Hillside houses in Taunggyi, Shan State, Myanmar, seen from above at golden hour
Taunggyi, Shan State, Myanmar

Services

What clients commission.

Five areas of work, each scoped to the question in front of you. Any of them can run as a one-off assignment or as ongoing monitoring.

For private equity and investors, banks and lenders, law firms, corporates and acquirers, and family offices.

Specific collection requests

These capabilities can be commissioned independently or as part of a larger assignment.

Discreet source inquiries

Targeted inquiries with people whose knowledge is relevant to the assignment.

Document retrieval

Obtain available records from relevant registries and local offices.

Local-language research and checks

Examine relevant records, reporting and other sources in their original language.

Site observations

Document the location, visible activity and relevant operating context of a site.

Regional coverage

Southeast Asia is our core.

Core markets

  • Indonesia
  • Vietnam
  • Thailand
  • Philippines
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Cambodia
  • Laos
  • Myanmar

Additional markets

  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • India
  • Bangladesh
  • Nepal
  • Sri Lanka

Coverage and collection options depend on the specific assignment.

Map of Asia. Core markets, shaded purple: Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Additional markets, shaded light purple: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Methodology

How we collect, assess and report.

We agree the questions, geography, methods and deliverables before work begins.

01

Collection

We obtain information through local-language research, document retrieval, source inquiries and site observations, as the assignment requires. We record its provenance, date and relevant limitations.

02

Assessment

Assessment is proportionate to the agreed scope. We distinguish source reliability from the credibility of individual claims, seek corroboration and identify gaps or conflicting accounts.

03

Reporting

We provide the requested documents, source reporting or analytical assessment. We explain the basis and limits of the material and distinguish established facts, reported accounts and analytical judgments.

Selected work

The rare-earth sector no one had mapped.

Heavy rare earths for EV motors, wind turbines and defence systems flow out of a Chinese-operated cluster in Kachin State, Myanmar. No one had documented it at site level. Over eleven months, our analysts mapped its sites, operators and registered importer of record.

The data showed the disruption began nine months before it was reported, and that the widely covered 2025 “recovery” was mostly stock being sold down, not restored production.

Region
Kachin State, Myanmar
Scope
Eleven-month field investigation
Method
Ground sources, Chinese corporate registries and two independent customs datasets
Result
The first site-level documentation of the sector

Original field research. Clients, entities and sources are protected.

Discuss an assignment.

Share the subject, location and information required. We will outline a practical research approach.