Setting up companies abroad: why today it is a strategic lever for Italian businesses
In an increasingly interconnected and competitive economic context, opening a company abroad represents a concrete strategic lever for Italian companies. This is not just an opportunity to optimize costs and taxation, but a structural choice of international positioning , aimed at ensuring greater flexibility, resilience and growth in the long term.
Why look beyond the border? The reasons are not just fiscal
Many entrepreneurs associate business internationalization with the search for tax advantages. Although this may be a relevant aspect, the real strategic reasons are much more complex and include:
- Access to larger, less bureaucratic markets with greater consumption capacity;
- Geographical and currency diversification , useful for containing the risks of national or sectoral crises;
- Competitive positioning , thanks to more favorable rules of the game for those who do business;
- Logistical proximity to the target market (e.g. United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Malta, Switzerland).
Over time, many Italian companies have understood that limiting themselves to the domestic market is a constraint that reduces competitiveness, particularly in the high-margin tech, digital, financial or industrial sectors.
The Italian critical issues that push abroad
According to OECD data, Italy is among the countries with the highest bureaucratic burden for businesses. The main difficulties encountered by entrepreneurs concern:
- Regulatory excess and regulatory instability
- Long times for authorizations and administrative procedures
- High overall tax burden
- Cultural distrust towards business activity
In this scenario, setting up companies abroad becomes not only legitimate, but often necessary to maintain competitiveness, sustainable cash flows and innovation capacity.
The concrete advantages of a foreign company
Lawyer Daniele Bertaggia , with over thirty years of experience in international corporate law, underlines that opening a company in selected jurisdictions can bring tangible advantages, as long as the operation is conducted in full compliance with Italian and foreign regulations. Among the most frequent benefits:
- Legal tax optimization (tax planning, not avoidance)
- Asset protection from corporate risks and liabilities
- Reduction of bureaucracy in ordinary management processes
- Greater attractiveness for foreign investors
- Possibility of operating in currencies other than the euro , reducing exposure to internal fluctuations
All this is only possible with strategic planning and correct legal structuring.
Risks to avoid: the danger of foreign investment
Not all foreign companies are "valid" in the eyes of Italian tax authorities. If a company formally registered abroad is actually managed in Italy, with administrative and decision-making headquarters in the country, the risk of tax inversion arises: a condition that can expose the entrepreneur to disputes, sanctions and aggressive tax assessments.
To avoid this situation, it is essential that:
- The foreign company has effective operations in the country of registration
- The owner is assisted by a lawyer expert in international law
- The company documentation, current accounts and management bodies are actually located abroad
Who to trust to open a foreign company safely
Internationalizing a business is not an automatic process. It requires specific legal skills, knowledge of international regulations and a strategic vision that brings together expansion, asset protection and tax compliance .
Attorney Daniele Bertaggia , founder of the Bertaggia International Law Firm , is a professional specialized in the establishment of foreign companies, offshore structures and transnational tax planning . Over time, he has assisted entrepreneurs, professionals and investors in defining customized corporate structures, in compliance with Italian regulations and the jurisdictions involved.
The firm is active in strategic locations such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Malta and San Marino, and provides complete support ranging from preliminary analysis to post-establishment operational and legal management.
Opening a company abroad is never a tax shortcut, but a structural choice . For this reason it must be designed with rigor, method and full legitimacy.
If you are considering the opportunity to open a foreign company to expand your business or protect your assets, you can delve deeper into all the regulatory and strategic aspects by relying on those who have been working for years with Italian companies that look beyond the border.
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The article Setting up companies abroad: why today it is a strategic lever for Italian businesses comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/costituire-societa-estero-perche-oggi-leva-strategica-per-impresa-italiana/ on Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:23:10 +0000.