Opening a UAE corporate bank account without residency is harder than for a resident, but genuinely doable, provided the company can show real substance and a clear reason for banking in the UAE. Key Takeaways Non-residency doesn’t automatically disqualify a company, but it does mean higher scrutiny and more documentation than a resident-owned business faces. […]
A virtual CFO gives a growing UAE business senior financial strategy and oversight without the cost of a full-time in-house Chief Financial Officer, working on a fractional or project basis instead. Key Takeaways A virtual CFO is not a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping and basic accounting are transactional; a virtual CFO works at the strategic financial decision-making […]
A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identifier for a business, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, and it’s increasingly requested by international partners, marketplaces and government tenders even though it has nothing to do with UAE company registration itself. Key Takeaways DUNS is not a UAE government identifier. It’s issued by Dun & Bradstreet, a […]
A Certificate of Incorporation is the official proof that a UAE company legally exists, issued by the licensing authority once registration is complete, and it’s one of the most requested documents after a company is formed. Key Takeaways It confirms legal existence, not operating permission. The trade licence, a separate document, confirms what activities the […]
A Memorandum of Association is the founding legal document of a UAE company, setting out ownership, share capital and governance terms with the relevant licensing authority. Key Takeaways The MOA is a statutory document, filed with the licensing authority, not a private agreement between shareholders. It covers ownership and share capital structure, naming shareholders and […]
FZE and FZCO are the two standard free zone company structures in the UAE, and the choice between them comes down almost entirely to how many shareholders the company has. Key Takeaways FZE stands for Free Zone Establishment, a structure built for a single shareholder, whether an individual or a single corporate entity. FZCO stands […]
End-of-service gratuity in the UAE is calculated on basic salary, not total salary, using a formula that changes once an employee passes five years of continuous service. Key Takeaways Gratuity applies after at least one year of continuous service. An employee who leaves before completing one year is not entitled to it under standard Labour […]
A UAE business credit score reflects how reliably a company pays its obligations, and it increasingly affects loan approval, supplier credit terms, and even how banks price a corporate account relationship. Key Takeaways Business credit scores are separate from personal credit scores, even for a sole shareholder, since the company is its own credit-reportable entity. […]
An escrow account holds funds with a neutral third party until agreed conditions are met, and in the UAE it is mandatory for off-plan property sales, not just an optional safeguard for cautious buyers. Key Takeaways An escrow account is not the same as a regular bank account. A licensed escrow agent holds the funds […]
UAE banks now scrutinise where a company’s money actually comes from, and a business that can’t clearly explain its source of funds is one of the most common reasons a corporate bank account gets delayed, frozen, or closed. Key Takeaways Source of funds and source of wealth are different questions. Source of funds asks where […]
