In-country sourcing · Investigation · Risk in MEA

The source layer for due diligence in places where data isn't enough.

Stop Guessing. Start Knowing.

Roots Intelligence is an in-country sourcing firm operating across the Middle East and Africa. Verification, asset tracing, complex investigation, and subject-matter expertise supplied to consultancies, law firms, and corporates working in jurisdictions where automated DD reaches its limits.

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01 · WHAT WE DO

Multiple commercial services. One shared discipline.

All services

Verification

Identity, document, and corporate-existence verification on a named subject in a single jurisdiction. KYC refresh, vendor onboarding, and pre-screening at predictable cost.

Asset Tracing

Documented mapping of corporate, real-estate, and where lawful, financial assets across one or more jurisdictions, with chain-of-custody on every source.

Complex Investigation

Investigative-grade DD on sensitive subjects in difficult jurisdictions. Compartmented HUMINT, source-protected reporting, evidentiary discipline.

SME on Demand

Vetted subject-matter experts on call for short-form questions, pre-investment review, expert witness, or specialist regional advisory across MEA.

Training & AI Enablement

Bespoke, jurisdiction-anchored training taught by the operators — and curated, source-attributed datasets and evaluation sets for organisations training AI systems on MEA content.

Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM)

Continuous, lifecycle risk management for vendor, supplier, and counter-party portfolios across MEA — onboarding screening, tiered due diligence, and scheduled re-screening at portfolio scale.

 02 · COVERAGE

Sourced presence across the Middle East and Africa.

Fifty-two jurisdictions, organised into seven regional desks. Open desks operate for direct engagement; the remainder by referral. Click through to the country catalogue for the full operating posture per jurisdiction.

35° N · 18° W 35° N · 60° E 8° S · 18° W 8° S · 60° E

Open desk

Referral only

Verified source

Full coverage catalogue

 03 · COVERAGE AT SCALE

Where the registry ends, the desks begin.

Roots Intelligence maintains active country desks and verified sources across fifty-two jurisdictions in MEA. Coverage extends from the GCC and Levant through the Maghreb to East, Southern, West, and Central Africa, including jurisdictions where most automated DD platforms provide coverage only thinly or not at all.

Jurisdictions

Active sourcing posture across MEA, organised into seven regional desks.

Verified sources

240+

Vetted in-country sources operating under Roots' compartmentation rules.

Network

Open desks across the region; the remainder operate by referral only.

Full country catalogue →

04 · WHY ROOTS

Three differences that decide outcomes.

01 / IN-COUNTRY

Sources, not aggregated data.

Where automated tools rely on registry data and adverse media feeds, Roots adds a documented HUMINT layer, vetted local sources who validate, contextualise, and surface what isn't filed. Also, researchers are implementing SNA tools to provide more detail about the subject's network.

02 / COMPARTMENTED

Confidentiality by structure.

Every source on a Roots engagement sees only the slice of work assigned. Client identity, parallel jurisdictions, and sibling sources are not disclosed. Confidentiality is structural and not to be compromised.

03 / SPECIALISED

Difficult MEA jurisdictions.

Roots was built for the jurisdictions where due diligence is hardest, covering sensitive jurisdictions, the conflict-affected areas, and sanctions-affected economies. Our hardest cases are the proof of our capabilities.

Ready when you are

An engagement starts with a clear scope, not a contact form.

Tell us the jurisdiction, the subject, and the question. Within one working day, we will revert with scope, fee, and timeline. If the work isn't right for us, we can refer it or recommend other experts to conduct it.

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Coverage

Fifty-two jurisdictions. Seven regional desks.

Each Roots country desk is a documented sourcing posture: named authorisations, declared tier coverage, operating languages, indicative timelines. The catalogue below is the firm's standing position. Click through for the desk page, the resources published from that jurisdiction, and the products available.

Jurisdictions

Verified sources

240+

SME on call

100+

Network

GCC — Gulf Cooperation Council

6 jurisdictions

United Arab Emirates

MEA-UAE

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources22

Saudi Arabia

MEA-KSA

TierT1–T3

LangAR (EN ltd)

Sources17

Qatar

MEA-QAT

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources9

Kuwait

MEA-KWT

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources7

Bahrain

MEA-BHR

TierT1–T2

LangAR · EN

Sources6

Oman

MEA-OMN

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources7

Levant & Iraq

7 jurisdictions

Jordan

MEA-JOR

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources11

Lebanon

MEA-LBN

TierT2–T3

LangAR · FR · EN

Sources8

Syria

MEA-SYR

TierT3 only

LangAR

Sources4

Iraq (Federal)

MEA-IRQ

TierT2–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources7

Iraq — Kurdistan

MEA-KRI

TierT2–T3

LangAR · KU · EN

Sources5

Palestine

MEA-PSE

TierT2–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources5

Iran · Türkiye · Yemen

3 jurisdictions

Iran

MEA-IRN

TierT3 only

LangFA · EN

Sources3

Türkiye

MEA-TUR

TierT1–T3

LangTR · EN

Sources10

Yemen

MEA-YEM

TierT3 only

LangAR

Sources3

North Africa

6 jurisdictions

Egypt

MEA-EGY

TierT1–T3

LangAR · EN

Sources14

Libya

MEA-LBY

TierT3 only

LangAR

Sources6

Tunisia

MEA-TUN

TierT1–T3

LangAR · FR

Sources8

Algeria

MEA-DZA

TierT2–T3

LangAR · FR

Sources7

Morocco

MEA-MAR

TierT1–T3

LangAR · FR

Sources9

Mauritania

MEA-MRT

TierT2–T3

LangAR · FR

Sources3

East Africa & Horn of Africa

11 jurisdictions

Sudan

MEA-SDN

TierT3 only

LangAR · EN

Sources5

Kenya

MEA-KEN

TierT1–T3

LangEN · SW

Sources11

Tanzania

MEA-TZA

TierT2–T3

LangEN · SW

Sources7

Uganda

MEA-UGA

TierT2–T3

LangEN · SW

Sources6

Rwanda

MEA-RWA

TierT1–T2

LangEN · FR · RW

Sources5

Ethiopia

MEA-ETH

TierT3 only

LangAM · EN

Sources5

Eritrea

MEA-ERI

TierT3 only

LangTI · AR

Sources2

Djibouti

MEA-DJI

TierT2–T3

LangFR · AR

Sources3

Somalia

MEA-SOM

TierT3 only

LangSO · AR

Sources3

South Sudan

MEA-SSD

TierT3 only

LangEN · AR

Sources2

Burundi

MEA-BDI

TierT3 only

LangFR · RN

Sources2

Southern Africa

9 jurisdictions

South Africa

MEA-ZAF

TierT1–T2

LangEN (+10)

