Despite the proliferation of beneficial ownership registers, effective transparency and accountability on beneficial owners remains lacking. This brief explains why the “small data” approach informing governments’ beneficial ownership framework is a false economy that is preventing these frameworks for being effective. The brief demonstrates why a “no-threshold” approach – where any individual with one share or vote in a company is recognised as a beneficial owner – is necessary to making beneficial ownership transparency work and comes at no extra cost to implement. The brief also responds to in detail to arguments that have been used to push back against a “no-threshold” approach.
Andres Knobel ■ Why beneficial ownership frameworks aren’t working – and what to do about it
Why beneficial ownership frameworks aren’t working – and what to do about it
The "small data" approach is preventing beneficial ownership registers from being effective. Governments should switch to a "no-threshold" approach instead.
