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.
DIFC Foundation (Dubai, UAE): forms in 5–10 days from USD 5,500; privacy — registers not public; strongest for succession & family wealth. A common-law foundation regime inside dubai’s financial centre.
Cost & speed verdict
On raw formation economics the comparison is USD 1,900 against USD 5,500; renewals track similarly. On speed, Mauritius Authorised Company completes in 5–7 working days versus 5–10 for DIFC Foundation — 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; DIFC Foundation wins where the file leans toward succession & family wealth. 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 DIFC Foundation when succession & family wealth 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.