Sources14

Namibia

MEA-NAM

TierT1–T2

LangEN

Sources4

Botswana

MEA-BWA

TierT1–T2

LangEN · TN

Sources4

Zimbabwe

MEA-ZWE

TierT2–T3

LangEN

Sources6

Zambia

MEA-ZMB

TierT2–T3

LangEN

Sources5

Mozambique

MEA-MOZ

TierT2–T3

LangPT

Sources5

Angola

MEA-AGO

TierT2–T3

LangPT

Sources6

Mauritius

MEA-MUS

TierT1–T2

LangEN · FR

Sources7

Seychelles

MEA-SYC

TierT1–T2

LangEN · FR

Sources3

West Africa

7 jurisdictions

Nigeria

MEA-NGA

TierT1–T3

LangEN

Sources13

Ghana

MEA-GHA

TierT1–T2

LangEN

Sources7

Côte d'Ivoire

MEA-CIV

TierT2–T3

LangFR

Sources7

Senegal

MEA-SEN

TierT2–T3

LangFR

Sources6

Mali

MEA-MLI

TierT3 only

LangFR

Sources3

Sierra Leone

MEA-SLE

TierT2–T3

LangEN

Sources3

Liberia

MEA-LBR

TierT2–T3

LangEN

Sources3

Central Africa

4 jurisdictions

Cameroon

MEA-CMR

TierT2–T3

LangFR · EN

Sources5

Gabon

MEA-GAB

TierT2–T3

LangFR

Sources3

DR Congo

MEA-COD

TierT3 only

LangFR

Sources5

Central African Rep.

MEA-CAF

TierT3 only

LangFR

Sources2

Coverage / North Africa / Egypt

MEA-EGY · Cairo Desk

Egypt — sourcing where the registry stops short.

Egypt is a jurisdiction where corporate filings reach the public record only partially, where court records remain primarily in-person, and where the operating reality of a subject is best understood through documented HUMINT. The Cairo desk has been active since 2019.

Cairo desk · standing position

Sources: 14 vetted
Tier: T1 — T3
Languages: AR · EN
Active since: 2019
SLA — standard: 5–10 days
SLA — investigative: 21–45 days

Open for engagement

Source matrix

What's where in Egypt.

Each task category in Egypt sits at a known source tier — public, paid public, HUMINT, or restricted access requiring a lawful basis. The matrix below is the firm's standing assessment; it is what we scope to when an engagement opens.

Task category	Tier	Operational note
Corporate registry extraction	T2 / T3	GAFI portal partial; full extracts often require in-person retrieval.
Group structure mapping	T3	Combination of registry retrieval and HUMINT triangulation; group-level transparency limited.
UBO identification	T3	UBO regime applies; verification typically combines registry signals with discreet enquiry.
Litigation — civil & commercial	T3	Limited online indexing; HUMINT through court runners is the operational norm.
Litigation — criminal	T3	Not publicly accessible; discreet HUMINT only, with declared source-protection.
Regulatory enforcement	T1 / T2	Sector regulators publish enforcement records selectively; deeper signal via HUMINT.
Adverse media (AR + EN)	T1	Strong Arabic-language press; bilingual screening required for full coverage.
Source of wealth narrative	T3	Heavy reliance on market enquiry, family-business mapping, and known-source HUMINT.
Real estate / asset records	T3 / T4	Land registry access typically requires lawful basis; advised through Legal at scoping.
Reputation & integrity	T3	Cairo desk relationships across sectors; documented method, source-protected output.

Services available — Egypt

Six commercial offers, all priced and scoped for the Cairo desk.

PRD · 01

Verification

Corporate, identity, and document verification on a named Egyptian subject.

Timeline5–7 days

FromUSD 850

PRD · 02

Asset Tracing

Corporate, real-estate, and where lawful, financial asset mapping in Egypt.

Timeline14–21 days

FromUSD 7,500

PRD · 03

Complex Investigation

Investigative-grade DD on Egyptian subjects: HUMINT, source protection, evidentiary discipline.

Timeline21–45 days

FromUSD 22,000

Engage Cairo desk

Tell us the subject and the question — we revert with scope and fee within one working day.

Engagement starts with a clear scope, not a contact form. Provide a brief paragraph; we'll come back with what's possible, in what timeframe, at what cost.

Home / Services

Commercial Services

Multiple commercial services. One shared discipline.

Every engagement draws on in-country sourcing, investigative rigour, and documented methodology. Select a service below to learn more, or open an engagement directly.

Verification

Identity, document, and corporate-existence verification on a named subject in a single jurisdiction. KYC refresh, vendor onboarding, and pre-screening at predictable cost.

Asset Tracing

Documented mapping of corporate, real-estate, and where lawful, financial assets across one or more jurisdictions, with chain-of-custody on every source.

Complex Investigation

Investigative-grade DD on sensitive subjects in difficult jurisdictions. Compartmented HUMINT, source-protected reporting, evidentiary discipline.

SME on Demand

Vetted subject-matter experts on call for short-form questions, pre-investment review, expert witness, or specialist regional advisory across MEA.

Training & AI Enablement

Bespoke, jurisdiction-anchored training taught by the operators — and curated, source-attributed datasets and evaluation sets for organisations training AI systems on MEA content.

