Most transactions begin with a database screen: sanctions lists, adverse media, corporate registries. These are necessary, and in opaque markets they are rarely sufficient.
Five signals should prompt enhanced due diligence: ownership that changes shortly before a deal; nominee directors shared across unrelated companies; registered addresses in formation-agent offices; revenue that does not match visible operations; and reluctance to introduce the people who actually make decisions.
Enhanced due diligence combines documentary research across jurisdictions with discreet, lawful source enquiries. The aim is not to collect everything — it is to answer the specific questions that determine whether a deal, partnership or appointment should proceed.
Findings are graded for reliability and corroborated before they reach a client. A decision is only as good as the confidence you can place in the information behind it.
