Healy Consultants has vast experience of assisting clients set up businesses in Asia. By publishing our first Asia Business Set Up guide, we draw upon this unrivalled experience to enable international investors and entrepreneurs to make informed decisions on starting businesses in Asia based on reality, not theory.

We achieve this by conveying our day-to-day experiences of doing business in Asia, and then backing up our observations with statistics and rankings from respected global authorities such as the World Bank, the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

We believe this unique authoritative format and approach lends Asia Business Set Up both credibility and reliability for international entrepreneurs. In summary, each country chapter of the guide focuses on the following key topics:

Key drivers of national economies (e g key industries contributing to the economy, sector opportunities for foreign investors), potential economic pitfalls and exposures/vulnerabilities.

Types of legal business entity in each country, and the features of each entity. For example, the number of directors and shareholders required to set the company up, start up capital requirements, and practical examples of when each company type would be suitable for a foreign business person. The guide also indicates official government set up costs. 

The ease of company set up. We leverage our experiences to give a realistic, detailed overview of procedures and potential sources of frustration. Where applicable, we back up our own observations with official rankings such as the World Bank’s Doing Business surveys.

Accounting and tax procedures in each Asian country, and how they affect business set up. For example, we analyse corporate tax rates and other taxes which impact businesses (e g taxes levied on shareholder dividends etc), information on double tax agreements between countries, and personal income tax considerations.

The legal system of each country and how it affects the running of a business. For example, the guide candidly discusses the ability of a country’s legal system to adequately enforce laws to protect foreign investors (for example, intellectual property rights protection). We fully back up our observations with statistics and rankings from internationally-accepted and recognised bodies such as Transparency International, which publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Furthermore, we discuss foreign investment restrictions, if any, in each country. 

A practical review of the banking systems of each country, including bank services available to companies with foreign shareholders, a critique of service standards in general and critical banking issues for international business people – for example, foreign exchange restrictions, limits on third-party funds transfers, and powers granted to financial institutions to obtain local account holders' banking information.

Opportunities for raising capital in the country, including i) by listing on local stock markets and ii) accessing government incentives such as business development loans, grants and tax holidays. We explore the procedures for stock exchange listing, listing eligibility criteria and realistic listing timeframes, as well as application procedures for government incentives.

Each Asian country's status as an efficient international trading jurisdiction. For example, we assess the country's strategic advantages, highlight strengths and deficiencies in its transport and communications infrastructure and how this impacts imports and exports. We also look at the main imports and exports of a country, key trading partners and trade agreements, in addition to global commodity prices and trends and how they impact importers and exporters.

The environment and how it impacts business set up and life in Asia. For example, how does environmental degradation (for example, loss of natural land due to economic development) affect the lives of foreign entrepreneurs (and local people) living in India or China? To back up our observations, we use statistics such as Mercer Human Resources’ Quality of Living surveys.

A summary of business costs in each country. In addition to business set up costs, the guide offers comparisons of key business costs with other countries, e g labour, energy and utility costs, as well as inflation rates and trends. In addition to labour costs, areas such as employee rights and labour law (e g minimum wage, pensions, indemnity, statutory leave allowances etc) are explored in detail.

Relocating to and living in Asia. Some entrepreneurs need accurate, reliable facts and figures to hand to enable them to make an informed decision on whether to relocate to Asia. Not only is Healy Consultants based in Asia, we have helped many clients relocate to the region from the US, Europe and Australia, and are therefore aware of the difficulties, procedural requirements and cost factors they must consider. We cover issues related to relocation including i) obtaining work and residence permits ii) finding suitable accommodation for rent or purchase iii) schooling and iv) lifestyle options (e g sports and social club memberships).

Case Studies - some of our clients have agreed to allow us to publish their particular experiences of business set up in each jurisdiction, including how we assisted them.

Countries we cover in detail in this book are: Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, China, India, Dubai, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, South Korea, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius and the Seychelles.