Third-Party Risk Management

Continuous, lifecycle risk management for vendor, supplier, and counter-party portfolios across MEA — onboarding screening, tiered due diligence, and scheduled re-screening at portfolio scale.

Open an engagement

Services / Asset Tracing

PRD · 02 · Commercial service

Asset Tracing — documented, jurisdictionally anchored, defensible.

A documented mapping of corporate, real-estate, and where lawful, financial assets associated with a named subject across one or more MEA jurisdictions. Designed for litigation support, judgment enforcement, M&A diligence on private vendors, and regulator-facing internal review.

At a glance

Scope1 subject · 1–4 jurisdictions

Timeline14–28 days (single jurisdiction)

Source tierT2 — T3

DeliverableFindings-based report with evidence index

UseInternal · regulator · litigation (note evidentiary limits)

What's included.

Asset Tracing is delivered as a structured, findings-based report under the firm's QA discipline. The deliverable consolidates documented evidence into a single client-facing artefact, anchored by jurisdiction and category.

Corporate footprint mapping.

Real-estate identification.

Disclosed financial holdings.

Cross-jurisdictional integration.

Evidence index.

Methodology and limitations statement.

What's not.

Asset Tracing is a documented, source-attributed product. It is not a covert investigation; it is not pretexting; it does not access information unlawfully. Where a client's question can only be answered by methods Roots will not use, we say so at scoping rather than at delivery.

No access to bank records absent legal instrument.

No pretexting against the subject or third parties.

No undisclosed surveillance.

How the work runs.

An Asset Tracing engagement runs on the firm's standard four-stage workflow. The transition between stages is QA-gated; the client receives a status update at each transition.

Scoping (1–2 days).

Execution (10–18 days, single jurisdiction).

Quality assurance (2–4 days).

Delivery (1 day).

Frequently asked.

Can the report be used in court?

The report is structured for evidentiary defensibility — every finding carries source-tier classification and citation — but admissibility is a function of the receiving jurisdiction. We work with client counsel where the engagement is framed for litigation; where the engagement is for internal use only, we say so on the cover page.

What's the difference between Asset Tracing and Complex Investigation?

Asset Tracing is a documented mapping product with a defined scope and a predictable cost. Complex Investigation is open-scope investigative-grade work for sensitive subjects in difficult jurisdictions, typically deeper HUMINT-led, longer-running, and bespoke. We size the right product at scoping; sometimes the answer is one, sometimes the other, sometimes both in sequence.

How does multi-jurisdictional pricing work?

The first jurisdiction is the base fee. Each additional jurisdiction is priced incrementally, reflecting the source matrix for that jurisdiction. We quote a transparent jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown at scoping.

Will the source ever be named in the report?

Documentary sources are cited; HUMINT sources are protected. The report explains the source-tier classification and the level of corroboration for every finding.

Can the report be restated if the client disagrees with a finding?

The firm restates a report on identification of a material defect — a finding that is wrong, missing, or misstated. The firm does not restate a report because the client preferred a different conclusion.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the subject, the jurisdiction(s), and the question. We revert with scope, timeline, and fee in writing.

Services / Verification

PRD · 01 · Commercial service

Verification — identity, document, and corporate-existence, confirmed at source.

A structured confirmation of named-subject identity, document authenticity, and corporate existence across one MEA jurisdiction. Designed for KYC refresh, vendor onboarding, pre-screening, and counter-party integrity checks at a predictable cost and defined timeline.

At a glance

Scope1 subject · 1 jurisdiction

Timeline5–10 working days

Source tierT1 — T2

DeliverableVerification certificate with source index

UseInternal · compliance · vendor onboarding

What's included.

Verification is delivered as a structured certificate — a concise, auditable confirmation document that maps every check to a primary source, classified by source tier and date of retrieval.

Identity confirmation. Passport, national ID, or equivalent document validated against in-country authoritative records; document authenticity assessed by a trained document examiner on the relevant jurisdiction's standard.
Corporate-existence check. Company name, registration number, jurisdiction of incorporation, and registered address confirmed against the official commercial registry; current standing and filing history extracted where available.
Directorship and UBO verification. Named directors and beneficial owners cross-referenced against commercial registry data and, where accessible, regulator disclosures; discrepancies flagged.
Sanctions and watchlist screen. Subject screened across OFAC, UN, EU, HMT, and applicable MEA-regional lists; adverse media pass run against first-tier and in-country press sources.
Source index. Every confirmation is attributed to a named source, source tier, and retrieval date; the certificate is structured for direct upload into a client's compliance management system.

What's not.

Verification is a confirmation product against documented, authoritative sources. It is not a covert investigation, not a deep-dive on undisclosed interests, and not a substitute for a full Enhanced Due Diligence report where one is indicated.

Not a replacement for EDD. Where the subject returns adverse indicators, we advise at scoping whether Verification alone is appropriate or whether Asset Tracing or Complex Investigation should run in parallel or in sequence.
No access to private financial records. Bank account status, transaction history, and undisclosed financial holdings are outside the Verification scope absent a legal instrument.
No pretexting. All source contact is conducted within Roots' documented method standard; no enquiry is made under a false identity or false pretext.

How the work runs.

A Verification engagement follows the firm's standard four-stage workflow, with a QA gate between each stage and a client status update at each transition.

Scoping (same day — 1 day). Subject onboarding, conflicts and sanctions pre-screen, scope confirmation; fee and SLA agreed in writing.
Execution (3–6 days). Country desk runs the jurisdiction-specific source matrix. Document examination, registry pull, and watchlist screen run concurrently.
Quality assurance (1–2 days). QA Reviewer applies the three-gate checklist; any gap in the source chain is queried before delivery.
Delivery (same day). Certificate delivered via client portal; clarification window open for ten working days post-delivery.

Frequently asked.

Is Verification sufficient for a regulated firm's KYC obligations?

