Cornerstone · Updated MMXXVI
The complete UAE company setup guide, 2026.
From choosing between free zone, mainland and offshore to opening your first bank account. Everything a UAE-bound founder needs, in one document.
Read the guide2026
Guides for the
thoughtful founder.
Long-form articles written by our partners. We update them at least annually, and we say what we mean. No filler, no SEO padding, no sales hooks.
Pillar guides
All guides
Twenty-three articles, and counting.
- DIFC · COSTRead →
DIFC Prescribed Company cost 2026 — full fee breakdown
USD 100 application + USD 1,000/yr. The cheapest DIFC SPV. 6 min read.
- DIFC · COSTRead →
DIFC holding company cost 2026
Prescribed Company route vs full commercial entity, itemised. 7 min read.
- DIFC · COSTRead →
DIFC Foundation cost 2026 — setup & annual fees
USD 25k–40k setup. Succession, council/guardian, vs ADGM. 8 min read.
- DIFC · COSTRead →
DIFC fund manager licence cost 2026 — DFSA fees
Cat 3C/4, regulatory capital, USD 200k–400k year one. 9 min read.
- DIFC · COSTRead →
DIFC family office cost 2026 — SFO setup
Foundation + Prescribed Company stack, USD 10m threshold. 8 min read.
- OFFSHORE · COSTRead →
BVI company annual fees 2026 — renewal breakdown
FSC + agent + office + ESR + ROBO. From USD 6,000/yr. 6 min read.
- OFFSHORE · COSTRead →
BVI economic substance 2026 — rules, cost & UAE TRC
Relevant activities, reduced test, claiming out via UAE TRC. 9 min read.
- OFFSHORE · COSTRead →
BVI holding company cost 2026
USD 8,500 year 1, USD 6,000 year 2. The global default. 6 min read.
- FREE ZONE · COSTRead →
IFZA visa cost 2026 — per-visa breakdown (AED + USD)
Establishment card, entry permit, medical, EID, stamping. 5 min read.
- FREE ZONE · COSTRead →
IFZA renewal cost 2026 — year-2 fees
From USD 7,920 all-in (1 visa). By tier, AED + USD. 5 min read.
- FREE ZONE · COSTRead →
IFZA package prices 2026 — all visa tiers
Zero/1/2/3/6-visa in AED + USD, year 1 + renewal. 6 min read.
- FREE ZONE · COSTRead →
IFZA freelance licence 2026 — cost & process
From AED 12,900. Solo professional permit vs full company. 5 min read.
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JURISDICTIONRead →
IFZA vs DMCC vs Meydan — choosing a Dubai Free Zone
Side-by-side: cost, speed, banking acceptance, visa quotas, audit requirements. 12 min read.
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TAXRead →
UAE Corporate Tax explained — the 9% threshold and QFZP test
Who pays 9%, who pays 0%, and how the Qualifying Free Zone Person rules actually work. 15 min read.
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OFFSHORERead →
BVI vs Cayman for venture funds and holding structures
Which the VCs prefer, which costs less, which is taken more seriously in diligence. 10 min read.
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BANKINGRead →
How to open a Dubai corporate bank account in 2026
What every bank actually wants in the KYC pack. Which bank suits which company. 14 min read.
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JURISDICTIONRead →
The complete UAE company setup guide 2026
From choosing between free zone, mainland and offshore to opening your first bank account. 28 min read.
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WEB3Read →
Cayman Foundation + BVI Issuer — token launch structure
The standard token-issuance architecture. Foundation governs; BVI sells. 12 min read.
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WEB3Read →
Token issuance jurisdiction comparison 2026
BVI, Cayman, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, ADGM, Marshall Islands and Singapore compared. 14 min read.
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WEB3Read →
DAO LLC — Marshall Islands vs Wyoming
Which DAO-recognising jurisdiction to use, by team residency and exchange acceptance. 10 min read.
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WEB3Read →
The Cayman Foundation Company explained
Ownerless legal entity for DAOs, token treasuries, family succession, orphan SPVs. 11 min read.
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WEB3Read →
The Howey test — is your token a security?
The US Supreme Court test applied to crypto tokens since the 2017 DAO Report. 11 min read.
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WEB3Read →
Stablecoin issuance jurisdictions
Dubai VARA, Singapore MAS, EU MiCA, Hong Kong, US GENIUS compared. 10 min read.
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WEB3Read →
NFT project legal structure
Collection vs marketplace vs protocol — three different structures. 8 min read.
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TAXRead →
UAE Corporate Tax — registration deadlines and penalties
The 3-month deadline, the AED 10,000 penalty, the FTA waiver through July 2026. 8 min read.
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TAXRead →
QFZP — the qualifying activities list
The 14 activities that earn 0% UAE Corporate Tax, with a worked de minimis example. 10 min read.
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TAXRead →
UAE Pillar Two DMTT — full guide
The 15% top-up tax. Scope, QFZP interaction, compliance timing, safe harbours. 11 min read.
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TAXRead →
OECD CARF — crypto reporting from 2026
The OECD's crypto reporting framework, in force 2026, first exchanges 2027. 9 min read.
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FUNDSRead →
BVI Approved Manager regime
The emerging-fund-manager licence for sub-USD 400m AUM. 9 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI Business Company — the complete setup guide
Day-by-day BVI BC incorporation. KYC, M&A, FSC filing, ROBO, ESR, banking. USD 8,500 all-in, 5–7 days. 12 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI for holding companies — the global default
The standard venture cap-table pattern. Why BVI sits at the top of most stacks. 9 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVI · WEB3Read →
BVI for token issuance — the Issuer pattern
VASP Act 2022 carve-out, Cayman Foundation + BVI Issuer architecture, exchange acceptance. 10 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI Economic Substance — the checklist
The 9 Relevant Activities, the substance test, the high-risk IP regime. 8 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI Annual Financial Return — new from 2023 FYs
What goes in the return, deadline, penalties, exemptions. 6 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI Segregated Portfolio Company
Ring-fence multiple strategies, fund tranches or NFT collections in one entity. 8 min read.
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OFFSHORE · BVIRead →
BVI strike-off and dissolution
Three ways to end a BVI BC: voluntary strike-off, voluntary liquidation, involuntary strike-off. 7 min read.
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COMPLIANCERead →
Offshore privacy is dead — the 2026 reality
CRS, FATCA, BO registers, CARF. What offshore still gives you, what it does not. 10 min read.
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COMPLIANCERead →
UAE UBO filing — deadlines and penalties
60-day filing, 15-day updates, AED 50k–1m penalty schedule under Cabinet Decision 109/2023. 7 min read.
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COMPLIANCERead →
UAE ESR — still required in 2026?
Cabinet Decision 98/2024 narrowed scope. The clarifier on what still requires filing. 7 min read.
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UAE SETUPRead →
Run a UAE company without UAE residency
What works, what does not, and when residency is actually worth getting. 8 min read.
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BANKINGRead →
Source of wealth — the UAE banking gatekeeper
The single biggest reason UAE corporate bank applications fail. 8 min read.
All guides authored or supervised by partners of ArxSetup. Last batch added 17 May 2026.