UBO Register (Ultimate Beneficial Owner Register)

Public registers identifying the natural persons who ultimately own or control companies and trusts, introduced across the EU under the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (2018). Most EU states maintain a UBO register listing any natural person holding 25%+ of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising control. After a November 2022 Court of Justice ruling (C-37/20) struck down general public access as disproportionate, most EU UBO registers restricted access to competent authorities, obliged entities, and persons with a legitimate interest (e.g. investigative journalists). UBO registration remains mandatory even where public access is curtailed. The UK, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, and BVI operate their own analogous beneficial-ownership disclosure regimes with varying public-access rules.