Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is financial consultancy in the UAE?
Financial consultancy provides advisory services on cash flow, working capital, trade finance, treasury operations, financial planning, and structuring without performing SCA-regulated investment advice or fund management activities.
2. Who needs financial consultancy services in the UAE?
UAE SMEs, mid-market businesses, corporates managing trade finance and treasury operations, family businesses planning succession, and HNW or expatriate individuals seeking practical financial planning support.
3. Does financial consultancy require SCA approval?
Financial consultancy under this activity code does not require SCA approval as it covers non-securities advisory work. Securities-related advisory needs the separate SCA-regulated financial advisory activity.
4. How big is the UAE SME sector?
UAE SMEs represent more than 94% of UAE companies and contribute around 60% of UAE GDP per Ministry of Economy data, generating sustained demand for financial consultancy services.
5. What is the difference between financial consultancy and financial advisory?
Financial consultancy covers broader non-securities advisory (cash flow, working capital, trade finance). Financial advisory specifically covers securities recommendations and capital markets work requiring SCA pre-establishment approval.
How to Start a Financial Consultancy Business with Meydan Free Zone
A UAE business can win every contract, invoice every client on time, and still come up short on payroll at the end of the month. The profit is real. But, it is just tied up: sitting in invoices clients have not paid, in stock that has not sold, in a letter of credit that has not yet cleared. Closing the gap between profit on paper and cash in the bank is the everyday work of financial consultancy, and in the UAE almost every business needs help with it at some point.
Small and mid-sized businesses make up more than 94 percent of all companies in the UAE and generate close to 60 percent of its GDP, according to the Ministry of Economy1. Most of them run lean, with no in-house finance team, and turn to outside consultants to forecast cash flow, manage working capital, structure trade finance, and keep pace with corporate tax and VAT. This is hands-on, practical financial advice and it serves the businesses and families that form the backbone of the economy. With the wider UAE financial advisory market valued at USD 186.73 billion in 2025 according to Statista2, the base of clients who need this advice, and can pay for it, is both deep and growing.
Sources: Statista (2025); ResearchAndMarkets (2025)
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The UAE offers a strong opportunity for financial consultancies, shaped by three dynamics. First, SME and corporate demand is structural. UAE Ministry of Economy1 data shows SMEs make up over 94% of companies and around 60% of GDP, driving sustained demand for cash flow advisory, working capital optimisation, and treasury support. Second, client mandates span practical work, including SME financial planning, cash flow forecasting, trade finance structuring, UAE corporate tax compliance (effective June 2023), VAT advisory, family business succession, and expatriate financial planning. Third, positioning supports specialist niches such as SME consultancy, trade finance, family business structuring, and tax advisory. Operators combining practical expertise, sector knowledge, and retainer-based models are well placed to scale.
Whether you are advising UAE SMEs on cash flow and working capital optimisation, supporting corporates with trade finance and treasury operations, or guiding family businesses through succession planning and structuring, this activity covers the financial consultancy layer.
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Who is this for?
- SME and mid-market business consultants: Consultancies advising UAE SMEs and mid-market businesses on cash flow forecasting, working capital optimisation, business financial planning, and operational efficiency.
- Trade finance and treasury operations advisors: Consultancies supporting UAE corporates with trade finance structuring, supply chain financing, letters of credit, treasury operations, and foreign exchange management advisory.
- Family business and individual financial planners: Consultancies guiding UAE family businesses through succession planning and structuring, advising HNW and expatriate individuals on financial planning, and supporting corporates on tax and VAT structuring.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero corporate tax on qualifying income, and a fully digital licensing process, positioning financial consultancies at the centre of a market where UAE SME concentration, sustained trade finance flows, corporate tax compliance demand, and individual wealth management needs anchor sustained consultancy activity.
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6619.14: Financial Consultancy
Under this activity, you are licensed to provide financial consultancy services to UAE businesses and individuals.
However, this activity has defined boundaries. It excludes the activities of insurance agents and brokers (which falls under activities auxiliary to insurance and pension funding), and the management of investment funds (which falls under fund management activities).
In short: if you provide financial consultancy services to UAE SMEs, corporates, family businesses, or individuals on non-securities advisory work, you are in.
Third-Party Approval
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
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Citations
1 Ministry of Economy, UAE. Small and Medium Enterprises. Ministry of Economy, UAE, 2025.
2 Statista. Financial Advisory - United Arab Emirates. Statista, 2025.
3 ResearchAndMarkets. UAE Wealth Management Market Size, Share, Growth Drivers, Trends & Forecast 2025-2030. ResearchAndMarkets, 2025.
