Lichen International is a financial and taxation consulting firm based in Xiamen, China, with over 20 years of operating history. Lichen's core business is providing customized financial and taxation advisory services to Chinese enterprises — including listed companies, state-owned enterprises, and small and medium-sized businesses — helping clients improve financial management systems, strengthen internal controls, optimize tax planning, and ensure regulatory compliance. Consulting engagements typically run 10 to 16 weeks and are structured around on-site assessments, diagnosis reports, and guided implementation. After initial projects conclude, clients often retain Lichen on an annual basis, creating a recurring revenue stream. Lichen also sells proprietary financial and taxation analysis software to enterprise clients. The company recently launched an IPO advisory service targeting companies pursuing U.S. and Hong Kong listings, with fees structured as a fixed annual retainer plus a 5% success fee on proceeds raised. Lichen uses a hybrid staffing model of internal salaried consultants and external experts, who are paid roughly 50% of project fees when engaged — giving Lichen a variable cost structure that flexes with project volume. The company sells directly to enterprise customers, primarily through referrals and senior management networks. Lichen has exited its education support segment, which licensed the Lichen brand to third-party training institutions and had historically served as a key referral channel, but had declined sharply. Lichen is also integrating an AI framework into its financial and taxation advisory tools, with a trial phase expected in mid-2026.