Nikita Veremeev
28.07.2025 | 6 min read
Updated: 28.07.2025
In 2024, global business losses from lawsuits, raider attacks, and creditor claims exceeded $3 trillion: this amount is comparable to the GDP of entire countries. Every third entrepreneur working in Europe, Asia, or the CIS faces the threat of account blockages, asset freezes, or sudden corporate conflicts. In the context of tightened AML procedures, increased multi-jurisdictional barriers, and pressure on corporate confidentiality, standard asset protection tools become ineffective.
How can you ensure business resilience and preserve assets when your contractors, partners, and regulators operate under different rules? Why might even a well-structured corporate structure not withstand international litigation or creditor attacks? And how to use international legal tools not only to protect company assets but also to ensure transparency, compliance, and tax optimization?
In this article, I, Nikita Veremeev, founder of COREDO, and the company’s team of experts share practical strategies we have implemented for clients in the EU, Asia, and the CIS. Here you will find not just an overview of effective tools, but also a clear action plan that allows for establishing multi-level asset protection for a company amid international risks. Read the article to the end to get answers to key questions and learn how to avoid typical mistakes when structuring international business protection.
Company Asset Protection: Key International Legal Tools
In international practice, company asset protection is based on the integration of several tools: corporate trusts, offshore companies, funds, holding structures, and the implementation of due diligence standards and risk management. Each serves its function, but only a comprehensive approach provides resilience against external and internal threats.
Corporate Structure for Asset Protection: How to Properly Build a Multi-Level System
COREDO’s experience shows: a multi-tiered corporate structure, including holding companies in the EU and Asia, separate operational companies, and specific SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles), allows not only for risk distribution but also the creation of efficient protocols for business segregation. A key element is an individual operating agreement for each LLC, clearly outlining rights, responsibilities, conflict resolution mechanisms, and capital management procedures.
In one of COREDO’s cases, a client owning production assets in the Czech Republic and intellectual property in Singapore avoided account blockages and asset losses by implementing a multi-layered structure with separate legal entities for each business segment. This approach minimizes the risk of corporate debts and limits shareholder liability.
Trusts and Funds for Business: Comparative Analysis and Application
Trusts and funds are recognized international legal tools for company asset protection and succession planning. A classic example is the Nevis trust structure, offering high confidentiality and asset management flexibility. An alternative is the Panama fund, which provides strict asset transfer control and resilience to external legal threats.
| Criterion | Nevis Trust Structure | Panama Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Nevis | Panama |
| Confidentiality | High | Medium/High |
| Tax Consequences | Depends on structure | Depends on structure |
| Asset Transfer | Flexible | Strict as per charter |
| Management | Trustee | Board of Governors, Trustee |
| Succession | High | High |
| AML/Compliance | Required | Required |
The solution developed at COREDO for an international group of companies included the creation of a trust in Nevis with the appointment of an independent manager and the development of business segregation protocols. This approach ensured asset protection from creditor claims and lawsuits, as well as enabled asset succession planning without the risk of forced inheritance.
Overseas Company Registration: Choosing Jurisdiction and Tax Aspects
Registering companies abroad is a key stage in building effective asset protection. COREDO practice confirms: jurisdiction selection should consider not only the tax aspects of funds and trusts but also transparency requirements, resilience to external legal threats, and opportunities for international tax optimization.
For foreign investors, popular tools remain LLCs in the USA, offshore companies in Cyprus, Estonia, and Singapore. Important: individual operating agreements for LLCs allow adapting the structure to specific business tasks, while the integration of legal structures in the EU and Asia provides flexibility and protection for liquid investment assets.
Practical Mechanisms for Protecting Assets from External and Internal Threats
Modern threats, lawsuits against business, raider seizures, corporate debts – require not only legal but also operational solutions. Company asset protection is impossible without implementing corporate risk management, limiting shareholder liabilities, and constant monitoring of external and internal threats.
How to Use LLCs and Holding Structures to Minimize Risks
LLC for foreign investors is a universal tool that allows implementing limited shareholder liability and protecting operating assets from external claims. In one COREDO project for a client from the EU, a holding structure with several LLCs was established, each responsible for a separate business direction. Individual operating agreements and clear function divisions between the operating company and holding allowed reducing the risks of corporate debts and ensured the protection of liquid investment assets even when multi-jurisdictional barriers arise.
Protocols and Internal Regulations: How to Ensure the Resilience of a Multi-Level Structure
Without clear protocols for business entity segregation and corporate agreements, even the most well-thought-out structure becomes vulnerable. The COREDO team implemented a set of internal regulations for a large Asian group, including due diligence procedures, compliance and AML procedures, as well as algorithms for monitoring corporate risks in the EU and Asia. This ensured the structure’s resilience amidst legislative changes and allowed for timely responses to external threats.
