Head of International Corporate Law and Fintech Practice
Expert in fintech, crypto, and international corporate law with over 20 years of experience. Specializes in crypto licensing (VASP/CASP), iGaming business support, and international structuring, asset protection, and OSINT analytics for risk assessment and due diligence.
FINANCIAL MONITORING IN THE UAE
In today’s world, the United Arab Emirates remains one of the most attractive jurisdictions for doing business due to its favorable tax regime, strategic location and infrastructure.
However, its popularity has made the Emirates the focus of international organizations fighting money laundering and terrorist financing. This means that both individuals and legal entities face strict financial monitoring requirements.
The law firm “Prikhodko and Partners” regularly accompanies clients in the process of financial monitoring in the UAE.
In this article, we will consider how to prepare for monitoring, what requirements to follow, and how to avoid the risks of blocking accounts and criminal liability.
How to undergo financial monitoring for a legal entity and an individual?
Financial monitoring in the UAE is a set of measures aimed at detecting and preventing money laundering (AML – Anti-Money Laundering) and terrorist financing (CFT – Countering the Financing of Terrorism).
Individuals are usually monitored when opening a bank account, purchasing real estate, investing, or transferring significant amounts of money.
Legal entities are monitored at the stage of company registration, opening a corporate account, signing contracts, or changing the ownership structure.
What is needed for this, what are the requirements of local legislation?
The UAE is actively harmonizing its national legislation in line with FATF international standards.
The main regulatory acts are:
- Federal Decree-Law No. (20) of 2018 on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organizations
- Cabinet Decision No. (10) of 2019 concerning the Implementing Regulation of Decree-Law No. (20) of 2018
- Guidelines issued by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
According to the above acts, individuals must undergo the KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure, confirm the source of funds, and companies must provide information about beneficiaries (UBO – Ultimate Beneficial Owner), financial reporting, and internal AML procedures.
Basic requirements for financial monitoring
A company doing business in the UAE must comply with the following requirements:
- Providing a complete ownership structure with indication of ultimate beneficiaries
- Confirmation of the legal origin of funds
- Availability of internal AML/CFT policies
- Appointment of a Compliance Officer
- Conducting regular internal audits and staff training
Individuals should be prepared for requests to confirm income, declare investments, and explain the source of large transfers.
Procedure and deadlines
The financial monitoring procedure includes the following stages:
- Due diligence – carried out by a bank, registrar or notary.
- Enhanced due diligence – applies if a person or company has a complex structure associated with politically exposed persons (PEPs) or carries out operations in high-risk countries.
- Transaction monitoring – constant analysis of banking transactions, including atypical or large payments.
Terms: initial analysis takes 3–10 business days. In-depth review – up to 30 days. In our practice, the terms can be shorter with proper client preparation.
How much does it cost to conduct a legal audit of a company?
The cost of a legal audit depends on the number of counterparties, the complexity of the business structure and the volume of documentation.
Average market prices for services in the UAE:
- Basic audit of AML procedures – from 3,000 to 7,000 AED
- Comprehensive audit with recommendations and document preparation – from 10,000 to 20,000 AED
Prikhodko and Partners offers individual support packages starting from $1,000, including audit, preparation of KYC/UBO documentation, consultations, and representation before banks and government agencies.
The main difficulties in passing financial monitoring
The main problems that customers face:
- Lack of proper documentation on the origin of funds
- Use of nominee directors or complex trust structures
- Relationship with high-risk jurisdictions
- Errors in providing information or inconsistency with actual data
- Lack of English-language internal AML procedures
A significant number of accounts in the UAE were blocked due to non-compliance with KYC/AML requirements or insufficient justification of the source of funds.
What is the interaction with the EU and Ukraine?
The UAE actively cooperates with international organizations on the exchange of financial information. In particular, in 2020, the Emirates joined the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), which means the automatic exchange of account information between countries.
As for Ukraine, a mechanism for exchanging tax information within the CRS has been in place since 2021. This means that Ukrainian tax authorities can obtain information about the assets of residents in the UAE.
How we help with financial monitoring
The company “Prikhodko and Partners” provides a full range of services in the field of financial monitoring in the UAE:
- Audit and risk analysis of the client before opening an account or registering a company
- Preparation of KYC documentation, AML/CFT policies, description of ownership structure
- Support in opening accounts in banks and virtual financial institutions
- Consultations on interaction with FIU and other regulators
- Protection in case of account blocking or investigation
We have experience in supporting Ukrainian companies in financial monitoring both in free economic zones (DMCC, IFZA, ADGM, etc.) and on the mainland of the UAE.
Do you have any questions? Contact the law firm “Prikhodko and Partners” and we will help you maintain the trust of banks and the transparency of your business.
Calculate the cost of services
1 question
Are you currently in Ukraine?
2 question
Are you currently in the UAE?
3 question
Do you have funds in cash in Ukraine?
4 question
Do you have cash in the UAE?
5 question
Do you have funds in bank accounts in Ukraine?
6 question
Do you have funds in bank accounts in the UAE?
7 question
Do you have documents that confirm the origin of the funds?
8 question
Is the investment amount more than 500,000 euros?
9 question
Do you need a consultation urgently?
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