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
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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.
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Incorporation, tax & banking guides.
ALL JURISDICTIONS · COST
Company formation cost comparison 2026 — 14 jurisdictions
Every jurisdiction side by side: year-1 all-in fees in USD. 5 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTCheapest free zone in the UAE 2026 — ranked by cost
Lowest-cost zones from ~USD 3,400, and the catch with cheap ones. 5 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTCayman SPC cost 2026 — segregated portfolio company
Ring-fenced cells for multi-strategy funds. From USD 12,000. 6 min read.
Read →DMCC · COSTDMCC company setup cost 2026 — fees breakdown (AED+USD)
Trade licence, registration, flexi-desk. From USD 16,905. 6 min read.
Read →DMCC · COSTDMCC crypto licence cost 2026 — Crypto Centre
Proprietary/marketing/advisory + VARA for regulated. 6 min read.
Read →ADGM · COSTADGM SPV cost 2026 — from USD 1,900/yr
English-common-law holding vehicle, no office. 5 min read.
Read →ADGM · COSTADGM Tech Startup Licence cost 2026 — USD 1,500/yr
VC-grade, ADGM-law cap tables, up to 5 years. 6 min read.
Read →ADGM · COSTADGM Foundation cost 2026 — setup & annual
Succession + MD 261/2024 SPV-holding advantage. 7 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTMeydan licence cost 2026 — packages (AED+USD)
Zero/1/3/6-visa tiers, Fawri 60-min. 5 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTJAFZA company setup cost 2026
Port-adjacent, mandatory facility, onshore & offshore. 6 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTCayman exempted company cost 2026
USD 10,500 year-1, 20-year tax undertaking. 6 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · HOLDINGCayman holding company 2026 — structure & uses
When Cayman beats BVI for holding, and what it costs. 6 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COMPLIANCECayman economic substance 2026 — rules & UAE TRC
Relevant activities, reduced test, ES notification. 7 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTCayman company annual fees 2026 — renewal
Government, agent, filings. From USD 7,500/yr. 5 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTCayman fund setup cost 2026 — mutual & private
CIMA registration, audit, ELP. USD 60k–120k. 8 min read.
Read →APAC · COSTSingapore company registration cost 2026 (SGD+USD)
ACRA + nominee director under CSP Act 2024. 6 min read.
Read →APAC · COSTHong Kong company formation cost 2026 (HKD+USD)
No resident director, mandatory audit. 6 min read.
Read →APAC · COSTHong Kong VASP licence cost 2026 — SFC crypto
HK$5M capital, 5–9 months + HKMA stablecoin. 8 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTPanama corporation cost 2026 — Sociedad Anonima
Territorial tax, UAE–Panama DTA. From USD 5,800. 5 min read.
Read →MAINLAND · COSTDubai mainland LLC cost 2026 — DET (AED+USD)
DET licence, Ejari office. From AED 58,800. 6 min read.
Read →MAINLAND · COSTAbu Dhabi mainland LLC cost 2026 — ADDED (AED+USD)
ADDED + Tawtheeq. From AED 60,600. Tajer alt. 6 min read.
Read →DIFC · COSTDIFC Prescribed Company cost 2026 — full fee breakdown
USD 100 application + USD 1,000/yr. The cheapest DIFC SPV. 6 min read.
Read →DIFC · COSTDIFC holding company cost 2026
Prescribed Company route vs full commercial entity, itemised. 7 min read.
Read →DIFC · COSTDIFC Foundation cost 2026 — setup & annual fees
USD 25k–40k setup. Succession, council/guardian, vs ADGM. 8 min read.
Read →DIFC · COSTDIFC fund manager licence cost 2026 — DFSA fees
Cat 3C/4, regulatory capital, USD 200k–400k year one. 9 min read.
Read →DIFC · COSTDIFC family office cost 2026 — SFO setup
Foundation + Prescribed Company stack, USD 10m threshold. 8 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTBVI company annual fees 2026 — renewal breakdown
FSC + agent + office + ESR + ROBO. From USD 6,000/yr. 6 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTBVI economic substance 2026 — rules, cost & UAE TRC
Relevant activities, reduced test, claiming out via UAE TRC. 9 min read.
