Head-to-head
Mauritius Authorised Company (Mauritius): forms in 5–7 days from USD 1,900; privacy — filed but not public; strongest for Africa & India corridors. Treaty access and a respected regulator for africa-facing structures.
ADGM SPV (Abu Dhabi, UAE): forms in 3–7 days from USD 2,900; privacy — filed with registrar; strongest for holding & venture SPVs. English common law spvs with uae substance and low running costs.
Cost & speed verdict
On raw formation economics the comparison is USD 1,900 against USD 2,900; renewals track similarly. On speed, Mauritius Authorised Company completes in 5–7 working days versus 3–7 for ADGM SPV — in both cases your certified KYC pack is the real clock.
Banking & acceptance verdict
Counterparty and bank acceptance often decides this contest. Mauritius Authorised Company is the natural pick where the mandate is Africa & India corridors; ADGM SPV wins where the file leans toward holding & venture SPVs. GoldenKey maintains a live acceptance map across UAE, Singapore and EMI compliance desks for both registries.
Our recommendation
Choose Mauritius Authorised Company when Africa & India corridors describes your plan; choose ADGM SPV when holding & venture SPVs does. When neither fits cleanly, a UAE free-zone license or an ADGM SPV frequently beats both — we will tell you honestly in a free consultation.