
Strategic finance leadership, without the cost of a full-time CFO
Financial oversight is critical as companies navigate Asia’s complex growth environments—but full-time CFOs may not always be practical or cost-effective. Dezan Shira & Associates’ Virtual CFO (vCFO) service offers on-the-ground financial leadership without the overhead.
Our vCFOs oversee budgeting, tax, cash flow, reporting, and special projects—providing both interim and ongoing support while aligning local operations with global financial strategy. Backed by in-house tax, audit, legal, HR, and IT expertise, vCFOs bridge functions, deliver objective financial assessments, and ensure compliance across jurisdictions. Businesses gain expert guidance to strengthen financial performance, manage complexity, and scale with confidence—without the burden of permanent hires.
Advantages of a Virtual CFO
Strategic support for evolving business needs
A vCFO flexibly supports transitions, projects, or internal teams, delivering expert oversight tailored to your business stage and evolving priorities.
Cost-effective alternative to full-time hires
Gain CFO-level insights without the cost of full-time hires. Our vCFO model provides senior expertise, backed by our cross-functional advisory teams.
Local insight with global alignment
Our vCFOs bring local compliance expertise and align regional operations with group-level strategies - facilitating coordination across the business.
How We Can Help Your Business
Our vCFOs step in as needed—during restructuring, expansion, or leadership gaps—to support your company’s strategic financial direction. Whether short-term or ongoing, our services are tailored to your business phase and goals.
- Interim or project-based financial leadership
- Long-term outsourced CFO advisory
- Integration with in-house or external accounting teams
We bring structure and insight to your financial planning processes. Our vCFOs help build annual budgets, manage cash flow, and monitor KPIs that drive profitability, cost control, and future planning.
- Budget development and financial forecasting
- Cash flow planning and working capital strategies
- Operational performance tracking
We provide financial insights to leadership teams and boards, supporting capital structuring, investor reporting, and cross-border finance management.
- Financial reporting for board and investors
- Capital planning and financial risk mitigation
- Multi-entity and regional finance alignment
Our vCFOs are backed by Dezan Shira’s in-house experts, enabling guidance across compliance areas including tax, HR, audit, and IT—especially useful when challenges extend beyond finance.
- Integrated access to cross-functional experts
- Risk advisory for compliance-heavy transactions
- Informed planning across business functions
We support finance operations that must comply with both local statutory rules and international group reporting requirements. Our vCFOs align your processes with regulatory best practices.
- Financial compliance advisory in Asia
- Local GAAP vs. IFRS/US GAAP alignment
- Transfer pricing, repatriation, and tax compliance guidance
Our vCFOs facilitate communication between HQ and local teams, ensuring alignment on targets and policies, and identifying areas of internal inefficiency or risk.
- Finance function assessment and restructuring
- Internal control improvements
- Liaison support across departments or regions
Have Any Questions?
Reach out to our local experts
Choose the services that your organisation needs
Our approach depends upon your requirements, and which package best suits your organization.
Below are some of our most popular packages:
Starter For small, or dormant firms < ¥1m revenue P/A |
Moving Up For small companies with up to ¥5m revenue P/A |
Enterprise For companies with more than ¥5m annual revenue |
Large Enterprise For larger and customize requirements |
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Corporate Accounting & Payroll Services | ||||
Bookkeeping | Up to 20 transactions | Up to 50 transactions | Up to 100 transactions | |
Payroll | Up to 5 employees | Up to 15 employees | For up to 30 employees | Unlimited |
Cashier Management | ||||
Statutory Tax Filing | ||||
Monthly Financial Statements | ||||
Bank and Tax Office Relationships | ||||
Virtual Meetings | Once Monthly | Twice Monthly | Once Weekly | |
Expense Management Software | ||||
ERP System Configuration / Advisory | ||||
Virtual CFO Services | ||||
Tax Planning & Optimization | ||||
Transfer Pricing Advisory | ||||
Audit Coordination Work | ||||
Cash Flow Forecasting | ||||
Budget Development, Tracking & Analysis | ||||
Internal Control Structuring | ||||
Financial Review / Director’s Meetings | Twice Annual | Quarterly | ||
Recruitment and supervision of an internal finance team |
Additional employees may be added at additional cost
Available at additional cost upon request
Standard 90 minutes included. More time available upon request
FAQs – Virtual CFO Services
A Virtual CFO (vCFO) provides companies with strategic financial oversight without the cost or commitment of hiring a full-time executive. At Dezan Shira & Associates, our vCFOs act as senior finance advisors—supporting budgeting, reporting, financial planning, compliance, and internal controls across one or multiple markets in Asia.
