Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 25, 2024: The Dubai office of law firm Addleshaw Goddard has advised the founders of a leading regulatory consultancy business, Effecta Compliance (both in the UAE and the UK), on the sale of their shares to ACA Group. 

Effecta Compliance provides regulatory consultancy to the financial services industry, specialising in providing authorization, advisory and regulatory project management to various types of firms including asset managers, brokers, exchanges, fintech companies and others.

The sale to ACA Group – the leading governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) advisor in financial services, headquartered in New York – marks a strategic move to solidify the company’s foothold in the Middle East, enabling ACA to address the expanding demands of its international clients, including those expanding into or already operating within the UAE. Furthermore, this acquisition bolsters ACA's capacity to assist UK firms, enriching its service portfolio to navigate the complex landscape of compliance requirements more effectively.

The deal is reflective of an increased focus on the UAE as a potential market for financial services firms looking to expand their international footprint. This is underlined by the UAE’s drive to be a global leader in establishing a progressive GRC framework for the financial sector, balancing innovation and regulation to successfully harness emerging areas such as fintech to drive growth.

The sale of Effecta Compliance's UAE and UK entities was led by a Dubai-based team from Addleshaw Goddard helmed by Lowri Llwyd, Partner, and Rachael Norris, Managing Associate, supported by Charlene de Souza, Lorna Dean, Rania Sallam, Heather Gibson, and Saarla Reddy from the Corporate and Tax teams.

Lowri Llwyd, Partner – Head of Corporate UAE at Addleshaw Goddard, commented:

Clare Curtis, CEO at Effecta Compliance, said: “We are grateful to the Addleshaw Goddard team for their support throughout this process – they were responsive, pragmatic and very familiar with the nuances of the jurisdictions in which we operate. As founders of Effecta Compliance, we have built an excellent and valuable platform in the UAE and UK, and we are confident that our clients will be in good hands with ACA Group.”

Following this acquisition, clients previously served by Effecta Compliance will gain access to ACA's extensive suite of services, including expert advisory support, comprehensive managed services, and cutting-edge technology solutions.

About Addleshaw Goddard

Addleshaw Goddard is a global law firm with 2,800+ partners and employees across our 19 offices spanning key commercial centres around the world. Six in the UK – London, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen; eight in Europe – four in Germany and one in Ireland, France, Luxembourg and Spain; a further four in the GCC – Doha, Dubai, Muscat, and Riyadh; and one in Asia – Singapore. We have over 350 Partners and nearly 2,000 lawyers and fee-earners worldwide. In the Middle East we have more than 20 partners and close to 100 other fee earners.