Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados

What Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados does

Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados (UQA) is a private professional services firm headquartered in Guayaquil, Ecuador, founded in 1987 by CPA Jose Francisco Ugarte Ascencio as an individual audit practice and reorganized in 2011 into a qualified partnership of independent public accountants. The firm holds the National Registry of External Auditors registration SC-RNAE-2-758, qualifying it to perform statutory external audits across Ecuador under IFRS and Ecuadorian tax law. Its service portfolio spans external and internal audit, operational audit, financial accounting advisory, payroll administration, fraud prevention and detection, fixed asset management, corporate law and M&A advisory, and strategic communication consulting.

UQA operates as a partner-led practice with 13 employees, including 2 named partners (a 45-year veteran Senior Partner and a Master's-level Tax Partner from ESPAE), 3 supervisors, and a corporate law associate. The firm serves enterprise and mid-market clients across six Ecuadorian cities — Guayaquil, Manta, Portoviejo, Machala, Cuenca, and Quito — in industrial, commercial, agricultural, and service sectors. Named clients include Vanon, Poligrup, Daewoo, AC Group Worldwide, Agua Cristal, Tulipanesa, Chemlock del Ecuador, Corpcom, Kromasol, Nomada Cabinets, and Balsasud. Distribution is direct, through named partners and supervisors delivering personalized, permanent engagement.

The business is structured around a sales-led professional services model with bespoke engagement terms; no pricing, subscription, or productized revenue model is disclosed. Two strategic alliances anchor its external positioning: a 20+ year membership in MSI Global Alliance (250+ legal and accounting firms across 100+ countries) providing cross-border referral capability, and a partnership with Buró Tributario for specialized tax advisory. The firm has no subsidiaries, no external investment, and operates on a standard WordPress-based web presence with organic social and content marketing across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, proprietary technology platform, or app product.

Name

Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados

Legal name

Ugarte, Quiñonez y Asociados

Website

https://uqa.com.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados is a Guayaquil-based Ecuadorian audit, tax, accounting, and consulting firm founded in 1987, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across six Ecuadorian cities under IFRS and local tax law, with partner-led delivery and MSI Global Alliance membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting and Audit Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Operations Support (Indirect Tax, Withholding, Compliance Admin) (BPAAAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Ledger & Close (Journal Entries, Month-End Close, Reconciliations) (BPAAAGAC)

Keywords

• External audit services
• Tax advisory services
• Accounting consulting
• Corporate law advisory
• Management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Guayaquil

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Audit: External and internal audit services ensuring financial statement accuracy and compliance for decision-making. Specializes in statutory audits, special audits (convenanted procedures), and operational audits.
2. Financial Accounting and Tax Advisory: Accounting advice, tax compliance, payroll administration, and tax return preparation services under Ecuadorian tax law (NIIF/IFRS standards).
3. Management and Financial Consulting: Business consulting including company valuations, financial feasibility studies, organizational restructuring, process reengineering, and administrative procedure manuals.
4. Corporate Law and Corporate Governance: Legal advisory on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, corporate restructuring, foreign investment, and contract preparation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados is a professional services firm that provides external and internal audit, operational audit, financial accounting advice under IFRS/NIIF, tax compliance and advisory, payroll administration, management and financial consulting, corporate law and governance, fraud prevention and detection, and fixed asset management to enterprise and mid-market clients in Ecuador. The firm is registered with Ecuador's Superintendencia de Compañías (SC-RNAE-2-758) and is a member of the MSI Global Alliance for cross-border engagements.

