Integrity due diligence
Integrity Due Diligence verifies who stands behind a company or individual and whether their ownership, record and reputation present a risk to the engagement. It is conducted before a contract is signed, an investor or shareholder is accepted, or a partner, agent or senior executive is appointed.
For companies entering into a business relationship with a Southeast Asian counterparty, the decision depends on knowing who the counterparty is. In much of the region, the official record alone does not always answer that question. Shareholdings may be held through nominees, court records are not centrally searchable in several jurisdictions and adverse information frequently appears only in local-language press. The research is therefore built from primary sources in the subject’s own jurisdiction and language (e.g. company registries, court and regulatory records, sanctions lists, local-language media) and, where commissioned, discreet enquiries with sources on the ground.
Findings are graded by reliability and assessed for whether the risks identified can be managed or should stop the transaction or engagement. The research covers the specific companies and individuals named in the brief and it does not cover financial due diligence or review of audited accounts and legal opinions.
Subcontracting and white-label consulting services
We are open to supporting consultancies, law firms and investigation firms seeking Southeast Asia expertise without building it in-house. Our name does not appear on anything that reaches your client unless you choose to name us. Each engagement follows the agreed scope, methodology and reporting format, on a fully confidential basis.
Our integrity due diligence is directly supported by SEA Circle, a network of Southeast Asian analysts, journalists, researchers and writers, from or living in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They research in the local language, know where each market's records are held and how its press reports on business, able to make discreet enquiries with well-placed local sources. Where records sit in provincial registries or courts and not online, they will retrieve them in person.
Working languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Filipino, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
Southeast Asia expertise
Through our SEA Circle network, we have researchers based in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They work in the local language, know where each country’s records are held and can make discreet enquiries with local sources directly, without the cost and delay of deploying a team. Through desk research and regional expertise, we also cover the other five markets, bringing our coverage to all eleven countries in the region.
WHAT WE ASSESS
Components
The components can be commissioned together as a full assessment or individually.
A. Moral person (Corporate)
1. Ownership and structure
4. Legal and Regulatory Record
5. Public Profile and Reputation
3. Political exposure
B. Natural person (Individu)
1. Personal background
4. Political exposure
5. Sanctions and high-risk juridictions
3. Criminal, litigation and regulatory record
6. Public profile and reputation
CV Screening
Either commissioned as a standalone or add-on service, CV screening is a background check on a shortlisted employee candidate. It has the following components: verification of employment history, declared educational qualification and online profile.
Starting from 400 USD per candidate
OUR PROCESS
Methodology and timeline
Reports will consist of findings and principal risks, using open-source intelligence and human intelligence.
Each report draws on open-source intelligence (OSINT) and, where needed, human intelligence (HUMINT) gathered through discreet enquiries with local sources.
Exploratory discussion
Within a few days of enquiry: 45 mins, no charge
We establish what decision the report has to serve, who the subjects are (companies, individuals or both), which jurisdictions are involved and when the decision is being made.
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) will be signed before you share any subject names.
Scoping note
3-5 working day: no charge, no obligation
The scoping note shows you what the report will look like. No research is conducted at this stage. It will set out:
- Questions the report will answer
- Structure of the final report, by section
- Sources we expect to draw on, by category
- Timeline of the project
- Financial proposal with breakdown of fee
- Methodological options (see below)
Once the scoping note is agreed, a working agreement is signed.
Open-source intelligence
1-2 weeks
Research from open-source records:
- Company registries, shareholder filings and UBO records
- Court records and regulatory and enforcement actions
- Sanctions lists, watchlists and politically exposed person databases
- Domain, trademark and other digital footprint records
- Local-language press
Record availability varies across the region. Where we expect registry or court delays in a particular market, we flag them in the proposal rather than absorbing them into the timeline.
Human intelligence
Adds 1-3 weeks - on request
Discreet enquiries conducted in-market and in the local language with well-placed sources, such as industry participants, former employees, business associates and local professional advisers. Subjects are never contacted and neither your identity nor the purpose of the enquiry is disclosed.
The scope of enquiries is agreed in the proposal, or added after delivery of the open-source research under an additional working agreement.
Delivery
On completion of research.
Revision
Revision (revision request period open for 5 working days after delivery - one revision round included)
One revision round is included in the fee. It covers factual correction, clarification of anything unclear and expansion of a section within the scope agreed in the proposal.
- Revision does not extend scope. Additional subjects, components or jurisdictions are a new mandate, quoted separately.
- We do not change a risk assessment on request. If you present evidence we did not have, we will test it and amend the report if it holds. If the disagreement concerns the conclusion rather than the evidence, the report stands and we will record your disagreement in it if you want that on file.
- Requests received after the window closes are quoted as additional work.
Final submission
5 working days from receipt of revision requests
The report is submitted and an invoice is issued for payment within 30 days.
COMMISSIONING
Open source intelligence
All components: starting from 1,500 USD
Single component: starting from 400 USD
Open source and human intelligence
All components: starting from 2,500 USD
Single component: starting from 800 USD
Tailored intelligence for confident business decisions.
OUR WORK
Sample reports
Case Study 1
A European institution was preparing a partnership with a religion-based financing moral person in Indonesia. The entity is affiliated with one of the country’s largest mass organisations with significant political influence at both local and national level, making it a politically exposed institution.
We carried out integrity due diligence on the entity and its leadership through open-source research in Indonesian and English. We found no evidence of wrongdoing, but identified a lack of independent oversight, potential weaknesses in how it handles personal data, and exposure to the elevated fraud risk in Indonesia’s financial sector.
We advised the client on safeguards to put in place before cooperation began, and on how to monitor the relationship over time.
Case Study 2
A European company was preparing to engage in an international export through a transaction arranged by an intermediary based in Southeast Asia.
We ran a background check on the intermediary and verified the banking details he provided, including the person’s SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) credibility that he claimed to have. We also made human intelligence enquiries in the subject’s home country to confirm the person’s claims. The research found several indications of fraud.
We advised the client not to proceed with the transaction until the intermediary’s identity and banking arrangements could be independently verified.