Regulatory substance of a financial licence: head office in the licensing state, the two-manager rule, key function holders, resident directors and the outsourcing limit in the EU, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Who needs a TCSP licence, capital, indemnity cover and people on the ground: Hong Kong AMLO, Singapore CSP Act 2024 and Trust Companies Act, JFSC, GFSC, BVI FSC, CIMA, MFSA and CySEC.
What regulators read in a business plan and programme of operations under PSD2, MiCA, FCA, MAS and SFC: forecast horizon, stress scenarios, wind-down plans, RFIs and refusals.
FCA, MAS, ADGM RegLab, DFSA ITL, Bank of Lithuania, AIFC FinTech Lab and National Bank of Kazakhstan sandboxes: relief, duration, limits, exit to a full licence and when it is an extra loop.
How dealers in precious metals and stones register in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE: HK$120,000, S$20,000 and AED 55,000 thresholds, cash transaction reports, supervision and penalties.
The EU crowdfunding licence under Regulation 2020/1503: business loans and securities placement up to €5 m per project owner, capital from €25 000, passport.
Captive insurers in Bermuda, Cayman, Guernsey and Malta compared: licence classes, capital, managers, cells, 2026 fees, fronting, Solvency II and tax rules.
How a Hong Kong company run from abroad obtains a Certificate of Resident Status for Russia or Belarus: the form, timing, apostille and the offshore claim.
Kazakhstan broker licence: AFSA in the AIFC (base capital USD 10,000–500,000, 2–3 months) or ARDFM (10,000–50,000 MRP minimum capital, 30 working days).
MAS licences for dealing (CMS) and financial advice: base capital from S$50,000 to S$5 million, resident CEO, review of up to six months, fees, client money.
SFC licensing under the SFO: Types 1, 2, 4 and 9, two responsible officers, FRR capital from HK$100,000 to HK$5 million, 10–15 week timelines, fees, substantial shareholders and virtual assets.
Cyprus Investment Firm under Law 87(I)/2017: €75,000–€750,000 initial capital, CySEC application fee from €7,000, decision within six months, ICF cover up to €20,000, CFD limits and sanctions for Russian UBOs.
EU investment firm licence: the nine Annex I MiFID II services, €75k–750k initial capital under the IFD, IFR classes, €20k investor compensation, passporting, reverse solicitation and sanctions for Russian UBOs.
FCA authorisation for a UK investment firm: RAO activities, capital from £75,000 under IFPR, CASS audit, SMCR, threshold conditions, statutory and actual FCA timelines, FSCS £85,000, appointed representatives.
US broker-dealer: Form BD, FINRA new member application (180 days), Rule 15c3-1 net capital from $5,000 to $250,000, buying a firm under Rule 1017, SIPC cover.
Thirteen boards for Asian issuers compared: profit and cap gates, public float, lock-up, fees, timelines and the gatekeepers that stop high-risk deals.
Nine vehicles for a non-resident owner compared: company tax, residence test, local director, payout tax, audit, fees, Stripe and bank access, worked example.
How banks and licensed firms verify a corporate client: ownership chain and UBO thresholds, documents, risk rating, review intervals and refusal.
Bulgarian MiFID II investment firm: FSC licence, €75 000–750 000 capital, IFR own funds, decision in 3–6 months, €20 000 investor cover, EU passport.
Bulgarian EOOD and OOD: 10% corporate tax, 5% dividend tax (0% to EU/EEA companies, except hidden profit distribution), €51,130 VAT threshold, euro since 2026.
Nineteen continuation regimes compared: which registers admit a company and let it leave, exit tax, substance, licences, fees, funds and the alternatives.
The 50% working-time threshold and the commercial-reason test in paragraphs 44.1–44.21 of the Commentary on Article 5, the five OECD examples, German and Spanish guidance, evidence and State reservations.
How each country decides whether an entity is a taxpayer or a look-through, an instrument debt or equity, and how ATAD 2 neutralises hybrid mismatches.
Enter by the legal problem, not the court: jurisdiction, interim protection, recognition and enforcement; the deal, family and sanctions routes; and how credit, security, custody and insolvency differ.
How a company works internally from incorporation to dissolution: statute vs articles vs shareholders' agreement, board vs shareholder decisions, directors' duties and conflicts, capital, buy-backs and transfers, deadlock, distributions, annual filings and identity verification, strike-off, dissolution and restoration, register evidence and beneficial ownership — UK, Delaware and BVI.
Cost of money in China, September 2026: LPR 3.00%, corporate loans 3.04%. Three access routes for non-residents, Sinosure terms, a $1m worked example.
When a foreign company becomes taxable at source: how a permanent establishment is decided under domestic law and the tax treaty, fixed-place and agent PE, exceptions, and how profits are attributed.
How the arm's length principle prices controlled transactions between associated enterprises — delineation, the five OECD methods, loans, IP/DEMPE, services, and the APA/MAP route when two states disagree.
How corporate tax residence works: incorporation-based vs central management and control tests, board minutes vs substance of decision, dual residence and the post-2017 treaty rule, with an evidence matrix.
Enterprise value vs the price actually paid, locked box vs completion accounts, warranties, disclosure and indemnities, caps and baskets, escrow, earn-outs, W&I insurance and the SHA mechanics that decide what a minority stake is worth — English-law deal mechanics with a worked price bridge, a clearance-threshold table and a remedies map.