In many cases, yes — the certificate is structured to map to standard KYC checklists used by regulated firms operating in or with MEA counterparts. Whether it satisfies a specific regulator's EDD threshold is a function of that regulator's rules; where the engagement is compliance-driven, we recommend the client's compliance officer reviews the certificate template at scoping.

Can you verify documents in Arabic?

Yes. Our MEA country desks operate natively in Arabic; document examination in Gulf, Levantine, and North African jurisdictions is conducted by in-country examiners familiar with local document standards, not translated and reviewed remotely.

What happens if the subject can't be confirmed?

If the subject cannot be confirmed against authoritative sources — because the registry is inaccessible, the document cannot be authenticated, or there is a material discrepancy — we report the gap clearly on the certificate. A negative or inconclusive result is not a failure; it is the correct answer where the data does not support confirmation.

Can Verification be run without the subject's knowledge?

Yes. Verification uses authoritative documentary sources and does not require subject participation or notification. All checks are conducted within applicable law.

How quickly can you turn this around for an urgent onboarding?

For T1 jurisdictions with functional registries (UAE, Egypt, Jordan, KSA, Qatar), we can deliver in three to five working days on standard engagement. Where a client has a genuine time constraint, raise it at scoping; we confirm whether an expedited fee applies.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the subject, the jurisdiction, and the question. We revert with scope, timeline, and fee in writing.

Services / Complex Investigation

PRD · 03 · Commercial service

Complex Investigation — investigative-grade intelligence in the jurisdictions where it is hardest.

Open-scope, investigative-grade due diligence on sensitive subjects in difficult MEA jurisdictions. Built for pre-litigation intelligence, distressed asset acquisition, regulatory defence, and transactions where the standard product range is insufficient. Compartmented HUMINT, source-protected reporting, evidentiary discipline from day one.

At a glance

ScopeBespoke — defined at scoping

Timeline21–90 days (subject and jurisdiction dependent)

Source tierT2 — T3 (HUMINT-led)

DeliverableInvestigative-grade report with evidence index and methodology statement

UseLitigation · regulatory · M&A · internal review

What's included.

Complex Investigation is the firm's most comprehensive service. It is scoped individually, run under the firm's compartmentation protocol, and delivered as a multi-section investigative report with a full evidence index and a plain-language methodology statement.

Deep beneficial ownership analysis. Layered corporate structure mapping using registry data, HUMINT, and — where lawful — financial disclosure; nominee structures, trust arrangements, and cross-border holding chains identified and documented.
Subject-matter HUMINT. Vetted in-country sources provide contextual intelligence on the subject's reputation, relationships, and conduct that is unavailable from documentary sources alone. Every source operates under the firm's compartmentation rules.
Social Network Analysis. Using SNA tools, researchers map the subject's network — business associates, family relationships, political proxies, and financial connectors — to surface exposure that linear corporate-ownership mapping does not capture.
Adverse intelligence collection. Structured collection from in-country press (including Arabic and French-language sources), court records, regulator filings, and HUMINT channels; adverse findings corroborated before inclusion.
Cross-jurisdictional integration. Where the subject operates across borders, findings from each jurisdiction desk are integrated into a single narrative by the lead investigator, organised thematically and cross-referenced.
Litigation-aware methodology. The report is structured for evidentiary defensibility: every finding is source-tiered, every HUMINT input is methodologically disclosed, and the methodology and limitations statement is written for a legal audience.

What's not.

Complex Investigation is a lawful, documented intelligence product. The depth of the work is achieved through source networks and SNA methodology — not through unlawful means, covert device access, or pretexting.

No unlawful access to devices, accounts, or records. All information is obtained through lawful channels; any finding that cannot be obtained lawfully is declared a gap, not a workaround.
No undisclosed physical surveillance. Physical observation is declared at scoping and conducted within applicable legal frameworks; it is not deployed covertly without client instruction and legal review.
No financial conclusions without documented basis. We do not estimate, speculate, or assert conclusions beyond what the evidence supports; where a key question cannot be answered on the available evidence, we say so.

How the work runs.

Complex Investigation engagements are individually scoped. The below describes the standard flow for a single-subject, two-to-three-jurisdiction engagement; multi-subject or wider engagements are scoped on the same logic, extended proportionally.

Scoping (2–4 days). Conflicts and sanctions screening; subject onboarding; jurisdictional source matrix applied; HUMINT exposure reviewed; scope, timeline, and fee agreed in writing; compartmentation protocol briefed to client.
Phase 1 — Documentary foundation (7–14 days). Registry, court, regulator, and open-source collection across each active jurisdiction; initial SNA model built from declared corporate network.
Phase 2 — HUMINT and SNA expansion (14–45 days). In-country sources activated under compartmentation rules; SNA model extended with HUMINT-sourced relationship edges; corroboration run on every material finding.
Quality assurance (3–5 days). Lead investigator and QA Reviewer apply the five-gate investigative checklist; queries to sources are structured and logged; all gaps are declared.
Delivery and debrief (1–2 days). Report delivered via secure portal; verbal debrief available on request; clarification window open for twenty working days.

Frequently asked.

What makes this different from a standard Enhanced Due Diligence report?

Standard EDD — including the products sold by most compliance platforms — relies primarily on documentary and open-source data. Complex Investigation adds a documented HUMINT layer, Social Network Analysis, and the capacity to operate in jurisdictions where automated tools have no reach. The output is investigative-grade: it is built to stand up to scrutiny from a legal audience, not just to populate a compliance checklist.

Can the investigation be run without the subject's knowledge?

Yes. Complex Investigation does not require subject participation or notification. All work is conducted using lawful methods; the compartmentation protocol ensures the subject does not become aware of the enquiry through Roots' source network.

How is compartmentation maintained?

Each source sees only the specific task they have been given. Client identity, parallel jurisdictions, the identity of sibling sources, and the strategic purpose of the engagement are not disclosed to any individual source. The compartmentation protocol is documented and applied as a standard operating procedure, not a case-by-case judgment.

What is Social Network Analysis in this context?

