MSA Asia

What MSA Asia does

MSA Asia (operating as MSA Advisory) is a Shanghai-headquartered professional services firm founded in 2011 that delivers end-to-end accounting, tax, payroll, incorporation, and strategic advisory services for foreign companies entering and operating across the Asia-Pacific region. The firm serves foreign SMEs and multinational corporations across 9 APAC markets (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, India) through 11 offices, employing 56 local experts in finance, HR, and legal who collectively speak English, German, Dutch, French, and Mandarin. Its service portfolio spans company incorporation (WFOE, JV, Representative Office, Branch), monthly bookkeeping under Chinese GAAP, statutory audit coordination, tax filing (VAT, CIT, IIT), payroll outsourcing, Employer of Record (EOR/PEO) services — recently extended into Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand — and higher-margin advisory work in transfer pricing, tax optimization, profit repatriation, M&A due diligence, and CFO services.

Revenue mechanics are mixed: one-time project fees for incorporation (USD 2,000-$6,000), recurring annual compliance retainers (RMB 25,000-$60,000 for first-year tax compliance), per-employee-per-month pricing for EOR and payroll outsourcing, and project- or retainer-based advisory fees for financial advisory and due diligence. Pricing is opaque and quote-based, with a free 30-minute consultation as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism. Underlying technology consists of a cloud-based bilingual reporting portal providing real-time financial visibility to clients, online tax calculators, an entity advisor tool, and a multi-jurisdiction payroll system — all positioned around ease-of-use and IFRS-ready consolidation rather than AI-driven automation. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, multilingual field sales (especially into European clients), GGI Alliance referral flow, and SEO-driven thought leadership content covering city-specific company registration guides. Notable clients include Siemens, LVMH, and Bosch.

Name

MSA Asia

Legal name

MSA Asia

Website

https://msadvisory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MSA Asia is a Shanghai-based professional services firm that helps foreign SMEs and multinationals incorporate, operate, and remain compliant across 9 Asia-Pacific markets through incorporation, accounting, tax, payroll, EOR, and advisory services delivered by 56 local experts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Huangpu

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Company Incorporation Services: Professional incorporation services for WFOE, JV, RO, and Branch registrations across China and APAC markets. Pricing varies by entity type, city, and complexity (USD 2,000 to USD 6,000 in China; USD 2,500 to USD 5,500 in Hangzhou; USD 2,000 to USD 5,000 in Chengdu). Revenue is one-time service fee plus ongoing compliance retainer.
2. Accounting & Tax Compliance: Monthly bookkeeping in Chinese GAAP, financial statement preparation, statutory audit coordination, and tax filing services (VAT, CIT, IIT). Pricing typically RMB 20,000 to RMB 60,000 per year for first-year tax compliance depending on transaction volume. Revenue is recurring annual retainer.
3. Employer of Record (EOR) / PEO Services: Acting as legal employer for companies hiring in China without establishing a local entity. Services include compliant employment contracts, payroll processing, social insurance management, work permit/visa support, and employment liability coverage. Revenue is recurring per-employee-per-month (PEPM) or service retainer.
4. Payroll Outsourcing: Monthly payroll calculation and disbursement, IIT filing and year-end reconciliation, social insurance and housing fund management, leave and expense tracking support. Revenue is recurring per-employee-per-month (PEPM) or fixed monthly retainer.
5. Financial Advisory: Tax advisory, transfer pricing, corporate finance, CFO services, due diligence, and profit repatriation structuring. Revenue is project-based or recurring advisory retainer.
6. Company Liquidation: Full entity wind-down including tax clearance, final audit, employee termination support, government deregistration, and asset repatriation. Revenue is project-based service fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MSA Asia is a full-service accounting and strategic advisory firm that helps foreign SMEs and multinational companies establish, operate, and expand businesses in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The firm provides company incorporation (WFOE, Joint Venture, Representative Office, Branch Office), ongoing China-compliant accounting and bookkeeping, monthly and annual tax filing (VAT, CIT, IIT), statutory audit coordination, payroll outsourcing, Employer of Record (EOR) services enabling hiring without a local entity, work visa processing, profit repatriation, corporate restructuring, and financial advisory across 9 APAC markets (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, India).

