Outsourced & co-sourced internal audit
Your whole internal audit function run by us, or extra specialist capacity alongside your in-house team.
Audit & Assurance
Internal audit services in the UAE
External audit tells the world your numbers are right. Internal audit tells you whether the business behind them is under control — where money leaks, where fraud hides, where a process will fail before it does. We build and run your internal audit function — outsourced or alongside your team — to the IIA's Global Internal Audit Standards, reporting straight to your board. Fixed fee, agreed before we start.
IIA Standards
Global Internal Audit Standards we work to
Risk-based
Plans built around your real risks
Independent
Reporting to your board or audit committee
Fixed fee
Agreed before we start
What it means
What is internal audit?
Internal audit is an independent, objective function that examines how your business actually runs — its controls, risks and governance — and reports what's working, what isn't, and how to fix it. Unlike an external audit, it isn't a once-a-year opinion for outsiders; it's ongoing, inward-facing assurance that management and the board rely on.
It is guided by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and its Global Internal Audit Standards, which took effect on 9 January 2025. The work is risk-based: instead of checking everything, we focus effort where the risk of loss, fraud or failure is highest, and test whether the controls meant to manage it are real and working.
In the UAE, an internal audit function is increasingly expected, not optional. Corporate governance rules for listed companies require one, boards and audit committees demand it, and lenders and investors look for it. For growing family businesses and SMEs, it's how you keep control as you scale beyond the point where the owner can see everything.
The output isn't a signed financial opinion — it's a stream of practical findings and recommendations: a risk-based audit plan, control gaps closed, fraud exposure reduced, and an audit committee with independent eyes inside the business. It also makes your external audit smoother.
What we handle
What our internal audit service covers
Run the whole function or top up your team — either way you get independent, risk-based assurance the board can act on.
Risk-based audit plan
An annual plan mapped to your real risks and agreed with the board, so effort goes where it matters.
Internal controls review & design
Controls tested for whether they exist and actually work — then redesigned where they don't.
Process & operational audits
Procurement, sales, payroll, inventory and cash cycles reviewed for leakage, waste and weak points.
Fraud & forensic reviews
Fraud risk assessed, red flags investigated, and controls put in place to stop it recurring.
Audit committee & governance support
Reporting, charters and follow-up that give your board independent, actionable assurance.
Who needs one
When you need internal audit
Internal audit may be required by your governance code, demanded by your board, or simply overdue given how the business has grown. If any of these apply, it's time to put it in place.
Your governance code requires it
Listed companies and many regulated entities must maintain an internal audit function.
Your board or audit committee wants assurance
Directors need independent eyes on controls — not just management's word.
You're scaling fast
Growth outruns the owner's ability to see everything; controls must scale with it.
Cash or stock keeps going missing
Unexplained leakage in cash, inventory or margins points to control gaps.
You suspect fraud
Red flags, a tip-off or a near-miss need an independent, discreet review.
External audit keeps finding issues
Repeated audit adjustments mean the underlying controls are weak.
You're preparing for investment or IPO
Investors and regulators expect a functioning internal audit and control environment.
You rely on a few key people
Concentrated, unchecked processes are where errors and fraud live.
The signals
The signs you need internal audit
Problems build quietly when no one independent is looking. If any of these sound familiar, it's time to talk.
No one checks the checkers
Management runs and reviews its own work, with no independent line looking in.
A tip-off or a near-miss
Something has surfaced and you need it looked at properly and quietly.
Rapid growth or new entities
New branches, systems or countries have outpaced your controls.
A new audit committee
The board has set one up and needs internal audit to report into it.
Margins don't add up
Profit is leaking somewhere between the order and the bank.
Investors are circling
Due diligence will probe your control environment — get ahead of it.
How we help
How we run internal audit, in five clear steps
One team owns the cycle — with a fixed fee agreed up front and a clear view of which step you're on.
1
Week 1–2
Understand & assess risk
We map your business, processes and risks, and agree with the board where assurance matters most.
2
Week 2
Build the audit plan
We turn that risk picture into a risk-based annual internal audit plan, sized to your budget.
3
Ongoing
Fieldwork & testing
We walk processes, test controls and gather evidence — cycle by cycle across the year.
4
Each cycle
Report & recommend
Clear findings, rated by risk, with practical fixes and owners — reported to management and the committee.
5
Ongoing
Follow up & improve
We track that agreed actions actually happen, and refresh the plan as risks change.
Common questions
UAE internal audit — FAQs
The questions we're asked most about internal audit in the UAE — answered plainly.
What is the difference between internal audit and external audit?
External audit is a once-a-year independent opinion on your financial statements, mainly for outsiders — regulators, banks and investors. Internal audit is an ongoing, inward-facing function that examines controls, risk and governance across the whole business.
It reports to your board or audit committee to help you run the business better — not to certify the accounts. The two are complementary: strong internal audit usually makes the external audit smoother.
Is internal audit mandatory in the UAE?
For listed companies and many regulated entities, yes — UAE corporate governance rules require an internal audit function. For private companies it isn't legally required, but boards, investors and lenders increasingly expect it, and it's often the difference between controlled and uncontrolled growth.
Can internal audit be outsourced?
Yes. Many UAE companies outsource the whole function to us, or co-source — we provide specialist capacity and methodology alongside your in-house team. Either way you get an independent, standards-based function without building a department from scratch.
What standards does internal audit follow?
We work to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) framework and its Global Internal Audit Standards, which took effect on 9 January 2025 — the globally recognised benchmark for internal audit quality and independence.
What is a risk-based internal audit plan?
Rather than checking everything, we assess where the business is most exposed — to loss, fraud, error or non-compliance — and focus audit effort there. The plan is agreed with your board or audit committee and refreshed as risks change.
Does internal audit help prevent fraud?
Yes. A large part of internal audit is designing and testing the controls that prevent and detect fraud, assessing fraud risk, and investigating red flags. It won't guarantee zero fraud, but it sharply reduces the exposure and the time it goes unnoticed.
How is internal audit priced?
We agree a fixed annual fee based on the risk-based plan — the number of audits, their scope and your locations — so you know the cost up front. An outsourced function is usually far cheaper than an equivalent in-house department.
Get started
Get independent eyes on your business.
Tell us your size, your structure and what's keeping the board up at night — and we'll reply within one business day with a risk-based scope and an all-inclusive fixed fee.
Thank you — we've got your details.
One of our audit managers will be in touch within one business day.
One of our audit managers will be in touch within one business day.