SNA uses graph-theory methods to map the subject's declared and undisclosed network — corporate, familial, political, and financial. We model the network as a set of nodes (entities and individuals) and edges (relationships), then apply centrality and brokerage measures to identify which connections are structurally significant and which relationships have been omitted from official disclosures. The SNA output supplements, not replaces, the documentary and HUMINT findings.

Can you investigate sanctioned subjects?

Sanctions create jurisdiction-specific constraints on what work can be undertaken and by whom. We screen every engagement against applicable sanctions regimes at scoping; where a constraint applies, we advise the client before any work begins. In some cases, a legal opinion or licence is required before engagement; we route through client counsel where that is the case.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the subject, the jurisdiction, and the question. We revert with scope, timeline, and fee in writing.

Services / SME on Demand

PRD · 04 · Commercial service

SME on Demand — specialist regional expertise, available at short notice.

Vetted subject-matter experts across MEA jurisdictions, available for short-form advisory, pre-investment review, expert witness support, transaction assessment, and specialist questions that fall outside a standard investigative brief. Expertise sourced from the same network that underpins the firm's investigative operations.

At a glance

ScopeSingle question · half-day to 5-day engagement

Timeline1–5 working days to expert introduction

Source tierT1 — T2 (vetted specialist)

DeliverableOral briefing · written opinion · expert report (as scoped)

UsePre-investment · litigation · regulatory · expert witness

What's included.

SME on Demand connects the client with a vetted regional specialist whose expertise is directly relevant to the question in scope. The expert is introduced with a written disclosure of their background, any relevant conflicts, and the scope of the instruction.

Expert matching. We identify the expert from the firm's vetted network on the basis of jurisdiction, sector, and question type; where the right expert is not in the network, we say so at scoping rather than introduce an approximate fit.
Conflict and background check. Every expert introduced to a client engagement has been vetted for conflicts of interest, relevant qualifications, and reputational standing; the vetting file is disclosed to the client at introduction.
Structured briefing. The expert is briefed on the scope of the question and the intended use of their input; the instruction is documented and the expert's response is recorded or transcribed as agreed.
Written opinion or expert report. Where the scope requires a written output, the expert produces a structured document under the firm's QA discipline; the document is reviewed for clarity, consistency, and attribution before delivery.
Expert witness preparation. Where the engagement is for litigation support, we work with the expert and client counsel on disclosure requirements, format, and the structure of the expert report under the applicable procedural rules.

What's not.

SME on Demand is an advisory and expert-opinion service. The expert provides their professional judgment on the question in scope; they do not conduct original investigation or make representations beyond their area of competence.

Not an investigative product. SME on Demand draws on the expert's existing knowledge and professional experience, not on new investigation. Where new investigation is required, we recommend the appropriate product at scoping.
No guarantee of the expert's conclusions. An SME's professional opinion is their own. Roots provides a vetted, qualified expert; we do not pre-determine or endorse the substance of their opinion.
Not a substitute for legal advice. Where the question requires a legal opinion — on jurisdiction-specific law, regulatory compliance, or admissibility — we recommend the client instruct local counsel; our SMEs complement, not replace, qualified legal advice.
No undisclosed conflicts. Where an expert has a conflict that cannot be waived, we do not introduce them to the engagement. The conflict-check is conducted before introduction, not after.

How the work runs.

An SME engagement is designed to be fast. From scoping to expert introduction is typically one to three working days; the expert's output is delivered on the timeline agreed at scoping.

Scoping (same day — 1 day). Question and intended use confirmed; jurisdiction and sector requirements defined; conflicts screen run; expert matching begins.
Expert identification and introduction (1–3 days). The matched expert is briefed on the scope; conflicts disclosed and confirmed; client introduction made in writing with the expert's vetting summary.
Engagement (1–5 days, as scoped). Oral briefing, written opinion, or expert report produced under the agreed scope and timeline; Roots facilitates but does not direct the expert's substantive response.
Delivery and follow-up (same day). Output delivered via the agreed channel; follow-up questions accepted within the clarification window agreed at scoping.

Frequently asked.

What kinds of expert can you provide?

Our network spans former regulators, senior in-country lawyers, sector specialists (energy, real estate, financial services, extractives), political-risk analysts, forensic accountants, and jurisdiction-specific compliance practitioners across MEA. We do not maintain a publicly listed directory; expert availability and fit are confirmed at scoping.

Can the expert be used as an expert witness in litigation?

Yes, subject to the expert meeting the relevant procedural requirements in the applicable jurisdiction. We work with client counsel on the disclosure format, the structure of the expert report, and any pre-trial requirements. The expert is introduced with a full vetting disclosure, which is designed to withstand opposing-counsel scrutiny.

What if the expert's opinion is not what the client expected?

We introduce qualified, independent experts; we are conducting pre-screen for all suggested SMEs. An expert opinion that contradicts the client's working assumption is the correct result if that is what the evidence supports. We do not replace or amend an expert's opinion to suit a preferred conclusion.

Can you source an expert in a jurisdiction where you don't have a full desk?

In some cases, yes — our network extends beyond the fifty-two jurisdictions where we maintain a full sourcing posture. We confirm availability at scoping; where the right expert does not exist in our network for a given question, we say so.

Is the engagement confidential?

Yes. Experts are introduced under a non-disclosure protocol; client identity and the substance of the engagement are not disclosed to any third party outside the expert and the firm's internal engagement team.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the subject, the jurisdiction, and the question. We revert with scope, timeline, and fee in writing.

Services / Training & AI Enablement

PRD · 05 · Commercial service

Training & AI Enablement — build the capability of your people, and the data your AI systems run on.

Two complementary ways to transfer the firm's MEA capability into your organisation. For your teams: bespoke, jurisdiction-anchored training taught by the operators who run the firm's commercial engagements. For your AI systems: curated, source-attributed datasets and structured evaluation sets built on the same primary-source discipline. Both are designed for organisations that need real regional capability — not off-the-shelf awareness content or generic training data.

