We are your partner for growth in Asia

Dezan Shira & Associates provides complete corporate, professional, and technological services for doing business in Asia.

Our North American Desk offers on the ground support to American and Canadian companies looking to expand their operations in Asia.

Put our 30 years’ experience, expertise, and full-service-suite to work - as your partner for growth in Asia.

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How We Provide Support to American & Canadian Companies throughout Asia

Dezan Shira & Associates is a leading foreign investment (FDI) advisory firm in Asia. We assist US and Canadian businesses set up, grow, and operate in the region. Our multi-disciplinary professionals have provided a range of services that facilitate business success for over 30 years from our 29 offices and 13 Asian Alliance partner offices in APAC.

Clients can obtain comprehensive, integrated business solutions from our combined capabilities as a CPA, law firm, IT service provider, and business intelligence supplier. These blended and tailored services assist clients throughout the whole process of their investment, from site selection and corporate establishment to post-establishment operational and administrative support.

Over one million US and Canadian readers also gain knowledge on the business environments of Asia through our publishing subsidiary, Asia Briefing, and its briefing sites – China Briefing, Vietnam Briefing, India Briefing and ASEAN Briefing – every year.

Our Clients

Our clients consist of mid-cap companies, subsidiaries of listed corporations, smaller family firms and larger multinational enterprises. We service thousands of corporate clients, headquartered in more than 100 countries around the globe, with 40% of our clientele headquartered in North America.

While many of our clients are Fortune 500, we are as comfortable with entrepreneurs as we are with well-established and scaling businesses. Our diversified clientele allows us to strengthen the knowledge base that we continue to use in assisting our clients do business across Asia.

Our industry expertise has developed from over 30 years of supporting clients from across numerous industry sectors. Specialist and growth sectors include:

  • Automotive
  • Consumer goods and services
  • Education
  • Entertainment and sports
  • Environment and cleantech
  • Healthcare
  • Information technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Non-Governmental Organizations
  • Professional services
  • Trade and e-commerce.

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Our Offices

Businesses with multiple presence in Asia can receive our assistance with each of their offices’ local compliance requirements. We support clients throughout China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Dubai, as well as from our Asian Alliance partner offices in Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, and South Korea.

Together, we make up one of the largest integrated providers of corporate services in the entire Asian region, including more than 600 professionals in Asia.

Our overseas offices, including our US-based office in Boston, provide an added layer of real-time support for clients who are headquartered outside Asia. Our international business advisors there serve as a point of contact for our North American clients and partners, working with businesses to expand and maintain their presence in Asia while liaising with our local teams and partners.

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Our Network

We are members of numerous North American organizations that help facilitate trade and investment in Asia – whether physically located in Asia or North America – and cooperate with many more associations, economic development units, and governmental agencies.

In Asia, we partner with organizations such as the American Chamber of Commerce China and Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam to educate their members on local compliance matters.

In North America, we collaborate with World Trade Center chapters, international trade associations, country-specific groups, trade agencies, industry associations, and individual law and accounting firms to help US and Canadian companies to understand where and how to do business successfully in Asia.

Globally, we are members of leading professional associations that lend us an extensive network such as the Leading Edge Alliance (LEA), an alliance of major independently owned accounting and consulting firms; IR Global, a multi-disciplinary professional services network spanning over 155 jurisdictions; and ETL Global, an international business alliance representing over 50 countries.

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Keep Up to Date on Asia

Through our publishing subsidiary, Asia Briefing, and its briefing sites, over a million US and Canadian businesspeople gather the information they need to make informed decisions in Asia every year. The regional Briefing brands that fall under Asia Briefing include China Briefing, Vietnam Briefing, ASEAN Briefing, India Briefing, and Silk Road Briefing.

Underpinned by Dezan Shira & Associates’ expertise and on the ground experience in Asia, our dedicated Asia Briefing editorial team regularly publishes business intelligence articles, industry spotlights, economic analyses, and regulatory updates to keep North American businesses up-to-date and knowledgeable of the fast-paced business environments in Asia.

Subscribers of our content receive the most noteworthy news and analysis from the US and Canadian perspectives in their inboxes monthly. They also receive invitations to events we organize to provide clarity on current, pertinent issues for businesses. If interested in receiving these regular updates, please subscribe here.

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Access Our Expertise

Clients, subscribers, and partners can tap into our expertise for free in a variety of different ways, such as through Asiapedia, Asia Briefing, and our events.

We maintain an exhaustive business library on our website, Asiapedia. This library is a collection of resources based on what we have learned about doing business in Asia. These include on-demand webinars, guides, reports, and other practical know-how resources that come directly from our professionals in each region.

Asia Briefing, our publishing subsidiary, not only regularly publishes news about Asia’s business environments, but also releases reports, magazines, and technical guides, including our annual Doing Business guides – which break down the various aspects of doing business in China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, ASEAN, and India. Our technical guides on HR & Payroll and Tax & Accounting provide in-depth expertise in those disciplines in Asia, while our magazines tackle current issues and opportunities in the market.

