OneFirmIntelHow to verify a company before you buy from it (2026)
May 19, 2026 · OneFirmIntel
Before you send an order or sign a contract, a few minutes with authoritative company data can tell you whether a counterparty is real, active and worth the risk.
Why verification matters
A company name on an invoice or website proves nothing. Dissolved entities, dormant shells and recently-registered firms all look identical until you check the registry. OneFirmIntel grades 256M+ government-sourced companies into quality tiers to make that check fast.
What to check
Status (active vs dissolved), quality tier (listed, established or new entrant), incorporation date, registered address and registration ID together give you a reliable picture of who you’re dealing with.
Verify a company, step by step
- Search the company. Look up the company by name and market in OneFirmIntel to confirm it exists in the official registry.
- Check the status and tier. Confirm the company is active (not dissolved or struck off) and note its quality tier, ★★ Established signals a multi-year track record.
- Confirm incorporation history. Check the incorporation date; a very recent registration warrants extra diligence for large orders.
- Reveal the full record. Spend a credit to reveal the registered address and registration ID, then cross-reference them against what the counterparty has given you.
- Keep the record. Revealed records are saved to your account and re-downloadable as CSV, so you have an audit trail for compliance.
Sources & further reading
- World Bank Open Data, business & economy indicators ↗
- OECD data, enterprises & entrepreneurship ↗
- Compare data sources: OpenCorporates ↗
- OneFirmIntel vs OpenCorporates
- OneFirmIntel market coverage
External links are provided for reference; third-party names are trademarks of their owners.
See the data
Explore the companies behind these numbers.