At a glance

TracksTeam training · AI data & evaluation

FormatIn-person · remote · hybrid · structured datasets

TimelineHalf-day to three-day programmes · 4–12 weeks for datasets

Source tierT1 — T2 (primary source attributed)

UseTeam upskilling · audit readiness · LLM training · model evaluation

Track A — Team training.

Training is developed from scratch for each client, anchored to the jurisdictions, product types, and regulatory context that are actually relevant to the team being trained. We do not license a general MEA awareness module; we build a programme around the client's real operational questions.

Needs assessment and programme design. Before any session is built, we conduct a structured needs assessment with the team lead or compliance head; the programme is designed around the gaps identified, not a standard syllabus.
Jurisdiction-specific content. Each jurisdiction module covers the source landscape (what registries exist, what they contain, what they omit), the HUMINT environment (who the credible source types are and how to engage them), and the evidentiary discipline (how to record, attribute, and protect source intelligence).
Live case methodology. Sessions use anonymised case studies drawn from actual Roots engagements, adapted to illustrate methodology rather than identify clients or subjects. Participants work through real problems, not hypotheticals.
SNA fundamentals. Where the client's team handles complex subjects or cross-border structures, we include a module on Social Network Analysis — how to build a network map, apply centrality measures, and identify structurally significant relationships that linear DD misses.
Written materials and methodology guides. Every session is accompanied by jurisdiction reference sheets, a source-tier framework guide, and a QA checklist adapted to the client's internal processes.

Track B — AI enablement.

For organisations training or evaluating AI systems on MEA content, we produce jurisdiction-specific, primary-source-attributed datasets covering regulatory structures, risk typologies, investigative methodology, and compliance frameworks. Every data point carries a source attribution, source tier, and date of collection — the provenance chain that AI developers and their regulators increasingly require.

Jurisdiction-specific regulatory datasets. Structured data covering AML/CFT regimes, KYC requirements, corporate transparency standards, beneficial ownership rules, and sanctions frameworks across active MEA jurisdictions — built from primary regulator sources, not third-party summaries.
Risk typology libraries. Documented typologies for financial crime, fraud, and integrity risk patterns observed in MEA jurisdictions — drawn from the firm's operational case history, anonymised to remove client and subject identifiers, and structured for supervised training use.
Investigative methodology corpus. Structured documentation of the firm's investigative workflow, source-tier framework, SNA methodology, and evidentiary standards — for AI systems being trained to support or evaluate investigative processes.
Named-entity and relationship data. Structured entity-relationship datasets covering corporate network patterns, directorship clusters, UBO structures, and cross-border holding arrangements in MEA jurisdictions — designed for knowledge-graph and entity-resolution model training.
Evaluation and benchmark sets. Where the client needs to evaluate an existing AI model's performance on MEA content, we design structured evaluation sets with known correct answers, annotated for difficulty, jurisdiction, and risk category.
Source index and methodology statement. Every dataset is accompanied by a complete source attribution index and a plain-language methodology statement disclosing how the data was collected, what was excluded, and where the dataset's limits lie.

What's not.

Both tracks transfer real capability built on lawful, documented sourcing. Neither is a certification, a guarantee of compliant outputs, or a substitute for the client's own legal and risk judgment.

Not a compliance certification course. Roots training is not accredited against an external qualification framework. Where a client requires an accredited course (ACFE, ICA, etc.), we can advise on suitable providers and design supplementary content that builds on the certified baseline.
Not generic regional awareness content. We do not deliver a standard 'doing business in the Middle East' awareness session, nor do we sell generic, unattributed training data. Both tracks are built to the client's actual operating context.
No personal data in breach of applicable law, and no synthetic or hallucinated content in datasets. All datasets are reviewed against applicable data-protection frameworks; operational case data is anonymised; every data point is sourced from primary or secondary sources, classified, and attributed.

How the work runs.

Each track begins with a structured scoping phase, moves through a collaborative design phase, and ends with delivery and review. Team-training programmes typically run three to five weeks from scoping to delivery; dataset engagements run four to twelve weeks depending on volume.

Scoping (3–5 days). For training: a needs assessment with the team lead and, where relevant, the compliance or risk head. For datasets: a technical scoping call mapping the model architecture, training objective, jurisdiction priorities, and annotation requirements. Scope confirmed in writing.
Design (5–10 days). Training session plan, case-study selection, and materials drafted; or dataset structure, annotation schema, and source matrix defined with sample data reviewed before full collection. Shared with the client for review before finalisation.
Delivery. Training delivered by the Roots operators who run the relevant engagements commercially, with open and unscripted Q&A; or the dataset collected, structured, and annotated by the country desks, with QA at each jurisdiction tranche.
Review and documentation. For training: participant feedback collated and outstanding questions answered in writing. For datasets: delivery in the agreed format (JSON, CSV, JSONL, or structured database) with source index and methodology statement; clarification window open post-delivery.

Frequently asked.

Who delivers the training?

Sessions are delivered by the Roots experts, academic and accredit trainers based on the program. We are offering tailored training program including session covers HUMINT methodology in a specific jurisdiction, to give context of the provided training.

Can training be delivered remotely, and in Arabic?

Yes to both. Interactive remote delivery works well for methodology modules, SNA fundamentals, and jurisdiction briefings; for case-study workshops we find in-person delivery produces better outcomes. For teams operating primarily in Arabic, sessions can be delivered in Arabic or in a mixed Arabic-English format, with case studies prepared in either language.

What annotation schema do you use for datasets?

We start from the client's preferred schema or — where one does not exist — recommend a structure based on the intended use case. Common schemas include instruction-response pairs for fine-tuning, JSON-LD entity-relationship triples for knowledge-graph training, and annotated classification datasets for risk-scoring models. The schema is agreed and documented before collection begins.

How do you handle confidentiality and data protection?

