PACBusiness

The formal register may tell you who owns a company or asset. It does not always tell you who controls it. Across Asia-Pacific, regulators are increasingly looking beyond legal ownership to identify who actually controls companies, assets and flows of funds. As beneficial ownership and ownership transparency frameworks continue to evolve, understanding these developments has become critical for investors, legal advisers, compliance professionals and dispute practitioners.

The push for greater ownership transparency is not confined to Asia-Pacific. Even jurisdictions historically associated with offshore wealth structures and corporate secrecy, such as The British Virgin Islands, are strengthening beneficial ownership disclosure and access regimes.

Against this backdrop, our latest practical guide examines key regulatory changes across eight APAC jurisdictions that have taken place in the recent years, highlights publicly available resources, and explores how to move beyond corporate records to better understand who is really behind a structure.