Research Symposium Synthesis Report: Evidence and impact of beneficial ownership transparency
Overview
In February 2026, Open Ownership, the World Bank Group’s Beneficial Ownership Transparency Working Group, and the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex hosted a Research Symposium entitled “Evidence and Impact of Beneficial Ownership Transparency” in the UK and online. For Open Ownership, this event was part of the newly launched Beneficial Ownership Evidence and Measurement (BEAM) Programme. BEAM aims to expand the evidence base for beneficial ownership transparency’s (BOT) real-world impact through collaboration, shared resources, and country programming.
Over two days, attendees heard 27 presentations representing the work of around 40 researchers from governments, universities, civil society, the private sector, and multilaterals on the implementation and impacts of BOT. More than 150 people attended in person and online from over 50 countries. A full list of the presenters and their biographies, research abstracts for all presentations, and links to published works is available here. Please refer to this document to learn more about any of the work referenced in this report.
Across the three main Symposium themes, several key findings emerged:
- In relation to data use and impact measurement, Symposium discussions confirmed the importance of identifying, documenting, and measuring the impact of BOT to understand and deliver effective and impactful reforms, as well as to sustain reform momentum.
- The research presented reflects the increasing use of this data beyond the traditional focus of financial crime, with new uses and approaches to impact measurement emerging in contexts such as procurement, taxation, and broader corporate and democratic accountability.
- With regards to implementation and legal frameworks, the research presented confirmed that there remain significant differences in regulations and data quality across countries and regions.
- For the research community, a key focus is the increased restrictions applied to data access and the dampening effect these have on research possibilities.
- Researchers also discussed moves to promote BOT of assets, an area which brings potential for new impact, along with additional considerations on what degree of ownership information is appropriate to collect, and by which authorities.
- The debate on the best approaches to BOT of assets is ongoing, and securing political will for such reforms is likely to require further effort.
This synthesis report summarises the main points of a selection of the Symposium presentations in our three themes. It does not reflect the viewpoints of all attendees or the positions of the organising institutions. For each, we provide an overview of the research presented at the Symposium; the areas of ongoing debate within this theme; and, where applicable, emerging ideas for future directions for research, data use, and implementation. Finally, it should be noted that while the Symposium offered many lessons, the current evidence base on BOT is comparatively narrow and Eurocentric, limiting the scope of the discussions and pointing to the necessity of research from a broader range of regions.