Use case · Market entry
Know the integrity risks of a new market before you commit to it.
A new country or sector brings new officials, new intermediaries and new enforcement authorities. We show what that means for your risk profile, so the decision and the control design rest on evidence rather than on headlines.
The situation
You are planning a subsidiary, a sales office, a distributor network, a plant or a major tender in a country where you have little operating history. The business case is ready; the integrity risk picture usually is not.
At this stage, decisions are still cheap to change: the entry model, the choice of local partners, the licences you need and the controls you budget for. A risk analysis delivered now shapes those choices instead of documenting them afterwards.
Questions the analysis answers
- Which of the seven focus areas carry material risk in this country and sector, and which do not?
- Where does the business touch public officials: licences, permits, customs, tax audits, state-owned customers?
- How actively do local and foreign authorities enforce, and against whom?
- Which cases and fines have hit companies in your sector, including direct competitors?
- What do indicators such as the CPI, the Basel AML Index or FATF status say, and where do they fall short?
- Which entry model and which partner types raise or lower the exposure?
Typical scope
One sector across one to several candidate countries, often compared side by side. The external module is the core; the internal module is added when you already have partners, agents or sales in the market.
- Countries: the target market(s), optionally a reference market you know well
- Sector: your own, plus the sectors of key customers if they are state-owned
- Focus areas: usually all seven, or a reduced set if the board has defined priorities
What you get
- Country × sector risk ratings per focus area, with the rationale for each rating
- Overview of the legal framework, including extraterritorial laws that travel with you
- Enforcement and case register for the market and sector
- Red flags to build into partner due diligence and contract clauses
- Recommended controls proportionate to the identified risk
- Results session with the project team and, if needed, the management board
Frameworks this supports
Assessing the risk of a new market before entering it is an explicit expectation in the main anti-corruption and compliance frameworks.
- UK Bribery Act 2010 – guidance on adequate procedures
- Principle 3 (risk assessment) asks for a periodic, informed and documented assessment of external and internal bribery risk and names country, sectoral, transaction, business-opportunity and business-partnership risk.
- ISO 37001
- Requires a documented bribery risk assessment, reviewed regularly and whenever the structure or activities of the organisation change significantly.
- ISO 37301
- Requires the organisation to identify and assess compliance risks in relation to its activities, products, services and operations.
- US DOJ Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs
- Asks whether the risk assessment considers the locations, industry sector and regulatory landscape in which the company operates.
We provide risk analysis, not legal advice. The legal assessment of a specific structure stays with your counsel.
Questions on market entry
Can we compare several candidate countries?
Yes. The ratings use the same scale and the same criteria for every country, so candidate markets can be compared side by side. The report states where data density differs between countries.
Does the analysis vet specific local partners?
No. It analyses the risk environment of the country and sector and derives red flags for partner due diligence. Screening individual companies or persons is a separate exercise.
Tell us the decision you are preparing.
Send us your countries, sectors and the context of the decision. We come back with a scope proposal: fixed scope, timeline and price.