Beneficial ownership transparency: From standards to practice

You receive a tip about inflated public contracts. You trace the company through layers of shell structures – and hit a wall. The beneficial ownership (BO) registry exists, but the data is unverified and you don't know what you're looking at. Simply having a registry doesn't mean it works.

Why should you take this course?

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) drain resources from countries that can least afford it. Stopping them takes more than rules on paper – it requires people across enforcement, compliance, and oversight who understand how beneficial ownership transparency (BOT) works in practice.

If you want to gain a better and more technical understanding of beneficial ownership transparency and identify entry points for action, this course is for you.

Learn to:

• Explain what BOT is – including distinctions between legal persons and other arrangements such as Trusts.
• Assess how existing transparency systems work in practice.
• Describe the importance, use, and limitations of BOT.
• Connect BOT initiatives with frameworks designed to curb IFFs.
• Analyse the design standards for beneficial ownership registries.
• Identify stakeholder capacity to collect, analyse, and use BO information.

Who is this course for?

Anyone can take this course for free.

We designed it for people who work with, or are interested in, beneficial ownership information:

• Policymakers, legislators, and registry operators.
• Investigators and enforcement agencies (FIUs, anti-corruption bodies, police, tax authorities).
• Reporting entities with disclosure obligations (banks, fintechs, lawyers, accountants, corporate service providers).
• Civil society and investigative journalists.
• International / development cooperation professionals (multilateral staff, FATF assessors, donor agencies).
• Students and researchers.

Prior knowledge recommended

If illicit financial flows are new to you, we recommend starting with the 60-minute self-paced course on Countering illicit financial flows: A foundation.

What is the course format?

Self-paced: work through the materials at your own speed, revisiting sections as needed. Combines explanatory content, interactive exercises, and real-world case studies.

Modules

1. What is beneficial ownership transparency and why does it matter?
2. Building an effective beneficial ownership transparency system.
3. Beneficial ownership information – cooperation across borders and agencies.

You will receive a certificate upon completion.

Free of charge

The course cost is covered through the U4 partnership.

How much time do you need?

90 minutes in total: 20–30 minutes per module.