Concluding a deal with an unverified company is always a financial and legal risk. A counterparty may turn out to be bankrupt, a shell company, or a participant in litigation. In the worst case, you may encounter entities engaged in cashing out money, which will inevitably draw the attention of tax authorities to your business.
Fortunately, the Russian Federation has created one of the most open and transparent systems of state registers. Armed with only a company's INN (Taxpayer Identification Number) or OGRN (Primary State Registration Number), you can conduct a deep audit of a counterparty absolutely free of charge.
In this article, we have gathered key state databases that will help you compile a complete dossier on any organization.
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1. Basic Information: USRLE of the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation
Where to look: The service "Providing information from the USRLE/USRIP" on the FTS website (`egrul.nalog.ru`).
What you can find out:
* Whether the company is active or in the process of liquidation/bankruptcy.
* Who is the real director and founder (beneficiary).
* The date of registration and the size of the authorized capital (a very small capital of 10,000 rubles for a company claiming billion-dollar contracts is the first risk marker).
* Legal address (check if it is an address of mass registration).
* The presence of a record of unreliability of information (the FTS puts such a mark if the director or address arouse suspicion).
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2. Litigation: Card File of Arbitration Cases (KAD)
Where to look: Information resource `kad.arbitr.ru`.
What you can find out:
* All lawsuits in which the company is involved as a plaintiff, defendant, or third party.
* Amounts of claims. If a company is overwhelmed with lawsuits for failure to fulfill obligations under supply contracts, this indicates its financial problems.
* The presence of bankruptcy cases (both current and completed).
* Corporate disputes between founders, which often paralyzes the business.
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3. Enforcement Proceedings: FSSP Database
Where to look: Data bank of enforcement proceedings on the website of the Federal Bailiff Service (`fssp.gov.ru`).
What you can find out:
* The presence of outstanding debts, fines, or penalties for which a court decision has already been made.
* Amounts of debt. Large debts to bailiffs can lead to the blocking of the organization's bank accounts.
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4. Government Procurement: EIS Procurement
Where to look: Portal of the Unified Information System in the field of procurement (`zakupki.gov.ru`).
What you can find out:
* Whether the company participates in state procurement under 44-FZ and 223-FZ.
* A list of concluded state contracts, their amounts, and execution status.
* The presence of the company in the
Register of Unscrupulous Suppliers (RNP). If a company fails to fulfill a state contract, its access to state procurement is blocked for 2 years.
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5. Inspections by Regulatory Authorities: Unified Register of Inspections
Where to look: Portal of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation (`proverki.gov.ru`).
What you can find out:
* What planned and unplanned inspections were carried out in relation to the company (Rospotrebnadzor, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Rostechnadzor, Labor Inspectorate).
* What violations were identified and whether they were eliminated. This is especially important when checking medical institutions or manufacturing companies.
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6. Financial Statements: GIR BO
Where to look: State Information Resource of Accounting (Financial) Statements of the FTS (`bo.nalog.ru`).
What you can find out:
* The official balance sheet of the company, statement of financial results (revenue, net profit/loss).
* Dynamics of assets. Comparing revenue over several years helps to understand whether the business is developing or declining.
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Analyst's Summary
Checking a counterparty across these six registers takes no more than 20–30 minutes, but allows you to identify up to 90% of apparent risks.
If you see that a company has a minimum authorized capital, a mass registration address, the director simultaneously manages ten other firms, and a dozen lawsuits for debt collection are hanging in the Card File of Arbitration Cases — it is better to refuse cooperation with such an organization.
Within the framework of the "Digital Footprint" project, we will continue to explore methods of in-depth analysis of connections between company founders to identify hidden affiliated structures and cartel agreements.