Training case studies are anonymised — client names, subject names, and transaction details removed or altered — and participants sign a confidentiality acknowledgement at session start. Datasets are reviewed against the data-protection frameworks applicable in the jurisdiction of collection and use; where personal data is included, the lawful basis is documented, and where it cannot be included lawfully, we design around it.

Can we commission a follow-up refresher or an evaluation benchmark later?

Yes. Many clients commission an annual training refresher when their team expands to a new jurisdiction, or an evaluation set to benchmark a model's performance on MEA content for internal, regulatory, or competitive assessment. Refresher and benchmark design use the original scoping as a baseline.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the subject, the jurisdiction, and the question. We revert with scope, timeline, and fee in writing.

Services / Third-Party Risk Management

PRD · 07 · Commercial service

Third-Party Risk Management — your vendor, supplier, and counter-party portfolio, screened at onboarding and watched across its life.

A managed, lifecycle programme for organisations that need to onboard, risk-tier, and continuously monitor third parties operating in or through the Middle East and Africa. TPRM combines the firm's verification and investigative capability with a structured, repeatable workflow built for portfolios — from a handful of critical vendors to several thousand counter-parties — at a defined per-tier cost and a predictable refresh cadence.

At a glance

ScopePortfolio of third parties · tiered by risk

TimelineProgramme stand-up 2–4 weeks · per-party SLA by tier

Source tierT1 — T2 (escalates with risk tier)

DeliverableRisk-tiered third-party register, dossiers, and a live monitoring feed

UseProcurement · compliance · supply-chain · M&A integration

What's included.

TPRM is delivered as a managed programme, not a one-off report. We stand up the risk framework, onboard the portfolio, apply due diligence proportionate to each party's risk tier, and maintain continuous monitoring against an agreed cadence — every finding mapped to a named source and a retrieval date.

Risk framework and tiering. We define a tiering model with the client — by spend, criticality, jurisdiction, sector, and data or sanctions exposure — and classify each third party into a risk tier that sets the depth of diligence and the monitoring frequency.
Onboarding screening. Each third party is screened at intake: corporate-existence and registration confirmed, directors and beneficial owners identified, and the subject run against OFAC, UN, EU, HMT, and applicable MEA-regional sanctions and watchlists, plus an adverse-media pass.
Tiered due diligence. Low-tier parties receive a standardised verification check; medium-tier parties receive enhanced due diligence; high-tier and critical parties receive investigative-grade review drawing on the firm's HUMINT and SNA capability.
Third-party register. The portfolio is delivered as a structured register — each party with its risk tier, screening status, findings summary, last-reviewed date, and next-review date — built for direct upload into the client's GRC or procurement system.
Continuous monitoring. Sanctions, watchlist, adverse-media, and registry-change monitoring runs against the live portfolio at the agreed cadence; material changes trigger an alert and, where the tier requires it, a re-screen.
Periodic re-certification. On the schedule set by each party's tier, we re-run the diligence and reissue the dossier so the register never goes stale.

What's not.

TPRM is a managed risk-management programme built on lawful, documented sourcing. It is not a software licence, not an unmonitored database subscription, and not a substitute for the client's own risk-acceptance decisions.

Not a SaaS platform alone. Where we deliver into a client's GRC tool, the underlying diligence is still performed and quality-assured by the firm's analysts and country desks — not generated automatically from an aggregated feed.
We do not own the risk decision. TPRM surfaces, tiers, and documents third-party risk; the decision to onboard, retain, or exit a third party remains the client's. We advise; the client decides.
No pretexting and no unlawful access. All screening and monitoring is conducted within Roots' documented method standard and within applicable law in each jurisdiction of collection.

How the work runs.

A TPRM engagement begins with a programme design phase, then moves to portfolio onboarding and into a steady-state monitoring cycle. The below describes the standard flow; portfolio size and tier mix scale the timeline proportionally.

Programme design (1–2 weeks). Tiering model, source matrix per tier, SLA per tier, monitoring cadence, alert thresholds, and delivery format agreed and documented; data-protection and lawful-basis framework confirmed for each jurisdiction.
Portfolio onboarding (2–6 weeks, volume dependent). Each third party classified into a tier and screened at the depth that tier requires; the third-party register is built and populated; QA Reviewer applies the tier checklist at each tranche.
Steady-state monitoring (ongoing). Continuous sanctions, watchlist, adverse-media, and registry-change monitoring against the live portfolio; material changes raised as alerts with a recommended action by tier.
Periodic re-certification (per tier cadence). Scheduled re-screening and dossier reissue; programme review with the client at agreed intervals to re-tier parties whose risk profile has shifted.

Frequently asked.

How is TPRM different from running individual Verification or Investigation engagements?

Verification and Complex Investigation are point-in-time products on a single subject. TPRM applies those same capabilities across a whole portfolio, on a repeatable framework, with continuous monitoring and a defined re-screen cadence. It is the difference between checking one counter-party today and managing the risk of your entire third-party base over time — at a per-tier cost rather than a bespoke fee per subject.

Can you integrate with our existing GRC or procurement platform?

Yes. The third-party register and monitoring alerts are delivered in a structured format — JSON, CSV, or a direct feed — built to upload into common GRC, procurement, and onboarding systems. We agree the schema and field mapping during programme design so the output drops into your existing workflow.

How do you decide the monitoring cadence for each third party?

Cadence is set by risk tier. Low-tier parties are typically re-screened annually with continuous sanctions and watchlist monitoring in between; medium-tier parties on a shorter cycle; high-tier and critical parties on the most frequent cycle with enhanced monitoring. The tiering model and the cadence per tier are agreed with you at programme design and can be adjusted as your risk appetite changes.

What happens when monitoring surfaces a material change?

A material change — a new sanctions listing, an adverse-media event, a change in beneficial ownership, or a registry-status change — triggers an alert with a summary of the finding, its source, and a recommended action calibrated to the party's tier. Where the tier requires it, we re-screen the party and reissue the dossier so your register reflects the change.

Does TPRM work across multiple MEA jurisdictions at once?