Read →OFFSHORE · COSTBVI holding company cost 2026
USD 8,500 year 1, USD 6,000 year 2. The global default. 6 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTIFZA visa cost 2026 — per-visa breakdown (AED + USD)
Establishment card, entry permit, medical, EID, stamping. 5 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTIFZA renewal cost 2026 — year-2 fees
From USD 7,920 all-in (1 visa). By tier, AED + USD. 5 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTIFZA package prices 2026 — all visa tiers
Zero/1/2/3/6-visa in AED + USD, year 1 + renewal. 6 min read.
Read →FREE ZONE · COSTIFZA freelance licence 2026 — cost & process
From AED 12,900. Solo professional permit vs full company. 5 min read.
Read → JURISDICTIONIFZA vs DMCC vs Meydan — choosing a Dubai Free Zone
Side-by-side: cost, speed, banking acceptance, visa quotas, audit requirements. 12 min read.
Read → TAXUAE 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.
Read → OFFSHOREBVI 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.
Read → BANKINGHow 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.
Read → JURISDICTIONThe complete UAE company setup guide 2026
From choosing between free zone, mainland and offshore to opening your first bank account. 28 min read.
Read → WEB3Cayman Foundation + BVI Issuer — token launch structure
The standard token-issuance architecture. Foundation governs; BVI sells. 12 min read.
Read → WEB3Token issuance jurisdiction comparison 2026
BVI, Cayman, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, ADGM, Marshall Islands and Singapore compared. 14 min read.
Read → WEB3DAO LLC — Marshall Islands vs Wyoming
Which DAO-recognising jurisdiction to use, by team residency and exchange acceptance. 10 min read.
Read → WEB3The Cayman Foundation Company explained
Ownerless legal entity for DAOs, token treasuries, family succession, orphan SPVs. 11 min read.
Read → WEB3The Howey test — is your token a security?
The US Supreme Court test applied to crypto tokens since the 2017 DAO Report. 11 min read.
Read → WEB3Stablecoin issuance jurisdictions
Dubai VARA, Singapore MAS, EU MiCA, Hong Kong, US GENIUS compared. 10 min read.
Read → WEB3NFT project legal structure
Collection vs marketplace vs protocol — three different structures. 8 min read.
Read → TAXUAE Corporate Tax — registration deadlines and penalties
The 3-month deadline, the AED 10,000 penalty, the FTA waiver through July 2026. 8 min read.
Read → TAXQFZP — the qualifying activities list
The 14 activities that earn 0% UAE Corporate Tax, with a worked de minimis example. 10 min read.
Read → TAXUAE Pillar Two DMTT — full guide
The 15% top-up tax. Scope, QFZP interaction, compliance timing, safe harbours. 11 min read.
Read → TAXOECD CARF — crypto reporting from 2026
The OECD's crypto reporting framework, in force 2026, first exchanges 2027. 9 min read.
Read → FUNDSBVI Approved Manager regime
The emerging-fund-manager licence for sub-USD 400m AUM. 9 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI 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.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI for holding companies — the global default
The standard venture cap-table pattern. Why BVI sits at the top of most stacks. 9 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVI · WEB3BVI for token issuance — the Issuer pattern
VASP Act 2022 carve-out, Cayman Foundation + BVI Issuer architecture, exchange acceptance. 10 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI Economic Substance — the checklist
The 9 Relevant Activities, the substance test, the high-risk IP regime. 8 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI Annual Financial Return — new from 2023 FYs
What goes in the return, deadline, penalties, exemptions. 6 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI Segregated Portfolio Company
Ring-fence multiple strategies, fund tranches or NFT collections in one entity. 8 min read.
Read → OFFSHORE · BVIBVI strike-off and dissolution
Three ways to end a BVI BC: voluntary strike-off, voluntary liquidation, involuntary strike-off. 7 min read.
Read → COMPLIANCEOffshore privacy is dead — the 2026 reality
CRS, FATCA, BO registers, CARF. What offshore still gives you, what it does not. 10 min read.
Read → COMPLIANCEUAE UBO filing — deadlines and penalties
60-day filing, 15-day updates, AED 50k–1m penalty schedule under Cabinet Decision 109/2023. 7 min read.
Read → COMPLIANCEUAE ESR — still required in 2026?
Cabinet Decision 98/2024 narrowed scope. The clarifier on what still requires filing. 7 min read.
Read → UAE SETUPRun a UAE company without UAE residency
What works, what does not, and when residency is actually worth getting. 8 min read.
Read → BANKINGSource of wealth — the UAE banking gatekeeper
The single biggest reason UAE corporate bank applications fail. 8 min read.
Read →All guides authored or supervised by partners of ArxSetup. Last batch added 17 May 2026.