Intellectual Property Protection and Asset Ownership Confidentiality
Protection of intellectual property through foreign structures is a mandatory element of international expansion. Using funds and trusts not only ensures corporate confidentiality and protection of beneficial ownership but also implements modern risk monitoring technologies. In one of COREDO’s cases, a client integrated software rights into a Singapore fund structure, avoiding asset loss during international litigation.
International Court Decisions, Compliance, and AML: How Not to Lose Assets
In globalization conditions, company assets may become the subject of recovery under international court decisions. Legal business support requires not only procedural knowledge but also the ability to manage multi-jurisdictional barriers, integrate due diligence standards, and build effective AML procedures.
How International Legal Mechanisms Operate and How to Manage Them
International court decisions and assets – one of the most complex topics for entrepreneurs. The solution developed at COREDO for a client with assets in the EU and Asia included creating a multi-level structure where assets were distributed across jurisdictions with different protection levels against external claims. This approach minimized the risks of forced court decision enforcement and preserved control over key assets even when lawsuits against the business arise.
AML Procedures and Compliance: Requirements, Risks, and Implementation Practices
Modern demands for compliance and AML for protecting assets abroad are becoming increasingly stringent. Implementing international due diligence standards and integrating AML procedures in the corporate structure: an obligatory condition for sustainable company asset protection. COREDO’s practice shows: only regular audits, transparency of corporate agreements, and the implementation of modern risk monitoring algorithms meet regulator expectations and ensure the long-term sustainability of the business.
Mistakes and Risks in Structuring International Asset Protection
Even the most advanced tools do not guarantee protection if mistakes are made during the structuring phase or if corporate risk management is lacking. Asset loss is often linked to insufficient due diligence, lack of internal regulations, and improper asset succession planning between generations.
Typical Mistakes in Creating International Structures and How to Avoid Them
COREDO’s experience shows: the most common mistakes include choosing a jurisdiction without considering tax ramifications, lack of protocols for business entity segregation, and ignoring transparency requirements. In one case, a client lost part of their assets due to a lack of internal regulations and inefficient compliance procedure integration. The solution is regular audits of the structure, implementing corporate agreements, and continuously updating due diligence.
Risks of Asset Transfer Between Generations and Succession Planning
Asset succession planning is a separate task for international business. Without using funds for asset transfer and considering forced inheritance risks, a company becomes vulnerable to external claims and internal conflicts. The COREDO team implemented a structure for a family group in the EU with a fund clearly outlining asset transfer mechanisms between generations, trustee appointment, and corporate risk management protocols.
Practical Steps and Recommendations for Protecting Company Assets
Effective asset protection requires not only choosing the right tools but also clearly implementing strategy at every stage.
Algorithm for Implementing an International Asset Protection Structure
- Analyze corporate risks and determine priority assets for protection.
- Select the optimal jurisdiction for registering the holding structure and operating companies.
- Develop individual operating agreements and corporate protocols.
- Appoint a professional managing company and implement compliance and AML procedures.
- Integrate legal structures of the EU and Asia to ensure flexibility and resilience.
- Conduct regular structure audits, update due diligence, and monitor legislative changes.
Criteria for Selecting Jurisdiction and Managing Company
- Resistance to external legal threats and lawsuits.
- Opportunities for international tax optimization and protection of liquid assets.
- Transparency requirements, AML, and compliance procedures.
- Access to modern risk monitoring technologies and capital management.
- Reputation and experience of a professional managing company in the chosen jurisdiction.
Key Conclusions and Actionable Advice for Entrepreneurs and Managers
Asset protection is not a one-time task but a comprehensive strategy requiring constant improvement. International legal instruments like corporate trusts, funds, multi-level structures, and compliance procedure integration allow minimizing risks and ensure long-term business sustainability.
Practical advice from COREDO:
- Build a structure considering multi-jurisdictional barriers and transparency requirements.
- Use business trusts and funds for asset protection and succession planning.
- Implement corporate agreements, internal regulations, and modern risk monitoring technologies.
- Regularly review the structure, integrating new corporate risk management tools and aligning with international due diligence standards.
- Rely on professional managing companies with experience in the EU, Asia, and the CIS to ensure time savings, process transparency, and long-term asset protection.
My experience and COREDO practice show: only a comprehensive, flexible, and professionally implemented approach allows entrepreneurs and managers to maintain business control amidst global challenges and ensure sustainable company development in the international market.