Another way we share our expertise is through our events, held both in webinar and seminar format. Every month we hold events on topics pertinent to American and Canadian businesses. Topics such as profit repatriation from China, opportunities in Vietnam, adding an ASEAN market to your Chinese supply chain, US trade policy in Asia, and more. You can browse and register for our globally held events on the events page.

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Why work with Dezan Shira

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing market entry, legal, accounting, tax, HR, technology, and operational advisory to international investors.

Dedicated advisors knowledgeable about Asia’s business environments, opportunities, and risks seamlessly support companies with offices in multiple jurisdictions.

A full suite of services that can be integrated to provide practical and effective solutions for simple to complex business needs.

Strong partner network including governmental and business organizations across Asia to provide value-added services, advice, and contacts.

Asia’s markets made accessible through business-related news and analysis on Asia Briefing and its sister publications.

Our Services

We are a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing market entry, legal, accounting, tax, HR, technology, and operational advisory services tailored to help businesses and investors manage the unique hurdles of international business, across jurisdictions, and in each market.

Pre-Entry Intelligence and Advisory

Business intelligence is a critical component of the decision-making process when considering where and how an investment in Asia should be made. Our cross-regional Asia team can help your business with its strategic direction.

M&A and Due Diligence

Each M&A transaction requires a unique approach to set-up procedures, regulatory barriers, as well as the required due diligence considerations to close the deal and set the stage for future business growth with minimized risk.

Corporate Establishment and Legal Advisory

The incorporation and structure of your investment define the early stages of your Asia expansion and impact your future success. A well-planned legal structure can help to make the difference.

Tax and Accounting

Tax laws and regulations throughout Asia are continuously being updated and refined while international accounting standards vary greatly in practice. Our team of professionals is accustomed to navigating this fast-paced environment and providing local expertise.

HR, Payroll and Global Staffing / PEO

Managing personnel in Asia requires a robust approach to local regulations and customs. Our services are designed to help foreign-invested companies with compliance and best practices.

Technology and Digital Transformation

We understand that Asia’s Information Technology (IT) environment is unique and encompasses the need to understand different languages, regulations, and software. Our advisors can help you find the digital solution you need.

Contact Our Experts

Since its establishment in 1992, Dezan Shira & Associates has become one of Asia's most versatile consultancies with more than 600 lawyers, accountants, auditors, HR professionals, business intelligence and technology experts, delivering fully integrated services from more than 35 global offices. Our North American desk leadership team:

Partner
Senior Associate, Marketing

Trusted by Global Businesses

Our clients are headquartered across the United States and Canada and range in size from start-ups to mid-cap, and large enterprises. Here is what our clients have to share about us:

Dezan Shira has played a crucial role in helping our China expansion from a RO to a full-fledged trading entity - through careful planning, in-person meetings, and qualitative strategic advice. The setup is particularly complex in China, but we were led through the legal and tax intricacies, regulations, and obligations towards local authorities smoothly. We were delighted to close the circle by ...inaugurating our China office with Dezan Shira’s help.
Ping has offices in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. We’ve been a client of Dezan Shira’s for 25 years, from setting up companies, to back-office services. Although many “big 8” firms think they specialize in Asia, Dezan Shira is the only firm that I know of with the breadth, depth, and expertise across the region. My compliments to the team for our 25 years of positive ...experience; I rely on, recommend, and trust you even more.
Bloomsbury Institute, a UK higher education provider, engaged Dezan Shira to incorporate their company in India and assist with employment and payroll. They efficiently handled the complex process, enabling them to set up the company, including a bank account, and employ 7 staff members in Hyderabad. Their multi-disciplinary team is a pleasure to work with and provided comprehensive services ...in-house. Client service and support have been excellent and they continue to ensure our compliance with company law and assist with payroll services.
Dezan Shira & Associates’ excellent integrated corporate service solutions and strategic advice, have played a crucial role for us in implementing our Singapore expansion ...plans.
It has been pleasure working with the team. The Dezan Shira and Associates India team is very professional, always there to support clients, and are very ...accommodating.
Dezan Shira assists Organica Water with our corporate secretarial services, financial and tax advice in Asia. Their availability and high-level professional services have led to a valuable long-term relationship, resulting in global ...cooperation.

Asia Insights for North Americans

North American businesses are increasingly looking to expand and adjust their supply chains and go-to-market strategies across Asia. Watch and read what our experts have to say on the deeper issues in this regard:

Enquire for more information about our services, and how we can help solve challenges for your organization.

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Upcoming Events

News by Asia Briefing

Singapore Signs FTA With MERCOSUR Bloc

Singapore has signed a free trade agreement with the MERCOSUR trade bloc as the country seeks to expand its trade network in Latin America.

December 14, 2023

Our Partners

We partner with organizations across the world to give us a truly global presence. Discover each of our regions’ key partners below:

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