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                            In-Country Value (ICV)
                            ICV certification guidance from Grant Thornton UAE—your partner in compliance, competitiveness and growth.
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                            Financial Reporting Advisory Services (FRAS)
                            Our team provides timely advice on the impact of accounting changes to assist businesses in the development of an appropriate implementation roadmap.
 
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                            Consulting services
                            Unlock growth, drive transformation, and deliver measurable results. At Grant Thornton UAE, our consulting team partners with you to solve your most complex business challenges. We combine deep technical expertise, global frameworks, and local market insight to help you achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence.
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                            Business risk services
                            We assist in addressing risk in both proactive and responsive contexts. Our team can help you achieve the best balance between minimizing risk exposure, optimizing profitability and developing compliance review checklists. We deploy our diverse pool of controls professionals, compliance specialists, security professionals, and risk consultants to meet complex requirements.
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                            Regulatory Advisory Services
                            Grant Thornton UAE's extensive understanding of the overarching supervisory framework within the region equips our professionals to support financial institutions comply and abide by the set of regulatory mandates throughout the rapidly evolving ecosystem.
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                            Financial advisory
                            Grant Thornton UAE works with organisations on transactions from start to finish, assisting with strategy, identifying risks, executing deals, and helping to unlock their potential for growth and value creation.
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                            Technology Advisory & Cybersecurity
                            IT and technology are fundamental to drive the performance of businesses. Through leveraging the power of technology, Grant Thornton UAE helps organisations define and identify growth opportunities to achieve value-driven transformation and innovation.
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                            Forensics
                            Fraud and corruption pose a growing challenge worldwide. As the commercial landscape changes, an increasingly regulated environment requires stringent governance and compliance processes. Grant Thornton UAE helps organisations navigate challenges and crisis with a hands-on approach coupled with the use of technology.
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                            ESG Services
                            The Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda has gained significant traction over the years, to become one of the key strategic aspects of any business. It is imperative that all organisations, irrespective of industry sector, engage with their stakeholders and prioritise ESG practices to unlock sustainable growth opportunities.
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                            Business Process Solutions
                            Our team at Grant Thornton offers comprehensive and cost effective outsourced solutions, enabling stakeholders and business owners to focus on their core business goals.
 
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                            Corporate Tax
                            Our diversified team of corporate tax subject matter experts combines a perfect blend of international experience across several industry sectors, technical expertise, and commercial nuances with a commitment to deliver exceptional value to your business.
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                            VAT
                            The VAT team at Grant Thornton is well versed with the VAT Laws applicable across the region and holds valuable experience and professional accreditation in assisting clients across diverse industries to comply with the VAT obligations.
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                            Transfer Pricing
                            Grant Thornton UAE assists its clients in providing transfer pricing solutions that are implementable and operational, considering the facts and concerns of its clients.
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                            International Tax and Tax Due Diligence
                            Grant Thornton UAE supports multinational groups to optimise their tax structures. We can also assist businesses in analysing existing group transactions and inter-group supplies, as well as advising on potential implications of various taxes to facilitate an efficient Group tax structure.
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                            Economic Substance Requirements
                            Economic Substance rules were introduced in the UAE in 2019, requiring UAE businesses that undertake certain ‘Relevant Activities’ to maintain and demonstrate adequate substance.
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                            Customs and International Trade
                            The team at Grant Thornton is positioned centrally to assist the businesses with global cross-border tax structuring, planning and compliance needs.
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                            Excise Tax
                            We provide Excise Tax related advisory and compliance services to the producer, importer, and the storekeeper of excisable goods
 
Ethical product design and sales practices in the UAE financial sector
Strengthening market conduct through responsible product governance
In the third part of our series, we explore the importance of a robust product design and development framework, and how Licensed Financial Institutions (LFIs) manage conduct risk within that process. A robust product design framework should enhance governance and oversight, while enabling LFIs to offer products and services that build trust with both existing and prospective customers — without compromising commercial viability.
The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has taken a proactive approach to improving consumer protection regulations and standards. These efforts aim to foster ethical market conduct and prevent mis-selling or misleading advertising, which can result in unfair treatment of consumers.
By embedding conduct risk management into product design, development, distribution, marketing and sales strategies, including the use of third parties for such activities, LFIs can strengthen risk mitigation and improve consumer outcomes. This contributes to the overall stability and integrity of the UAE financial sector.
Key factors LFIs must consider during product design, development and sales practices
- Strong governance: Establish oversight structures that incorporate ethical considerations that are key to product development, promotion, and sales practices. These should align with regulatory obligations and internal policies.
 - Responsible lending and financing: Assess consumer affordability and suitability before offering products or facilities. Evaluate the customer’s ability to service credit to prevent over-indebtedness.
 - Clear disclosure: Provide accurate, clear and easy-to-understand information in Arabic and English. This includes product terms, features, cost breakdowns, and disclosures to support informed consumer decisions.
 - Consumer education: Promote financial literacy through awareness programmes that help consumers understand the benefits, risks, and obligations of the products and services offered by LFIs.
 
For more details, download the publication below.
Download the PDF to learn more
We hope you find this update useful. Please feel free to reach out to the team directly should you have any questions.