Yes. Portfolios routinely span several jurisdictions. Each third party is screened by the relevant country desk against that jurisdiction's source matrix, so a multi-jurisdiction portfolio is handled natively rather than through a single remote lens. Where a jurisdiction is low-transparency, the limits are declared on the relevant dossier.

Open an engagement

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the size of the portfolio, the jurisdictions in play, and your risk priorities. We revert with a programme design, tiering approach, and fee in writing.

About

Roots built by local Experts to mitigate local, regional, and global risks.

Roots Intelligence is an in-country sourcing firm operating across the Middle East and Africa. The firm was set up to close a specific gap: due diligence in jurisdictions where automated tools, registry feeds, and adverse-media databases run out of signal before the question is answered.

01 · The firm

A sourcing firm not only data firm.

01 / IN-COUNTRY

Sources, not aggregated data only.

Every Roots engagement is anchored to a country desk staffed by vetted, in-country authorisations who validate, contextualise, and surface what isn't on the public record. The data layer is the floor, not the ceiling.

02 / COMPARTMENTED

Confidentiality by structure.

Every authorisation on a Roots engagement sees only the slice of work assigned to them. Client identity, parallel jurisdictions, and sibling authorisations are not disclosed. Confidentiality is structural, not promised.

03 / SPECIALISED

The hardest MEA jurisdictions.

Roots was built for the places where DD is relaying of on the ground sources, the conflict-affected Jurisdictions, sanctions-affected economies. Our challenging cases are where we show our sources capabilities.

02 · The thesis

The data layer answers part of the question. The source layer answers the rest.

Automated DD has expanded what is searchable, screened, and structured, but in MEA the corporate record reaches the public domain only partially, court records remain primarily in person, and the operating reality of a subject is best understood through documented HUMINT. Roots supplies the integration between the cost & TAT efficiency, data availability and the source accuracy.

Founded

2026

Operating since 2026, headquartered in London, UK and our network partners all over the MEA region, including sensitive jurisdictions.

Authorisations

240+

Vetted in-country authorisations across 52 MEA jurisdictions, operating under the firm's compartmentation rules.

SME on call

100+

Subject-matter experts available for short-form questions, pre-investment review, and specialist regional advisory.

03 · Leadership

Operators across investigation, counsel, and the region.

Investigations practice

Led by partners with backgrounds in financial-crime investigation, banking compliance, and government intelligence.

Partner-led

Regional desks

Each country desk is run by a regional lead, typically a national or long-resident operator with a documented professional record in journalism, law, regulatory work, or risk management. Desk leads are accountable for source vetting and operational discipline in their jurisdiction.

Desk-led

Counsel & QA

An in-house legal function reviews scoping for sanctions, data-protection, and lawful-basis questions before any work begins. A separate QA Reviewer applies the three-gate checklist on every report before delivery.

Independent of execution

04 · Standards

What we will, and will not, do.

WILL

Documented HUMINT.

Source-attributed enquiry, conducted under the firm's compartmentation rules. Findings carry source-tier classification and citation, supported by a referenceable evidence document on every line.

WILL NOT

Pretexting or unlawful access.

No misrepresentation of identity to the subject or third parties. No access to bank record absent court order or comparable legal instrument. No undisclosed surveillance.

WILL DECLINE

Work the firm cannot do well.

Where a client's question can only be answered by methods the firm will not use — or where the source matrix in a jurisdiction will not produce a defensible finding — we say so at scoping and, where appropriate, refer the work out.

Engage Roots

A scope and a fee within one working day.

Tell us the jurisdiction, the subject, and the question. We revert in writing with scope, timeline, and fee. If the work isn't right for us, we say so and, where appropriate, refer it.

Open an engagement View coverage

Engagement

How the work starts. And how it ends.

Engagement at Roots is a defined process; a scoping conversation, a written proposal, a QA-gated execution, and a delivered report with a clarification window. The process is the same on verification, asset tracing or investigation in single or multi-jurisdictional investigation. Only the depth changes.

First reply

1 day

Proposal within

5 days

Verification SLA

5–10 d

Asset tracing SLA

14–28 d

Clarification window

14 d

01 · Intake

What we ask at first contact.

The intake is intentionally short. Roots responds to a paragraph, not a contact form. The firm reverts within one working day with either a scope and a fee, a clarification question, or a stated reason for declining.

Your firm and role.

The subject.

The jurisdiction(s).

The question.

The intended use.

02 · Scoping

From paragraph to proposal.

Once intake clears legal screening, the relevant desk lead drafts a scoping document. It states the task list, the source tier in the jurisdiction, the timeline, the fee, and the limits the firm is declaring at the outset. Nothing begins until the client signs.

Source matrix applied.

Fixed-scope fee where possible.

Declared limitations.

SLA written into the proposal.

03 · Execution

QA-gated, compartmented, logged.

The country desk runs the scoped task list. Each task is conducted by a vetted authorisation under the firm's compartmentation rules; no authorisation sees the engagement as a whole. The QA Reviewer applies a three-gate checklist before delivery.

Gate 1 — evidence.

Gate 2 — corroboration.

Gate 3 — method.

04 · Delivery

A findings-based report. A clarification window.

The deliverable is a findings-based report, structured for evidentiary defensibility — every line carries a source tier and a citation. Reports are issued through the client portal as a single PDF with a separate evidence index.

Cover-page declaration.

Findings, organised by category.

Evidence index.

Clarification window — 14 working days.

05 · Restatement & decline

When the firm restates. When the firm declines.

The firm restates a report on identification of a material defect — a finding that is wrong, missing, or misstated — at no additional fee. The firm does not restate a report because the client preferred a different conclusion. Where Roots cannot conduct the work to its standard, the firm declines at scoping rather than at delivery.

Material defect.

Preferred conclusion.

Decline at scoping.

Refer out.

Open an engagement

Tell us the subject and the question — we revert with scope and fee within one working day.

Engagement starts with a clear scope, not a contact form. Provide a brief paragraph; we'll come back with what's possible, in what timeframe, at what cost.