Your Global Solutions, Tailored to Your Needs
The alliance's professional experts represent organisations of all types and sizes across a broad spectrum of industries on all aspects of their growth, compliance and litigation activities.
Our 'Global Solutions' suite comprises four core solutions designed to support you when expanding to and operating in any jurisdiction across the world. We will flex to meet the exact needs of your global HQ and international offices and will coordinate your representation across the world.
Additional specialist global solutions include M&A, litigation, real estate, fraud and asset recovery, global mobility, wealth management, VAT/GST, and fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Our Value Proposition
We make it easier for companies to expand and operate internationally
We take on companies’ compliance obligations to reduce worry and risk
We enable companies to stay focused on their core business
We scale with companies from market to market as they grow
We provide a single point of contact for complex, multi-jurisdictional companies
Let AGA coordinate your worldwide representation.
Tax, Accounting & Audit
Tax legislation has become even more complex across the world, and many businesses are unclear about the full extent of their accounting and tax obligations. AGA offers carefully selected accounting and tax specialists in over 300 cities who will be your Single Point of Contact to coordinate your affairs and ensure compliance. You will be able to see your financial information in English and in real-time, for all of your group's subsidiaries across the world.
Tax registration
When you set up in a new jurisdiction and start trading or employing staff, when and how you must register with local tax authorities differs across the world. Our local tax experts will guide you to ensure there are no nasty surprises.
Corporation tax
Expanding internationally requires careful planning to mitigate multiple layers of tax. We will help you to strategically manage corporate taxation, taking into account key factors such as your business structure and creation of a taxable presence.
Withholding tax & specialist local tax
Most countries require a business paying interest, royalties or dividends to consider if tax should be withheld from that payment being made which is then remitted to the local tax authority of the paying country. Some countries have extra requirements such as withholding tax on invoices when paid. Various reliefs and double tax treaties must be considered in this assessment. How each jurisdiction applies withholding tax (or other specialist local taxes) or the reliefs available vary not only by country but also based on the other countries involved. We work together to ensure you have the full picture and do not miss making a deduction and creating a liability for yourself, ensuring these taxes do n’ot get in the way of your business moving forward.
VAT & sales tax
VAT, sales tax and GST rules vary from country to country (including across the EU) and even from state to state in the same country. We will guide you on whether you need to charge these taxes and advise on tax relief and how to recover taxes paid. As an international alliance, we will ensure naturally that advice is joined up from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Tax planning
Growing your business internationally necessitates smart tax planning from the very start. We will plan your tax affairs from start-up, to growth acquisitions to exit, providing advice for the business, your employees and your owners. From country to country, we will coordinate the most efficient tax structures as well as any tax reliefs, grants and incentives.
Personal income tax
We take away the worry of ensuring personal tax compliance, handling the completion and filing of any tax returns. If your business owners or staff are being transferred to a different jurisdiction or are self-relocating, our expatriate tax experts will help them with every step of their transition, including arrival and departure tax briefings, filing necessary employment and tax forms, and understanding their paycheck.
Bank account setup assistance
Setting up bank accounts can be challenging in some countries! We enjoy strong relationships with local banks that you will benefit from.
Bookkeeping
We will manage your financials using your financial system of choice across the globe, whether that means Xero, QuickBooks, SAP, NetSuite, Intuit, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics or something else.
Management accounts
Management accounts are essential to taking proactive strategic decisions that will drive business growth in a country and across the world. With experts in 300 cities worldwide, we will provide the management accounts, P&L and balance sheet you need on a monthly or quarterly basis. When needed, a Lead Engagement Partner will take responsibility for cross-border consolidation with local AGA counterparts.
Annual financial statement
Our accounting professionals across the world will prepare your financial statement in accordance with local GAAP accounting rules, ensuring your business owners and investors are assured of the health of the business. In today's business world, it is critical to business growth and sustainability that your finances are visible, consistent and comparable. Count on AGA to coordinate and consolidate your financial statements on a global basis.
