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Market Entry

Overview

Cross-border expansion, structured in the order that works.

Expansions that go wrong tend to go wrong the same way: incorporate first, then look for a bank, then discover the tax, funding or licensing constraint that should have shaped the structure. The sequence that works is almost the reverse, and running it in order is most of what we sell.

We advise on market entries across Switzerland, the EU, the UK and the Ukrainian corridor in both directions: comparative jurisdiction analysis, structure and substance design, regulatory perimeter mapping and licence sequencing, and the banking and operational files that let the new entity operate. Entity formation, notarisation and local filings are carried out by local counsel and notaries engaged for that purpose.

Switzerland is our home base and often, though not always, the answer; where it is not, we say so and structure accordingly.

The sequence that works is almost the reverse of the intuitive one: 1 · Tax and regulatory analysis Both directions, before anything is signed 2 · Jurisdiction and structure Where the entity sits, and who funds it 3 · Substance and governance Real decisions, real people, real premises 4 · Licences and registrations Sequenced to statutory clocks and deadlines 5 · Banking and operations Feasibility tested first, operating file last Corridors we know deeply: into and out of Switzerland, the EU, the UK, and Ukraine in both directions.

The five workstreams, in the order that keeps rework to a minimum: bank feasibility is tested at the start, the operating file comes last.

See the corridor frameworks in our Ukraine Hub and UK–Swiss Hub.

How we help

Jurisdiction and structure

  • Comparative analysis across Switzerland, EU member states and the UK
  • Holding and operating structure design, with tax input coordinated both ways
  • Funding-route analysis, including capital-control constraints where they exist
  • Substance planning that withstands bank, tax and regulatory review

Regulatory entry

  • Perimeter mapping per target market before the structure is fixed
  • Licence and registration sequencing against statutory decision periods, transitional deadlines and realistic processing times
  • Access route per market, documented: cross-border services, branch or subsidiary, with EU passporting where it exists
  • Compliance frameworks scaled to the entry from the start

The operating file

  • Governance kits: powers of attorney, signatory rules, remote-execution design
  • Bank onboarding files built once as a core dossier, then tailored to each bank's questions
  • Register and beneficial-ownership filings across the group

The corridors

  • Into Ukraine: structures for reconstruction-era investment and funded projects
  • Out of Ukraine: European platforms for Ukrainian companies and founders
  • United Kingdom: financial-services access under the Berne Agreement
  • Into the EU: entity and licensing strategy for third-country groups

How we engage

Three formats cover most needs, each built on one framework mapped across the relevant jurisdictions.

Entry feasibility review

A fixed-scope analysis of a target market: regulatory perimeter, structure options, funding route, realistic timeline and cost, and the go/no-go factors set out before money is committed.

Structured entry mandate

The full sequence advised as one project: structure, substance, licences and banking, alongside local counsel, with every workstream feeding one consistent file.

Ongoing cross-border counsel

Continuing support for the multi-jurisdiction group: register and governance maintenance, new-market assessments as they arise, and the corridor-specific monitoring our hubs make visible.

Insights

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