Assurance
International audit
Some jurisdictions audit every company. Others exempt the small ones. Some only ask when a regulator or a bank does. We arrange the audit that the law, or the counterparty, actually requires, and no more.
What this covers
- Arrange statutory audits where they are mandatory, and voluntary audits where a bank, regulator or investor asks for assurance.
- Audit under IFRS or the relevant local GAAP, with group and consolidated audits where a structure spans jurisdictions.
- Prepare the audited financial statements a payments/EMI licence, a lender or a due-diligence process needs.
- Coordinate with local licensed auditors in each jurisdiction, so the sign-off is one the authorities recognise.
Scope & conditions
- Cyprus
- Audit is mandatory for effectively all companies, regardless of size, under IFRS. Budget for it from year one.
- United Kingdom
- Small companies can claim audit exemption below size thresholds (turnover, balance-sheet total and employee count); those thresholds were raised in 2025, so confirm the current limits before assuming exemption.
- UAE free zones
- Many free zones require audited financial statements for licence renewal, and audited accounts increasingly matter for the 9% corporate tax and any 15% domestic minimum top-up.
- Malta, and licensed entities everywhere
- Statutory audit for companies; and any regulated business — an EMI, a fund, a broker — is audited as a condition of its licence, wherever it sits.
How it works
- Whether you need an audit depends on jurisdiction, size and what your counterparties require. We establish that first, so you never skip a mandatory audit or pay for one you do not need.
- Audit rests on proper books. Where the bookkeeping is thin, the audit turns slow and expensive. That is why we usually pair it with the accounting function.
- For regulated entities, the audit is not optional. It is part of keeping the licence alive.
- An audit exemption is not the same as no obligation to keep accounts and file. The accounts still have to exist, and they still have to be correct.
- Thresholds move. The UK raised its small-company limits in 2025. A memo that says you are exempt may simply be out of date.
- A bank or an investor can demand audited accounts even where the law does not. Plan for the counterparty, not just the statute.
Frequently asked
Does my foreign company have to be audited?
It depends on where the company is based and how big it is. Cyprus audits essentially every company. The UK exempts small companies below size thresholds that were raised in 2025. UAE free zones often require audited accounts for licence renewal. And any regulated business is audited as a condition of its licence. Work out the trigger for your specific jurisdiction and size before assuming either way.
What's the difference between audit and accounting?
Accounting is keeping the books and preparing the financial statements. Audit is an independent auditor forming an opinion on whether those statements are true and fair. You cannot audit accounts that were never properly kept. That is why the two are usually done together, with the bookkeeping feeding a clean audit rather than a scramble.
Do I need audited accounts to keep my EMI or payments licence?
Yes. Regulated entities, including electronic money institutions, payment firms, funds and brokers, are audited as a standing condition of authorisation, independent of any small-company exemption. The audit is part of what keeps the licence alive. A late or qualified audit is a regulatory problem, not just an accounting one.
Need international audit done properly?
One named person on your file, and an honest answer on scope, timeline and cost.