Defensible, IVS & IFRS-compliant business valuation for companies in Dubai. Led by our senior CFA, CA and ACCA qualified team, accepted by UAE banks, the FTA, Big 4 auditors, and the courts. M&A, shareholder disputes, bank financing, Golden Visa, and UAE Corporate Tax compliance.
Business valuation in Dubai is the process of determining the fair market value of a company using internationally recognised methods, DCF, EV/EBITDA multiples, or Net Asset Value, compliant with IVS. Independent valuation is required for M&A, shareholder disputes, UAE FTA corporate tax compliance, Golden Visa applications, bank financing, and ESOP issuance, and is expected by DIFC, DMCC, JAFZA and mainland DED entities alike. Corvian Advisory delivers IVS and IFRS-compliant reports from AED 10,000, in 2–4 weeks.
Need a valuation outside Dubai? This page covers Dubai mainland, DIFC, DMCC, JAFZA and Dubai free zone entities specifically. We also value businesses in Abu Dhabi (ADGM & KEZAD), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, each with a dedicated page below.
Dubai is the only emirate where a mid-market business is more likely to be structured across a free zone than under a single mainland licence. DIFC common-law entities, DMCC trading and commodities companies, JAFZA and Dubai South industrial operators, and IFZA holding structures each carry different ownership, repatriation, and UAE Corporate Tax qualifying-income rules, generic valuation templates that ignore this will misstate enterprise value.
Dubai is also the region's densest hub for family businesses transitioning between generations, HNW individuals structuring Golden Visa applications, and foreign investors valuing a UAE entity for the first time, three client profiles with very different reporting needs from the same DCF and multiples toolkit.
"The single most common error we correct in Dubai valuations prepared by non-specialists is treating a DIFC or DMCC entity's free zone tax position as identical to a mainland company's, it isn't, and it changes normalised earnings materially."
We value Dubai businesses across every major free zone and mainland structure and build UAE Corporate Tax qualifying-income status directly into the normalised earnings base, not as a footnote.
We regularly value entities structured across DIFC, DMCC, JAFZA, Dubai South, and IFZA, and understand how each authority's ownership and licensing rules intersect with fair value conclusions.
Dubai's concentration of family conglomerates and foreign investors means most engagements involve succession planning, partner buyouts, or a first-time UAE entity valuation for an overseas parent company.
Dubai free zone entities may qualify for 0% UAE CT on qualifying income. This distinction affects normalised earnings, WACC and enterprise value, incorporated in every engagement.
Every engagement is led directly by a CFA Charterholder, Chartered Accountant and ACCA-qualified principal, no junior delegation, reports accepted by UAE banks, the FTA, Big 4 auditors and the courts.
A fixed fee is quoted before any work begins. No hourly billing, no scope creep. Straightforward SME valuations start from AED 10,000.
From selling a business to complying with UAE Corporate Tax, an independent valuation underpins every major financial decision.
Dubai mid-market transaction multiples, drawn from DIFC, DMCC and mainland deal data, benchmarked against wider UAE and GCC comparables.
| Sector | EV/EBITDA Multiple |
|---|---|
| Technology / SaaS | 10–18x |
| Financial Services | 8–15x |
| Healthcare | 8–14x |
| Education | 7–12x |
| Energy & Utilities | 6–10x |
| Logistics | 6–10x |
| Real Estate Services | 5–9x |
| F&B and Retail | 4–8x |
| Industrial & Manufacturing | 4–7x |
No-obligation call to understand your situation and scope. Fixed fee agreed upfront.
3–5 years of financials collected via secure data room.
Financial normalisation, method selection, and GCC comparables benchmarking.
IVS-compliant report delivered, accepted by UAE banks, FTA and auditors.
A founding shareholder of a Dubai mainland manufacturing business sought to exit following a dispute with co-founders. The three shareholders held views ranging from AED 28M to AED 55M. We normalised four years of financials for related-party transactions and above-market owner salaries, applied DCF and EV/EBITDA methods, and delivered a documented valuation of AED 41.2M.
A DIFC-regulated payments fintech needed an independent 409A-equivalent valuation ahead of a Series A round, with its DFSA licence and regulatory capital treated as a distinct intangible asset alongside its technology platform. We applied a venture capital method cross-checked against comparable GCC fintech rounds.