Statutory audit (IFRS & GAAP)
Whether legally required or not in a country, a regular audit provides credibility for your financial statements, gives your stakeholders confidence, and boosts your success when seeking capital injections. We will help your business to ensure regulatory compliance on a local and global basis.
M&A financial due diligence
AGA professionals will help you determine if you’ve found the right fit, guiding you skilfully through the M&A process. A grasp of the information about the target company's financial performance, contracts, customers and financial history is critical to success. We will also ensure you have a full understanding the target's tax obligations so that you do not inherit unexpected financial commitments or penalties.
Payroll & HR
We offer experienced specialists in payroll, social security and labor law who utilize the latest payroll and HR technology. We can help to streamline your processes and improve the employer and employee experience.
Employee onboarding & offboarding
Our payroll expertise covers the entire employee lifecycle and the whole world. We help with registration of new employees with local tax authorities, and with the preparation of employment related documents and other HR documents. And when staff exit, we will oversee a smooth offboarding process that ensures neither employer nor employee incur financial losses or delays and the proper documentation is signed off.
Payroll processing
Whether you have one employee or thousands, count on us to help you to streamline your payroll processes locally and globally. We will ensure your employees across the world receive their wages accurately each month, securely, and on time.
Local statutory benefits
Businesses that are expanding their global presence and building a distributed workforce must consider the mandatory employee benefits of each country. Let us help you to navigate Germany's universal health coverage, the Philippines' 13th-month pay, Australia's superannuation contributions, or similar employer obligations around the world.
Employee tax compliance
Your people are your business' greatest asset. Our global team will support you with all your employment tax issues and reward packages, as well as help you reduce your costs and manage risk. They can also design and implement a share incentive scheme or help to support your internationally mobile employees.
Cross-border employee & expatriate support
Before your employees move to another jurisdiction, you need to know about the taxes other governments may impose on benefits and compensation and ensure you have a sound policy for managing benefits for expatriate employees. You also need to help employees understand what the foreign assignment means to them in terms of taxes and benefits. If you need services beyond Payroll & HR, our specialist Global Mobility offering offers the full package of compliance and advisory services.
Company Secretarial
Our global team is highly experienced in setting up entities, applying for visas, and ensuring businesses are fully compliant and properly licensed to operate globally.
Entity selection & incorporation
Certain entities are more appropriate and popular in different jurisdictions. We will explain the pros and cons of each, help you to select the best option and coordinate the setup of your entities across the world.
Registered office address
Utilize an AGA professional to act as your director. Or we can provide you with your initial registered office address to get your entity off the ground quickly.
Nominee director & address
When starting and registering your business, appointing a nominee director can give you the advantage of anonymity. It is not always an option or advised everywhere in the world, but our professionals will guide you to ensure you are fully compliant at every step and are aware of the benefits and risks.
Business license application
When setting up in a new location, you might need a specific license to operate. We can help you to navigate local regulatory environments across the world, ensuring you are compliant and avoid penalties.
Annual corporate filings
Depending on where in the world you set up and the type of entity, you might need to file annually to ensure corporate compliance. We can provide consolidation of any compliance requirements across the world, removing the worry for you.
Business Legal
Let AGA's lawyers coordinate your representation across the world. We can represent you in all aspects of business law, helping you to startup, grow your business, employ people, protect your business and ensure you are fully compliant. We leave no stone unturned.
Business licensing
We have extensive knowledge of local and international regulatory regimes. We will ensure you have the right licenses in place and manage any regulatory risks effectively. An international team can assess your global approach to compliance and suggest improvements across the markets in which you operate.
M&A legal due diligence
In many countries, buying a business is a case of caveat emptor or 'buyer beware'. Due diligence needs to cover many aspects. Working hand in hand with AGA's accountants and tax advisors, our lawyers will conduct legal due diligence that ensures you know exactly what you are buying and how much it is really worth. You will have the information you need to negotiate a lower purchase price.
Customer & supplier agreements
Generally speaking, corporate agreements are viewed by courts across the world as legally binding. Whether you need a shareholders' agreement in the US, a joint venture agreement in Japan, or a review of customer terms and conditions in the UK, our global team will negotiate and draft your agreements to maximize and protect your interests.
