UAE Foundations – The Ultimate Hybrid

Introduction

When is a company not a company? When is a trust not a trust? When it is a UAE foundation. Many trust, corporate and structural tax professionals have pondered over the form of entity that would suit their client's needs best. Few could have done better than the UAE Foundation. After all, the DIFC and other interested parties sought the best structures and practices in many jurisdictions from around the world, and this was a crucial one. An effective orphan structure that has appearances of a company and a trust and can trade.

Setting up a foundation in the UAE has become one of the main ways to restructure wealth in the country. There may, however, be broader global benefits to structures involving such entities.