Product overview

MSA Asia is a professional services firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory and compliance services for foreign companies entering and operating in China and across the Asia-Pacific region. The core offering consists of company incorporation and corporate services (WFOE, Joint Venture, Representative Office, Branch Office, Corporate Restructuring, Company Liquidation, Trademarks), accounting and tax compliance (Accounting & Bookkeeping, Tax Filing, China Audit & Assurance, Tax Advisory, Transfer Pricing), HR and payroll services (Payroll Outsourcing, Employer of Record, Recruitment Agency, Work Visas), and financial advisory (Corporate Finance, Due Diligence, CFO Services, Profit Repatriation). Supporting tools include a China Tax Calculator, China Corporate Tax Calculator, and China Entity Advisor. The firm operates across 9 APAC markets with 56 local experts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Company Registration End-to-end incorporation support for foreign companies in China and Asia-Pacific, covering entity type selection, regulatory filing, business licence acquisition, and post-registration compliance across all Chinese cities and provinces.
• WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) Setup Registration and setup support for wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China, enabling 100% foreign ownership with no local partner required.
• Joint Venture Setup Formation of equity or cooperative joint ventures with Chinese partners, including structuring, negotiation support, and regulatory compliance.
• Representative Office Setup Setup of representative offices in China for market research, liaison, and brand promotion without the ability to sign contracts or invoice clients directly.
• Branch Office Setup Establishment of branch offices as extensions of the foreign parent company in China, exposing the parent to Chinese liabilities directly.
• Accounting & Bookkeeping China-compliant financial reporting and monthly bookkeeping managed by a bilingual team, including financial statements, bank reconciliation, statutory audit coordination, and bilingual reporting in English and Chinese.
• Tax Filing & Compliance Navigation of China's tax landscape including monthly and annual tax filings (VAT, CIT, IIT), transfer pricing advisory, tax incentive applications, annual CIT settlement, and cross-border tax structuring.
• China Audit & Assurance Statutory audit coordination and assurance services to maintain books to statutory standards, ensuring seamless annual audit and compliance with Chinese regulatory requirements.
• China Consolidation Application of applicable accounting rules in China for consolidation of Chinese subsidiaries into parent company financial statements.
• Payroll Outsourcing Compliant payroll processing, IIT withholding and year-end reconciliation, social insurance and housing fund management, payslip generation in English and Chinese, and leave and expense tracking support.
• Employer of Record (EOR) Hire employees in China without setting up a local entity; MSA Asia acts as the legal employer handling employment contracts, payroll, tax, social insurance, work permits, and visa support. Expanded to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand in June 2026.
• Recruitment Agency Recruitment services to help foreign companies find and hire employees in China.
• Work Visas China work visa application support, including permit preparation and regulatory guidance for foreign employees.
• Profit Repatriation Compliant repatriation of profits from China, including dividend declaration and distribution, withholding tax optimization, SAFE foreign exchange filings, and tax treaty benefit applications.
• Company Liquidation Proper closure of China entities including full deregistration across tax, customs, bank, and commerce bureaus, employee termination support, and asset recovery.
• Corporate Restructuring Restructuring of China entities to optimize legal structure, ownership, or operational setup.
• Tax Advisory Optimization of China tax strategy, including guidance on tax incentives, free trade zones, and high-tech benefits.
• Transfer Pricing Advisory on intercompany pricing compliance and documentation for transactions between related entities.
• Corporate Finance Advisory on funding, mergers and acquisitions, and capital structure for foreign companies in China.
• Due Diligence Review and assessment of business, financial, legal, and tax risks before committing to investments or transactions in China.
• CFO Services Outsourced senior finance leadership providing strategic financial management and oversight for foreign companies operating in China.
• Trademark Registration Protection of brand identity in China through trademark registration with Chinese authorities.
• China Tax Calculator Online calculator for estimating individual income tax obligations in China.
• China Corporate Tax Calculator Calculator for estimating business/corporate tax liabilities in China.
• China Entity Advisor Interactive guidance tool for determining the appropriate China entity structure and setup based on business needs and regulatory factors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Company incorporation from name pre-approval to operational bank account typically 5-7 weeks
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers35 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GGI Alliance (Geneva Group International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSA Asia is a member firm of GGI (Geneva Group International), a global alliance of independent accounting and advisory firms. This membership provides international reach, referral pathways with member firms worldwide, and cross-border service capabilities for clients expanding across multiple jurisdictions. The partnership is bidirectional — MSA Asia receives referrals from global member firms and may refer clients to GGI member firms in other countries.
• Sino-Singapore (Chengdu) Innovation ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA bilateral cooperation framework between China and Singapore modelled on Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). The park focuses on modern services and high-tech industries and offers Singapore-style one-stop administrative support. MSA Asia assists clients seeking to establish operations within this framework, providing bilingual government services navigation and preferential policy access for qualifying investors.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Globalization Partners: Tech-enabled global EOR platform with APAC coverage including China and Southeast Asia. Targets the same EOR buyer need as MSA's expanded Vietnam/Malaysia/Thailand offering but with a digital-first delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• BDO China: Top-10 global accounting network with a substantial China practice serving foreign-invested enterprises with audit, tax, advisory and outsourcing. Competes in the same buyer pool but as part of a much wider global portfolio.
• Grant Thornton China: Mid-tier global accounting network with significant China operations. Provides audit, tax, advisory and outsourcing services to multinational and SME clients in China — broader portfolio but overlapping enterprise customer base.

Direct peers

• Ocorian: Global corporate services and fund administration group with APAC operations. Provides entity setup, accounting, tax and compliance services to foreign-invested enterprises — comparable service portfolio and target buyer.
• Dezan Shira & Associates: Long-standing Asia business advisory firm specializing in China and ASEAN market entry, accounting, tax, HR and compliance. Operates Asia Briefing as thought leadership channel — highly comparable niche and buyer overlap with MSA.
• IQ-EQ: Investor services and corporate services firm with operations across Asia, Europe and the Americas. Provides company formation, accounting, payroll and compliance to multinational clients — overlapping service lines with MSA.
• Vistra: Global provider of corporate, fund and trust services with significant APAC presence including China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Competes for the same incorporation, EOR and compliance engagements at the mid-market and enterprise tier.
• Acclime: APAC-focused corporate services provider covering company setup, accounting, tax, payroll and advisory across 10+ Asian markets including China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. Direct competitor for the same foreign-invested enterprise buyer pool.
• TMF Group: Global corporate services provider offering accounting, tax, payroll and EOR across 80+ jurisdictions including all of MSA's APAC markets. Closest direct peer in terms of service mix (incorporation, compliance, EOR) and buyer profile (foreign-invested enterprises).
• Hawksford: Specialist corporate services firm with deep Asia and Europe coverage, providing company formation, accounting, tax, payroll and EOR. Highly comparable mid-market positioning to MSA for foreign companies entering Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MSA Asia