A DMCC-registered commodities trading family business needed an arm's-length valuation to equalise inheritance between siblings taking active vs. passive roles in the company. We built a NAV and DCF blended valuation addressing inventory mark-to-market and working capital cyclicality specific to commodities trading.
From business and equity valuation to intangible assets, IFRS financial reporting, and M&A transaction support. Every engagement is CFA-led, IVS-compliant, and fixed-fee.
| Purpose | Valuation Type | Standard | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| M&A Buy-Side or Sell-Side | Business Valuation | IVS | 2–4 weeks |
| Post-Acquisition Accounting | Purchase Price Allocation | IFRS 3 | 3–5 weeks |
| Annual Auditor Requirement | Goodwill Impairment | IAS 36 | 2–3 weeks |
| Employee Share Options (ESOP) | ESOP Valuation | IFRS 2 | 1–2 weeks |
| Patent / Trademark Licensing | IP Valuation | IAS 38 / IVS | 2–4 weeks |
| UAE FTA / Transfer Pricing | Tax Valuation | OECD / IVS | 2–4 weeks |
| Fundraising / VC Round | Startup Valuation | IVS / IPEV | 1–2 weeks |
| UAE Golden Visa Application | Business Valuation | IVS | 2–3 weeks |
Dubai's economy has quietly shifted from trading and real estate toward businesses whose value lives almost entirely off the balance sheet. Under the D33 economic agenda, DIFC's Innovation Hub, DMCC's crypto and gaming centres, and Dubai Internet City have built one of the world's densest clusters of AI companies, fintech platforms, SaaS businesses, and digital marketplaces. When these companies raise capital, get acquired, or issue ESOPs, the traditional asset-based valuation playbook fails, their value is in software, algorithms, brands, customer data, and licences, not property and equipment.
Corvian Advisory values the full spectrum of intangible assets recognised under IAS 38 and IVS: patents and proprietary technology, trademarks and brands, software and source code, AI and machine learning models, proprietary algorithms, customer relationships and contracts, licensing agreements, databases and data assets, mobile applications, domain names, and trade secrets. Each asset class demands the right method, relief-from-royalty for brands and trademarks, the multi-period excess earnings method (MPEEM) for customer relationships and core technology, replacement cost for internally developed software, and with-and-without analysis for non-compete agreements.
The demand comes from every corner of Dubai's modern economy: venture-backed AI and SaaS founders needing defensible valuations for funding rounds; family offices acquiring technology businesses where 80%+ of the price is intangible value requiring IFRS 3 purchase price allocation; DIFC fintech firms whose regulatory licences carry standalone value; e-commerce and digital media businesses built on brand equity and customer data; and UAE corporate tax and transfer pricing positions that require documented arm's-length royalty rates for intercompany IP licensing.
Corvian Advisory provides CFA-led, IVS-compliant IP and intangible asset valuations for UAE businesses, for M&A, IFRS 3 purchase price allocation, IAS 36 impairment testing, FTA transfer pricing documentation, licensing negotiations, and dispute resolution, accepted by Big 4 auditors, UAE banks, and courts.
| Firm | Fee Structure | CFA-Led | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
Corvian Advisory Boutique · CFA-led | Fixed fee | Always | 2–4 weeks |
Big 4 Firms Large network | Hourly / retainer | Rarely | 6–10 weeks |
Generalist Brokers Broad, less specialised | Commission-based | Sometimes | Varies widely |
Comparing valuation firms in Dubai? See our full Valuation Firms Dubai UAE screening guide.
"Corvian produced an independent valuation for our healthcare group exit. The report was accepted by both buyers and legal counsel immediately, no pushback on methodology. Delivered in 16 days, exactly as promised."
"We used Corvian for a pre-acquisition valuation in the UAE. The EBITDA normalisation identified AED 8M in adjustments the seller's IM had obscured. The report gave our investment committee exactly what they needed."
"Needed an independent valuation for a shareholder buyout. Corvian delivered a fully documented report in 18 days. Both shareholders accepted it and we avoided litigation entirely."
Tell us about your business and your timeline. We'll provide a fixed-fee quote within 24 hours.