Product overview

Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados is a professional services firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of audit, accounting, tax, and consulting services. The firm operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include External and Internal Audit, Operational Audit, Financial Accounting Advice, Management Consulting, Strategic Communication, Payroll Administration, Fraud Prevention and Detection, Fixed Assets Management, and Corporate Law services. The firm is also a member of the MSI Global Alliance, enabling provision of cross-border advisory services through a network of over 250 member firms worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• External and Internal Audit Professional audit services ensuring that financial statements are technically prepared according to requirements for correct decision-making, including a global understanding of the client's business context. Clients are attended permanently and personally by experienced executives in the industry area in which the company operates.
• Operational Audit Comprehensive evaluation of the organization as a whole by reviewing administrative and internal operating circuits, as well as physical, technological, and human economic resources, in order to detect weaknesses or shortcomings and corroborate their validity.
• Financial Accounting Advice Advisory services for optimal operation of accounting registration systems under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS/NIIF), preparation of financial statements, and tax compliance for clients in industrial, commercial, service, and non-profit sectors.
• Management and Financial Management Consulting Advisory services for superior performance in financial processes, cost management, and profitability through techniques based on economic value, including business valuations, financial feasibility studies, organizational restructuring, process reengineering, and administrative procedure manuals.
• Strategic Communication Consulting Corporate communication consulting with a multidisciplinary team designing 360-degree communication plans including internal communication, reputation management, crisis communication, and digital consulting.
• Payroll Administration and Management Comprehensive payroll administration including IESS page management, labor contract preparation, staff training, and recruitment services for client companies.
• Fraud Prevention and Detection Methodology for fraud prevention and detection, supporting the development of an ethics culture, strengthening internal controls, and establishing prevention programs in client organizations.
• Fixed Assets and Inventory Management Comprehensive fixed asset administration including physical inventory, asset tagging, barcodes, control software, and reconciliation with accounting records.
• Corporate Law and Corporate Governance Legal advisory for companies including mergers and acquisitions, financing, foreign investment, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, corporate restructuring, and contract preparation.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MSI Global AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUQA is part of MSI Global Alliance, a global association of more than 250 medium-sized legal and accounting firms in over 100 countries. For over 20 years, MSI members have provided high-quality cross-border advisory and support in four key areas: Audit, Control and Advisory; Tax Advisory; Legal Services; and Consulting Services. MSI members help clients overcome business challenges, leverage new opportunities, and smooth their path to business success worldwide.
• Buró TributariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUQA has established a strategic alliance and business partnership with Buró Tributario, a firm specializing in tax advisory at the forefront of the latest local and international tax trends. The alliance is aimed at optimizing the tax burden for taxpayers and expanding UQA's portfolio of tax services. Buró Tributario brings specialized tax expertise complementing UQA's audit and accounting services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EY Ecuador: Ecuador office of Ernst & Young offering audit, tax, and consulting services. Targets the same mid-market and large enterprise client pool as UQA across Ecuador.
• Deloitte Ecuador: Ecuador office of the Big-4 audit and consulting network. Competes for large enterprise and multinational audit mandates overlapping UQA's industrial, commercial, and services client base.
• PwC Ecuador: Ecuador office of PwC's global audit, tax, and advisory practice. Direct competitor for statutory audits and IFRS advisory on Ecuadorian corporates and multinational subsidiaries.
• KPMG Ecuador: Ecuador office of KPMG providing audit, tax, and advisory services. Competes for industrial and commercial sector audit engagements with similar IFRS expertise.

Direct peers

• Grant Thornton Ecuador: International mid-market audit and advisory network with Ecuador operations. Directly comparable in client size and service mix, competing for mid-market audit mandates.
• Crowe Ecuador: International accounting and advisory network with Latin American presence. Comparable mid-tier audit and tax advisory positioning for industrial and commercial clients.
• BDO Ecuador: Mid-tier international accounting network with Ecuadorian presence. Most directly comparable to UQA in scale and positioning — global network access plus local audit/tax delivery.
• Baker Tilly Ecuador: Global mid-tier accounting network with Latin American footprint. Similar service breadth (audit, tax, consulting) and mid-market positioning to UQA.
• RSM Ecuador: Global mid-tier audit and consulting network with Latin American coverage. Closely comparable to UQA in serving growing mid-market Ecuadorian companies with cross-border needs.
• PKF Ecuador: International association of independent accounting and business advisory firms with Ecuador presence. Comparable mid-size positioning with similar cross-border referral model to UQA's MSI membership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UQA_EC
• Facebookfacebook.com/UQAEC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ugarte-qui%C3%B1onez-asociados
• Instagraminstagram.com/uqa_ec

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Ugarte, Quiñonez & Asociados