The service is modular and scalable. Clients can engage us on a project basis, during transitional phases, or for long-term oversight. We work alongside your internal finance and operational teams, integrating with existing systems and aligning with both local compliance and global reporting standards.
Companies often struggle with financial oversight during growth, restructuring, or leadership transitions. Hiring a full-time CFO may not be feasible—or necessary—especially for lean or expanding businesses operating across multiple countries.
A project-based or interim vCFO is ideal when:
Opening or scaling operations in new Asian markets
- Managing a CFO vacancy or leadership gap
- Navigating regulatory change, audit, or restructuring
- Preparing for fundraising, acquisition, or investor reporting
- Consolidating finance functions across multiple jurisdictions
The flexibility of our service allows companies to secure senior financial leadership when and where it’s most needed.
Our vCFO services are structured to support critical finance functions across both operational and strategic levels. These may include:
- Budget creation and financial forecasting
- Cash-flow monitoring and liquidity planning
- Monthly or quarterly management reporting
- Tax structuring coordination with local experts
- Review of internal controls and compliance
- Board-level reporting and investor support
Clients can choose a full-scope engagement or focus on specific deliverables based on their internal capabilities.
Hiring a full-time CFO—particularly across multiple markets—can be costly and time-consuming. Many companies find themselves underutilizing senior executives for day-to-day tasks that don’t require full-time leadership.
Our Virtual CFO model is structured to reduce fixed costs while providing access to experienced finance leadership. Engagements are scoped around deliverables, not headcount, allowing clients to manage expenses without sacrificing capability or control.
Our vCFOs are supported by a regionally distributed team with in-depth knowledge of local compliance, tax reporting, accounting standards, payroll regulations, and cross-border transactions.
This allows us to manage reporting, filings, and regulatory engagement in countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore—while maintaining visibility and alignment with HQ financial frameworks.
Yes. Integration is a key part of our approach, especially for companies operating with global or regional finance teams.
We typically align with your internal operations through:
- Access to ERP and accounting systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite)
- Coordination with local or group controllers
- Participation in financial close and reporting cycles
- Standardized reporting aligned to your group formats
- Use of secure, shared systems for document access and review
This ensures transparency and seamless collaboration with your team.
Yes. One of the key benefits of engaging a vCFO through Dezan Shira & Associates is direct access to our in-house tax, legal, HR, payroll, and IT teams.
This cross-functional support means your vCFO can coordinate with our specialists on complex issues such as transfer pricing, local tax audits, intercompany agreements, compliance reviews, or HR planning—without the need to manage multiple vendors or advisors.
We offer flexible engagement models depending on the company’s size, maturity, and internal capacity:
- Short-term projects: Support during transitions, audits, or leadership gaps
- Monthly retainers: For ongoing oversight, planning, and reporting
- Hybrid models: Combining retained hours with project-based deliverables
- Fully customized scopes: Based on operational regions and reporting complexity
Engagement terms are clearly defined from the outset, with the ability to scale up or down as your needs evolve.
Fast-growing companies or international firms expanding into Asia often don’t have the in-house financial leadership needed to manage multi-jurisdiction operations, local compliance, and reporting demands.
The vCFO model works best for:
- Foreign-invested companies without a full finance team in Asia
- Regional subsidiaries reporting to overseas HQs
- Mid-sized businesses scaling operations or entering new markets
- Companies undergoing restructuring, funding rounds, or M&A activity
Our support is particularly relevant for firms with group-level complexity but lean local resources.
We follow a structured onboarding process to ensure smooth engagement. This typically includes:
- Initial scoping call to understand goals and internal capacity
- Review of existing reports, budgets, and system access
- Introduction to internal stakeholders and assigned teams
- Setup of document sharing and communication protocols
- Confirmation of timelines, reporting formats, and deliverables
Clients receive an onboarding checklist and designated point of contact to manage the transition.
Events like audits, capital raises, or restructuring introduce significant pressure on finance teams—especially if documentation is fragmented or reporting structures are inconsistent.
Our vCFOs provide stability and leadership during these high-stakes periods by:
- Preparing financial summaries and investor reports
- Managing audit deliverables and coordinating with auditors
- Evaluating cash runway, forecast scenarios, and investor decks
- Advising on restructuring models and finance controls
This support helps ensure accurate reporting and strategic alignment during key business inflection points.
Our Clients
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We provide expert advisory and corporate services across Asia, guiding businesses through complex markets and regulations.