Enterprise risk, internal-controls design and the UAE regulatory compliance stack — AML/CFT, Economic Substance, UBO, sanctions and data protection — under one governance framework. Partner-led.
UAE compliance is now a stack: AML/CFT under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (which replaced Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018), Economic Substance under Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2020, UBO reporting under Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2020, sanctions screening and data protection. Avyanco's Risk Advisory practice puts one governance, risk and compliance (GRC) framework over the whole stack, running enterprise risk assessment, controls and monitoring.
UAE compliance is no longer a single obligation — it is a stack. Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (which replaced Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018), the Economic Substance Regulations (Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2020), which applied to the 2019–2022 financial years before being discontinued by Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 for periods from 1 January 2023, Ultimate Beneficial Owner reporting under Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2020, sanctions screening, data protection under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, plus Corporate Tax and VAT controls. Handled piecemeal, the obligations overlap, conflict and leave gaps that surface in a regulator review.
Avyanco's Risk Advisory practice puts one governance-risk-and-compliance (GRC) framework over the whole stack. We run the enterprise risk assessment, design the internal controls and policies, map each regulatory obligation to an owner and a control, and build the monitoring that evidences compliance. It complements our dedicated AML programme and ties into the internal audit and Corporate Tax work — so risk, controls and compliance are governed as one system, not a drawer of separate certificates.
Three layers of the GRC framework.
Risk assessment across the business, a risk register the board owns, and the design of the internal controls that mitigate the priority risks.
The UAE regulatory stack mapped to owners and controls — Economic Substance, UBO, sanctions screening and data protection — with the filings managed.
Governance framework reviews, compliance health checks and remediation roadmaps — independent assurance that the framework actually works.
Five steps from assessment to ongoing monitoring.
Identify the risks and the specific regulatory obligations that apply to the entity — AML, ESR, UBO, sanctions, data protection, tax controls.
Test current policies, controls and filings against the obligations to surface gaps, overlaps and exposures.
Design the GRC framework — risk register, policies, controls, owners and a compliance calendar — proportionate to the business.
Stand up the controls, complete the outstanding filings (ESR, UBO and others) and put the monitoring in place.
Ongoing monitoring, periodic reviews and a refresh as the business and the regulations evolve.
One framework over the whole obligation stack — governed, owned and evidenced.
GRC run as one governed system, not a drawer of separate certificates.
AML, ESR, UBO, sanctions, data protection and tax controls governed under a single GRC framework — no gaps between silos.
Every regulatory obligation mapped to an owner, a control and a deadline on a live compliance calendar.
Compliance health checks and governance reviews that tell the board what actually works — and what needs fixing.
A framework sized to the business — enough control to satisfy the regulator without strangling operations.
Controls over Corporate Tax, VAT and transfer-pricing obligations folded into the same framework.
Documentation and evidence packaged so a regulator review is a walk-through, not a scramble.
Partner-led compliance practice — Avyanco's risk and compliance team works alongside the audit and tax leads.
Three things that come up in every GRC engagement.
AML, ESR, UBO, sanctions and data protection governed together — the gaps between separate obligations are where exposure hides.
Internal controls designed against a real risk assessment and tested for operating effectiveness — not policies that sit on a shelf.
Risk and controls tie into internal and external audit — one coherent assurance picture for the board.
Recent feedback from groups Avyanco runs risk and compliance work for.
I had an excellent experience with Avyanco Business Setup Consultancy for both my company formation and family dependent visa process in the UAE.
Read more — Eder Schaphauser Ziomek's review on GoogleWe had an excellent experience working with this company for our ADGM company setup in Abu Dhabi.
Read more — Nikhil Nadanga's review on GoogleI have been dealing with Akshta for more than a year now and she has been very professional.
Read more — Sherif Ayub's review on GoogleIn so far as the emigration process can ever be made easy, Avyanco achieves exactly this.
Read more — Sheru George's review on GoogleWe are very satisfied with Avyanco's support for Nanasu Realty — especially across AML compliance, accounting, and company setup.
Read more — Purushottam Mukkundi's review on GoogleI've used the services of Avyanco twice over the past 3 years for visa processing, and they have never failed to impress me.
Read more — Dominic Pinto's review on GoogleCommon questions about governance, risk and compliance in the UAE.
Content prepared from publicly available UAE regulatory sources — Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 on anti-money laundering (which replaced Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018), Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2020 on Ultimate Beneficial Owners, and Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection — as of June 2026. Note: the Economic Substance Regulations (Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2020) were discontinued by Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2023, and now apply only to the 2019–2022 financial years. Avyanco Business Consultancy LLC is independent of all UAE government authorities and provides compliance advisory, not legal advice.
Regulatory obligations, thresholds, relevant activities and filing requirements evolve and depend on the entity's activity and licence. Always confirm the current rules for your specific entity directly with the relevant authority and a qualified adviser before acting on any fact on this page.
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