Dyer Baade advises shareholders of Sandshore on sale to Praxis Group

Praxis Group acquires Dubai-based Sandshore Services

(London/Dubai/St Peter Port, December 2024) Dyer Baade & Company acted as lead financial adviser to the shareholders of Sandshore Services Limited (“Sandshore”) on the sale of the business to Praxis Group.

Based in Dubai, Sandshore had developed into a specialist corporate and family office services provider supporting businesses, high-net-worth individuals, families and entrepreneurs with the establishment, management and oversight of corporate structures, alongside bespoke wealth structuring and estate planning services.

The business combined international private-client expertise with more than a decade of experience operating in the Gulf region and had built long-standing relationships with an international client base.

Praxis is an international private wealth and corporate services group headquartered in Guernsey and operating across a number of the world’s major international financial centres. The acquisition formed part of its strategic expansion in the Middle East, where the group had established operations in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The transaction brought together Sandshore’s local market expertise, client relationships and mainland UAE corporate-services capabilities with Praxis’ broader international infrastructure and range of private wealth and corporate services.

For Sandshore and its shareholders, the transaction provided clients with access to a wider range of services and international capabilities while creating a strong long-term home for the business, its team and its client relationships.

For Praxis, the acquisition strengthened its existing UAE operations and expanded its ability to provide corporate services in mainland UAE in addition to the ADGM and DMCC free zones.

Nina Sidalova, Founder and Managing Partner of Sandshore, commented on Dyer Baade’s role: “For the sale of my company, Daniel and his team delivered a value that I had not imagined. Besides the financial aspects, they gave me peace of mind. I trusted them and relied on them fully.”

Dr Daniel Baade, CEO of Dyer Baade & Company and lead adviser to Sandshore on the transaction, said:

“We were delighted to advise Nina and the shareholders of Sandshore on this transaction. Sandshore had built a highly regarded business based on deep regional expertise, long-standing client relationships and a very high level of personalised service.

“The objective was not simply to identify a buyer, but to find a partner that recognised the strategic value of those capabilities while providing the right long-term environment for Sandshore’s clients and team. Praxis represented a strong strategic fit, combining Sandshore’s on-the-ground expertise in the UAE with a broader international private wealth and corporate services platform.”

The acquisition completed in January 2025, with Sandshore’s team joining Praxis’ UAE operations.

A strategic cross-border transaction

The transaction illustrates the importance of strategic fit in Trust, Fiduciary and Corporate Services M&A.

For international buyers, acquisitions can provide capabilities, licences, client relationships and local market expertise that may take significant time to develop organically. For founders, the right strategic buyer can provide international reach, broader services and infrastructure while protecting the client relationships and culture on which the business was built.

In the case of Sandshore, the combination was driven not simply by scale but by complementary capabilities and geographic reach. The acquisition expanded Praxis’ services in the UAE while giving Sandshore’s clients access to Praxis’ wider international network.

Dyer Baade’s role

Dyer Baade & Company advised Sandshore and its shareholders throughout the transaction, including strategic positioning, buyer identification and engagement, management of the international sale process, valuation, transaction structuring and commercial negotiations through to completion.

The process drew on Dyer Baade’s specialist knowledge of the Trust, Fiduciary and Corporate Services sector and its relationships with strategic acquirers operating across the UK, Channel Islands, Middle East and other international financial centres.

The mandate required careful consideration of valuation alongside strategic fit, client continuity, culture and the long-term position of Sandshore’s team within the acquiring group.