Employment law
AGA lawyers live and work in the same countries as your executives and employees. They know the local courts, local laws, and have expertise in many industries. We welcome your questions about compliance and employee benefits. Call on us for help with discrimination, sexual harassment or wrongful termination allegations. We offer innovative solutions to your employment law challenges.
Joint ventures & strategic partnerships
A strategy utilizing JVs and strategic partnerships domestically or overseas can be key to beating the competition. Cross-border ventures involve extra complexity as they involve parties from different legal and tax jurisdictions, for example civil law systems are prevalent in Europe, while common law is the norm in the US. Let us guide you through issues such as choice of the right legal vehicle in each jurisdiction or restrictions on foreign investment, ownership or control.
Corporate governance
Effective corporate governance underlies every successful business. We specialize in helping private companies to get governance right, including how to manage governance and comply with regulations. Our lawyers join up their advice to help international businesses ensure their governance structures fit the requirements and expectations of each jurisdiction.
Corporate immigration law
The global transfer of staff within international groups, and when companies or entrepreneurs open overseas businesses, always requires expert and timely immigration advice to ensure that staff can work legally in the new jurisdiction. AGA lawyers working together specialise in helping clients to navigate successfully this critical part of global mobility best practice.
Intellectual property protection
Managing and protecting IP has become complex- global companies have large IP portfolios, and IP laws and levels of enforcement vary across countries. Our lawyers can advise you on issues such as brand management, copyright infringement, patent litigation and trade secrets. Cross-border IP litigation or international IP strategies can be coordinated for you, whether in China, Australia, the US or almost anywhere else.
What Our Clients Say
“” Leading medium sized professional firms make the difference as they want to collaborate closely with their clients. AGA members are always available to us, provide quality services and respond with speed. They are also very flexible, adapting to the needs of clients. We look forward to further long-term collaboration.
Marie-Pierre Saint Viteux
VP Human Resources, Volvo CE
“” Leading medium always available to us, provide quality services and respond with speed. They are also very flexible, adapting to the needs of clients. We look forward to further long-term collaboration.
Lidia Martinez Vicente
Financial Director, MANGO
Case Study
Zebra Projects
Situation - Zebra Projects provide interior commercial design services to international clients, principally those with global retail brands. They are headquartered in Dubai and have operational centres in the UK, Saudi Arabia and the US.
Solution - AGA’s UK (London) engagement team (Alliotts) has been consulted to advise on the local rules and reporting for employees and secondees and the nature of establishing or avoiding the creation of a permanent establishment in the countries in which they do business. Advice is coordinated by the London engagement team who then, depending on the complexity of a project, will introduce another local AGA engagement team directly to deliver services and/or the London team acting as project manager to deliver the advice needed.
Results - Zebra Projects transacts business across the globe and with the support of the London engagement team, can act swiftly and decisively, ensuring they meet all local reporting and tax paying requirements, and importantly, do not create establishments or employee tax obligations where it is not necessary for the performance of the contracts.
Together as One - Our Service Model
Our service model, including our ONE Point of Contact approach, ensures a successful implementation and the oversight and direction of ongoing support across the world. Your Lead Engagement Partner will build a team that scales with your business growth and needs.
ONE Team
Engage one team for all of your set-up, accounting and tax compliance and legal advisory needs. Within one country, one region or across the world.
ONE Set of High Service Standards
Count on team members who understand the importance of responsiveness, clear communication, transparency and technical excellence… as set out in our Service Promise Agreement.
ONE Source of Expertise
Access a fully comprehensive, à la carte range of compliance and advisory services from ‘under one roof’ via our global alliance.
ONE Point of Contact
Work with one Lead Engagement Partner (the ‘Hub’) who coordinates with Local Engagement Leads (the ‘Spokes’) in each jurisdiction. Advice is joined up, reporting is consolidated, and clients only need to explain anything once.
Representative clients
AGA firms act for a number of substantial global corporations, many of whom are household names, but primarily specialise in advising the holding companies and subsidiaries of family, owner managed, international groups.
