Beneficial Ownership Transparency

Tackling the misuse of legal structures to conceal proceeds of corruption has long been a top priority for StAR.

Country-specific Beneficial Ownership Guides created by national authorities

About Beneficial Ownership Transparency

One of the key obstacles to tracing and recovering illicit gains from corruption is a lack of corporate transparency: during corruption investigations, investigators often must first uncover who actually benefits from the ownership of an asset – for example a company or real estate that is involved in a corrupt scheme – since the beneficial owner may be hidden behind multiple layers of shell companies or behind a nominee company director. Implementing an effective beneficial ownership disclosure poses significant challenges, and most countries are struggling to implement FATF Standards on beneficial ownership transparency.

StAR is actively engaged with stakeholders around the globe to ensure effective and lasting reforms. Our work includes:

  • Engaging with leading policymaking and standard setting bodies such as the G7, G20, EU, OECD, FATF, the World Bank and others to increase understanding of these issues and ensure sustained political commitment;
  • Helping countries build and strengthen their legislative and institutional frameworks, including through an innovative National Risk Assessment tool, legislative drafting, and host of anti-money laundering and anti-corruption capacity-building programs;
  • Sharing knowledge with stakeholders through reports and tools such as The Puppet Masters: How the Corrupt Hide Stolen Assets Using Legal Structures and What to Do about It