether the people behind them are who they say.
- Reads disclosed contracts, but not the undisclosed dispute or the change-of-control clause.
- Checks the accounts, but not the sanctions, PEP and adverse-media exposure of owners and directors.
- Values the business as presented, leaving reputational and integrity surprises for after closing.
✓Financial due diligence plus corporate intelligence
- Ownership and control verified through to the beneficial owners behind the structure.
- Litigation, regulatory actions and hidden liabilities surfaced before they reach your balance sheet.
- Sanctions, compliance and fraud screening run alongside the financial review, not after it.
- Findings priced into your negotiation, so the risk shapes the terms rather than the regret.
How an engagement runs
A due diligence process built around your decision points
01
Scope and define
We agree the deal type, the jurisdictions involved and where the risk is concentrated, then set a scope matched to the transaction rather than a generic checklist.
02
Verify and investigate
Financial records, ownership structures, litigation and regulatory exposure, sanctions and PEP lists, and reputation are checked in parallel through open sources and discreet enquiry.
03
Analyse and red-flag
Findings are weighed against the deal thesis. Red flags are separated from noise, and each material issue is tied to its effect on value, terms or the decision to proceed.
04
Report and support
You receive a clear, issue-driven report. We stay available through negotiation and, for cross-border deals, support the questions that arise as the structure firms up.
Before you signBring us in early enough to shape the terms, not just confirm them. We work to certainty in cost, time and results.
Speak with an Advisor
What you receive
An evidence-based dossier you can act on
Findings are presented as a structured, issue-led report, written for decision-makers and handled in strict confidence. Where a finding changes the picture, it is flagged plainly, with the source and the implication for the deal. Our integrity and reputational work draws on the same discipline as a standalone corporate reputational dossier, applied to the target and its principals.
- Verification of financial records and reported earnings
- Ownership and corporate structure mapping
- Beneficial ownership traced to natural persons
- Background checks on directors and key executives
- Litigation and regulatory exposure review
- Sanctions, PEP and watchlist screening
- Fraud and misrepresentation indicators
- Adverse media and reputation analysis
- Market and geopolitical risk context
- Cybersecurity and ESG exposure notes
- Cross-border and multi-jurisdiction coverage
- Clear red-flag summary tied to deal impact
Grounded in the UAE, connected globally
Local regulatory knowledge, applied to cross-border deals
UAE private company records are not openly accessible, and the structures behind a deal often span free zones, the mainland and offshore holdings. Meaningful diligence here depends on knowing where to look and how to read what comes back. Our base at the Dubai World Trade Center, combined with our Switzerland headquarters and a global office network, lets us follow ownership and reputation across borders rather than stopping at the emirate line.
- Mainland and free zone structures, including DIFC, ADGM and DMCC
- Beneficial ownership and sanctions checks aligned to UAE compliance expectations
- Coverage across the UAE, the wider GCC and the markets your target touches
Where deeper investigation is warranted, the engagement extends naturally into our investigative and enhanced due diligence work, and into broader corporate due diligence advisory when a transaction needs ongoing support.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is part of the work, not a footnote
Discreet by default
Enquiries are designed not to alert the target or disturb the transaction. The investigation is conducted so that your interest, and your identity where needed, stay protected throughout.
Lawful sources only
Research draws on public records, regulated databases and legitimate human enquiry. We work within the UAE regulatory framework and present findings you can rely on and defend.
Secure handling
For high-value negotiations, the same group also protects the room itself: sanctions and compliance screening on one side, and counter-surveillance for sensitive meetings on the other.
Matched to the transaction
How scope shifts by deal type
| Focus area | Acquisition | Minority investment | Joint venture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial verification and earnings quality | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beneficial ownership and control | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Director and executive background checks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Litigation and regulatory exposure | ✓ | Scoped to stake | ✓ |
| Partner integrity and track record | As needed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Counter-surveillance for negotiations | On request | On request | On request |
Who we work with
Built for the people who carry the risk of the decision
Investors and private equity
Buy-side intelligence on targets, founders and co-investors before capital is committed.
Acquirers and corporate development
Pre-LOI checks on a merger target's leadership, ownership and hidden liabilities.
Legal and compliance teams
Investigative support that complements the legal review and documents the assessment.
Family offices and HNW investors
Discreet verification of partners, structures and counterparties on private deals.
Frequently asked
M&A and investment due diligence: common questions
What is the difference between financial due diligence and the work you do?
Financial due diligence verifies the numbers: earnings quality, working capital, debt and tax exposure. We deliver that, then add the dimensions a financial review cannot reach, namely who controls the company, whether owners or directors carry sanctions, litigation or reputational risk, and what market, geopolitical, cybersecurity and ESG factors could affect value. The financial picture and the intelligence picture are built together, so risks are connected rather than examined in separate silos.
How do you verify ownership and beneficial owners in the UAE?
UAE private company records are not openly accessible, so meaningful verification depends on the right sources and methods. We map the corporate structure, trace ownership through holding entities to the natural persons in control, and screen those individuals against sanctions and PEP lists. This matters because a hidden or sanctioned beneficial owner can stop a deal completing or expose the buyer to regulatory penalties after closing.
Can you support cross-border transactions?
Yes. We operate from the Dubai World Trade Center with a Switzerland headquarters and offices in Italy, the UK, the USA, Hong Kong, South Africa and Brazil. That network lets us follow ownership, litigation and reputation across the jurisdictions a deal touches, which is essential when a target's structure spans free zones, the mainland and offshore holdings.
How are the findings presented, and is the investigation confidential?
You receive a structured, issue-driven report written for decision-makers, with each material finding tied to its source and its effect on value, terms or the decision to proceed. Confidentiality is built into the method: enquiries are designed not to alert the target, research stays within lawful sources, and your interest is protected throughout. We work within the UAE regulatory framework so findings are defensible.
When should diligence start in the deal timeline?
As early as the engagement allows. Findings are most valuable before a letter of intent or signed terms, when there is still room to adjust the price, negotiate warranties and indemnities, restructure the deal or walk away. Brought in late, intelligence can only confirm what is already agreed. Brought in early, it shapes the terms and helps you avoid costly surprises.
How does the intelligence help me negotiate?
Each red flag is quantified against the deal. A surfaced liability, a regulatory gap or a reputational issue gives you grounds for a price reduction, an indemnity under which the seller retains the risk, or a restructured transaction that addresses the defect before closing. Transparent, well-sourced findings strengthen your position rather than simply raising alarm.
Do you also cover risks beyond the target company?
Yes. Alongside the target, we can screen counterparties, co-investors and partners, and assess market, geopolitical, cybersecurity and ESG-related risks that could affect the value or success of the investment. For sensitive negotiations, the wider group can also secure the meetings themselves through counter-surveillance, keeping deal terms out of the wrong hands.
Get started
Make the decision with the full picture
Verify the numbers, the people and the risks before the money moves. Speak with our specialists about an M&A or investment due diligence engagement scoped to your transaction, in confidence.