Over the past few years, beneficial ownership transparency policies have gained traction around the world. As of 2018, 18 countries had announced commitments to implementing beneficial ownership transparency policies. They include France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This rapid increase begs a few questions: what is beneficial ownership transparency, what do beneficial ownership transparency policies… Read More
Photo credit: CACB With the passage of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and enforcement of laws such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the UK Bribery Act, doing business with integrity has become an expectation placed on global companies wherever they operate. Chambers of commerce and business associations are therefore increasingly called… Read More
Open Ownership, an organization dedicated to increasing corporate transparency, has recently released a guide that serves as a useful explainer of beneficial ownership transparency policies. Beneficial ownership transparency means that legal entities (such as companies) must disclose information about the people who ultimately own, fund, and/or control them. Anonymous “shell” companies can play a significant… Read More
Blair Glencorse is the founder and executive director of the Accountability Lab, an anti-corruption oriented nonprofit organization that places integrity at the heart of its work. Accountability Lab prides itself on taking a “positive” approach to anti-corruption work, focusing on solutions, do-gooders, and individuals instead of institutions and bad actors (a method they refer to… Read More
The global economy has opened up unprecedented opportunities for companies in emerging markets to join international value chains, build new business relationships, and reach new levels of growth. At the same time, corporations are very much aware of the compliance risks that local partners can pose if they are not transparent in their disclosures or… Read More
Chiawen Kiew is the Associate Director for Investigations at the Office of the Chief Compliance Officer of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Based in London, Kiew oversees the workflow of about 30 ongoing investigations and advises the Bank on identifying and responding to allegations of corruption, fraud, and other misconduct in EBRD-financed… Read More