Razi IsmailBusiness Consultant
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Latest articleCustomer hasn't paid your invoice? You may be able to reclaim the VAT

استشارات مالية وأعمال في المملكة العربية السعودية

Making finance clearer. Helping businesses move forward.

I'm a chartered certified accountant and finance professional with practical experience in accounting, audit, taxation and financial compliance in Saudi Arabia, and I help investors set up their companies in the Kingdom.

Let's Connect Set Up a Company in KSA
  • Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)
  • Based in Jeddah, serving businesses across Saudi Arabia
01Accounting & Reporting
02VAT & ZATCA
03Zakat & Taxation
04Company Formation
05Automation & AI
Working knowledge of
●MISA●Ministry of Commerce●ZATCA●Fatoora●Zakat●Qawaem
About

Finance, with a practical eye.

I work in finance in Saudi Arabia, where accounting, audit and compliance sit very close together. I am a chartered certified accountant (ACCA), and I hold a Bachelor of Commerce.

My experience covers accounting, external audit and financial compliance, including VAT, ZATCA and the wider requirements of doing business in the Kingdom. I also help new businesses get set up, from the MISA licence and Commercial Registration through to their first VAT return. I keep learning, because the rules and the technology both keep changing.

  • Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)
  • Bachelor of Commerce, Kannur University
  • Accounting, external audit and financial compliance
  • Company formation, VAT, ZATCA and Saudi business compliance
Glass and stone office tower against a clear blue sky

At a glance

Razi IsmailChartered Certified Accountant · Business Consultant
Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaServing businesses across the Kingdom
Finance · Audit · Tax · FormationWhere I focus my work
Financial Services

Where finance, compliance and technology meet.

Eight areas I work in, from the ledger to the filing.

A desk with a laptop, notes and papers during a working session
Core

Financial Accounting & Reporting

Maintaining reliable books and preparing financial statements that are clear, consistent and ready for review.

Assurance

External Audit & Assurance

Supporting audits with reconciliations, schedules and well-organised working papers.

Compliance

VAT & ZATCA Compliance

VAT returns prepared from the ledger and records kept in line with ZATCA requirements.

Tax

Zakat & Taxation

Zakat computations and tax reporting built on properly supported figures.

Compliance

Saudi Business Compliance

How licensing, reporting and tax rules apply to businesses operating in Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Financial Analysis

Turning accounts into insight: trends, margins and the questions management should ask.

Systems

Accounting Software Implementation

Chart of accounts, data mapping and moving businesses onto cloud accounting systems.

Technology

Finance Automation & AI

Automation and AI-assisted tools that reduce repetitive reporting and reconciliation work.

Company Formation

Set up your company in Saudi Arabia, fully yours.

Under a MISA licence, foreign investors can own their Saudi company outright in most sectors, with no local partner. I take care of each step, and because I'm an accountant, your books, VAT and zakat are ready when you start trading.

  • Full foreign ownershipIn most sectors, under a MISA licence.
  • No local partnerYou hold the shares and run the company yourself.
  • Finance ready from day oneBooks, VAT and zakat set up before you trade.
Company formation in detail Ask on WhatsApp

Six steps, always in this order. Each one unlocks the next.

  1. 1Document attestationYour shareholder and company documents are authenticated in your home country, through apostille or the Saudi embassy, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and translated into Arabic.
  2. 2MISA investment licenceThe Ministry of Investment licence that lets foreign shareholders own and run a company in the Kingdom, issued for your chosen business activities.
  3. 3Commercial RegistrationTrade name reserved, Articles of Association drafted and notarised, and the Commercial Registration (CR) issued by the Ministry of Commerce.
  4. 4Government platformsNational Address registered and the company activated on Balady, Qiwa, GOSI, ZATCA and Muqeem, so it can operate, hire and pay tax.
  5. 5Visas & residencyThe General Manager visa and iqama are issued, then visas for your founding team.
  6. 6Corporate bank accountYour operating account is opened with a Saudi bank, meeting the bank's and SAMA's compliance checks.
Straight Answers

The questions every business asks.

Can you handle my VAT filings end to end?
Yes.
Returns prepared from your ledger, reconciled to supporting invoices and filed in line with ZATCA requirements.
Can you help me set up a company in Saudi Arabia?
Yes.
MISA licence, Commercial Registration, ZATCA and the other registrations, then the books and compliance after.
Can you get our records audit-ready?
Yes.
Reconciliations, schedules and clean working papers before the auditor arrives, and clear responses to queries.
Qualifications

What I have studied.

Qualifications

Professional
Chartered Certified AccountantAssociation of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Academic
Bachelor of CommerceKannur University
Saudi Business & Regulatory Expertise

The rules that shape finance in the Kingdom.

Tax

ZATCA VAT Compliance

Registration, returns and record-keeping under Saudi VAT rules.

Invoicing

E-Invoicing & Fatoora

Invoicing requirements under ZATCA's e-invoicing programme.

Tax

Zakat Compliance

Zakat base, supporting schedules and annual declarations.

Reporting

Qawaem Financial Statements

Statements prepared in the format required for Qawaem submission.

Licensing

MISA Compliance

Investment licence obligations for foreign-owned businesses.

Registration

Ministry of Commerce

Commercial Registration, trade names and Articles of Association.

Technology & Tools

The systems I work in.

Accounting platforms, analysis tools and the newer technology changing how finance gets done.

Accounting & ERP

  • Zoho BooksCloud accounting, bank imports and VAT.
  • OdooOpen-source ERP with an accounting module.
  • WafeqCloud accounting built for the Saudi market.
  • TallyPrimeAccounting and inventory management.

Productivity & Analytics

  • Microsoft ExcelReporting, reconciliations and models.
  • Power BIDashboards and financial analysis.

Emerging Technology

  • AI accounting toolsAssisting with classification and review.
  • Finance automationRemoving repeat manual steps.
  • Workflow automationConnecting systems and approvals.
  • AI-assisted reportingFaster reconciliation and commentary.
Projects & Professional Work

Selected areas of work.

Client details are confidential, so this section describes the work, not the clients.

01

Accounting System Implementation

Moving a business onto a cloud accounting system, with the chart of accounts, opening balances and workflows set up properly from the start.

SetupMigrationTraining
02

VAT Reporting & Compliance

VAT returns that tie back to the ledger and to supporting invoices.

ReturnsReconciliation
03

Financial Reporting

Full sets of financial statements with notes and schedules, prepared for review and submission.

StatementsQawaem
04

Audit & Assurance

Getting records into shape before the auditor arrives, and responding to queries clearly.

ReconciliationsSchedules
05

Accounting Workflow Automation

Replacing repetitive entry and reporting tasks with reliable, repeatable workflows.

ExcelImportsProcess
06

Financial Analysis

Looking beyond compliance to what the numbers say about performance.

TrendsMarginsManagement
Insights & Articles

Notes on finance and technology.

I share articles and updates on LinkedIn on the topics below.

Latest article · Customer hasn't paid your invoice? You may be able to reclaim the VATUnpaid invoices don't always mean lost VAT. Under Saudi VAT rules you can claim Bad Debt Relief, if you meet these five conditions.Read the article
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Contact

Have a business challenge? Let's connect.

Call, WhatsApp or message me directly - or leave a note here and it lands straight in my WhatsApp.

Phone & WhatsApp+966 53 997 0289LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/raziismailEmail[email protected]
LocationJeddah, Saudi Arabia

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