Compliance is not a cost — it is the foundation of long-term operational security.
Regulatory compliance in the Gulf and Spain has become materially more demanding over the past five years. AML legislation, economic substance requirements, UBO registrations, and cross-border reporting obligations now impose significant obligations on international businesses — with serious consequences for non-compliance. ILS Consultancy provides end-to-end compliance frameworks that protect your operations while minimising administrative burden.
Why Compliance Requires Active Management
AML & KYC Frameworks
Design and implementation of Anti-Money Laundering policies, Know Your Customer procedures, and Customer Due Diligence frameworks aligned with FATF standards and local regulatory requirements.
Economic Substance
Substance requirement analysis and implementation for UAE, Saudi Arabia, and relevant international frameworks — ensuring your entity meets the activity, management, and employee criteria for your licence category.
UBO & Beneficial Ownership
Ultimate Beneficial Ownership registration, maintenance, and disclosure management across all three jurisdictions — including changes tracking and annual review obligations.
Our Compliance Advantage
Proactive Monitoring
Continuous tracking of regulatory changes across our three core markets, with proactive client notification when your obligations change.
Cross-Jurisdictional Coherence
Compliance frameworks designed to satisfy the requirements of all three jurisdictions simultaneously — avoiding conflicts and duplication.
Audit-Ready Documentation
All compliance documentation maintained in audit-ready format, ensuring you can respond to regulatory inquiries swiftly and credibly.
Our Compliance Process
A systematic approach to building and maintaining compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.
Compliance Gap Assessment
We conduct a comprehensive review of your existing policies, registrations, and substance positions against current regulatory requirements in each jurisdiction.
Framework Design
We design a coherent compliance framework covering AML/KYC, UBO, substance, and reporting obligations — proportionate to your operations and risk profile.
Implementation
We implement the framework — filing required registrations, establishing policies and procedures, and training relevant personnel on their obligations.
Ongoing Maintenance
We maintain the framework through periodic reviews, annual filings, change notifications, and proactive updates as the regulatory environment evolves.
Compliance Coverage by Jurisdiction
Comprehensive coverage of the compliance obligations that affect international businesses in our core markets.
UAE Compliance
Saudi Arabia Compliance
Spain & EU Compliance
Cross-Border Reporting
Clients We Serve
Financial Services
Banks, brokers, asset managers, and payment service providers with mandatory AML/CFT programme requirements and regulatory examination exposure.
Holding Companies
Intermediate holding structures requiring substance compliance, UBO registration, and CRS/FATCA classification across multiple jurisdictions.
Real Estate
Property developers and investors with AML obligations under the real estate sector regulations in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Professional Services
Law firms, audit firms, and consultancies with designated non-financial business and professions (DNFBP) status requiring active AML programmes.
Compliance Frameworks
Jurisdictions
Regulatory Penalties
Filing On-Time Rate
3 of 3
Regulatory Reviews Passed
35%
Cost Reduction
8 weeks
Time to Implementation
Regional Asset Manager — Multi-Jurisdiction Compliance Programme
Building a coherent compliance framework across UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Spain for a newly licensed investment manager
The Challenge
A newly licensed asset manager operating across DIFC (UAE), Saudi Arabia (CMA-registered), and Spain (CNMV-notified) required a single coordinated compliance framework that satisfied all three regulators without conflicting obligations or duplication.
Our Approach
ILS Consultancy designed a master compliance framework with jurisdiction-specific annexes — creating a single AML/KYC policy, UBO register, and substance documentation set that satisfied DFSA, CMA, and CNMV requirements simultaneously.
The Outcome
All three regulatory compliance programmes passed first-time review. Annual compliance maintenance costs reduced by 35% versus maintaining three separate advisory relationships.
Common Questions
What are the UAE Economic Substance Requirements?
Who is required to register on the Saudi Arabia UBO register?
What are our AML obligations as a holding company in Dubai?
Can you act as our Compliance Officer?
Build a Compliance Programme That Protects You
Talk to our compliance team about your obligations across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Spain.