Taqeem and RICS — comparing regulatory frameworks.

Taqeem is a regional professional accreditation framework for valuers, developed to standardise valuer qualification, ethics, and practice standards within its jurisdiction — filling a role broadly analogous to what RICS has long provided internationally, but calibrated to regional market conditions and regulatory priorities.

RICS is a long-established, globally recognised professional body whose Red Book standards and MRICS/FRICS qualifications are referenced across international lending, audit, and cross-border transaction contexts. Its global recognition makes RICS standing particularly valuable for valuations that need to satisfy international stakeholders — foreign lenders, multinational auditors, or cross-border investors.

Rather than viewing regional and international accreditation as alternatives, the strongest valuation practices in the region maintain both: regional accreditation ensures alignment with local regulatory expectations and market-specific practice norms, while RICS standing ensures the same work is recognised and trusted by international counterparties. A valuer or firm holding both credentials is positioned to serve both purely local engagements and internationally-facing ones without needing to choose a single framework.

What this means for clients

If your engagement has any cross-border dimension — a foreign lender, an international auditor, a multinational parent company — check whether your valuer's credentials are recognised by the specific counterparty you need to satisfy. Purely regional accreditation may not carry weight with an international audit committee, just as a purely international qualification without regional regulatory standing may not satisfy local transaction requirements. The safest position is a valuer whose standing spans both.