Usable beneficial ownership data
Features of better beneficial ownership data
For ease of navigation, the 22 features have been placed into four categories: search, delivery, scope, and content. Some features could have gone into multiple categories, but for simplicity just one was chosen for each.
Search features
The following features help people get to the information they are looking for.
Search by company name and ID
People are able to search by a company name or its identifier, and retrieve information about its beneficial owners.
Example
Image based on datacvr.virk.dk
Real-world instances
Nigeria
The Persons of Significant Control Register from the Corporate Affairs Commission
United Kingdom
The search facility from Companies House
Questions it helps answer
“Who are the beneficial owner(s) of this company?”
Search by beneficial owner name and ID
People can search by a person’s name or a personal identifier and retrieve information about the companies of which the person is a beneficial owner.
Example
Image based on Botswana’s OBRS
Real-world instances
Botswana
The search facility of the Online Business Registration System (OBRS) from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Estonia
The E-business register search facility
Questions it helps answer
“Which companies is this individual a beneficial owner of?”
Search by other details
People can enter characteristics of a company or a person (beyond their name or identifier) into a form, and see matching results.
Example
Image based on datacvr.virk.dk
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
The advanced search facility from Companies House
Botswana
The advanced search facility of the Online Business Registration System (OBRS) from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Questions it helps answer
“How many foreign nationals are beneficial owners of Zambian mining companies?”
Delivery features
The following features relate to how the data is packaged and delivered to people and to other systems. They help people access data in the ways that work best for them.
Bulk data download(s) of the full dataset
There is a single file or set of files containing all the beneficial ownership data held in the register. People can download these files.
Example
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
The People with significant control snapshot from Companies House
Estonia
The bulk data downloads available from the e-business registry
Questions it helps answer
“What proportion of Filipino companies have beneficial owners in tax havens?”
API access
There is a documented application programming interface (API). People or systems can retrieve beneficial ownership data for companies via API requests.
Example
API request: An API request is code which is run from a computer. It reaches out to an external system over the internet, using a URL. An example of such code is:
requests.get ('https://api.company-information.service.gov.uk/c ompany/41AD2EB2/persons-with-significant-control')
API response: An API response is data which is returned to a requesting system. This example is based on the United Kingdom’s Companies House API service:
{
"name": "Non-existent Company Limited",
"address": {
"postal_code": "PMR GH3",
"country": "Isle Of Man",
"premises": "Flat 3, Big House",
"address_line_1": "Motorway Street",
},
"is_sanctioned": false,
"kind": "corporate-entity-beneficial-owner",
"etag": "df056aa988706fc9f1b859a849eb18791b8992b18791df056aa988706f35"
,
"natures_of_control": [
"ownership-of-shares-more-than-25-percent-registered-overseasentity"
],
"notified_on": "2023-09-07"
}
API documentation: The documentation for the API describes how to issue requests and interpret responses. For example, the API documentation for Companies House Public Data API explains that the is_sanctioned field may or may not be included in a response and will have a true/false value.
| is_sanctioned | boolean | Flag indicating if the beneficial owner was declared as being sanctioned on the latest filing of the overseas entity | Optional |
Real-world instances
France
API access for services from Infogreffe
Norway
API documentation for data from the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities
Questions it helps answer
“Have any sanctioned beneficial owners been disclosed for the company AIcred JS?”
Structured data in a well-used format
Information is broken down into predictably formatted data-points or fields. The data is supplied in JSON, CSV, XML, or some other well-recognised format.
Example
| Unstructured data | Structured data | Structured data in a well-used format (JSON) |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of ownership or control: | Nature of ownership or control: | |
| This beneficial owner – indirectly herself, or through her children – owns 27% of the declaring legal entity’s shares through the following shareholders of the legal entity: (1) “Angerujjheit B.V.”, registration number in the Netherlands 64739564, registered office: Byterslaan 105, NL-4722GF Amsterdam, Netherlands; (2) “RigaTech Systems Ltd.”, registration number in the United Kingdom: 396654, registered office: P.O. Box 124, Company Services Ltd. Main Road, London, United Kingdom. |
% Aggregate share ownership: 27 % Aggregate control via voting shares: 27 Direct share ownership in declaring entity: 0 Direct voting control over declaring entity: 0 1.1 Intermediate legal owner(s) Legal owner 1: Name: Angerujjheit B.V. Registration authority: CVR Registration number: 64739564 Legal owner 2: [...] |
[ { "recordType": "relationship", "recordDetails": { "subject": "c359f58d2977", "interestedParty": "10478c6cf6de", "interests": [ { "type": "voting-shareholding", "beneficialOwnershipControl": true, "directOrIndirect": "indirect", "startDate": "2016-04-06", "share": { "exact": 27 } "vote": { "exact": 27 } } } } [...] ] |
Real-world instances
Armenia
An example of a beneficial ownership declaration in Armenia’s Electronic Register. Click “Download as JSON” to view structured data.
Nigeria
Search for a company in Nigeria’s Persons of Significant Control Register from the Corporate Affairs Commission. Use the “Download JSON” button to view the structured data.
Questions it helps answer
“How many companies have more than one beneficial owner?”
Change alerts
There is a service which alerts people when information is updated. People can subscribe to notifications about changes to a particular company, person, or relationship.
Example
Image based on the Slovak Republic’s Commercial register
Real-world instances
Slovak Republic
The Commercial register of the Slovak Republic has a “Subscribe to changes” option for its records.
United Kingdom
The company pages from Companies House have a “Follow this company” option.
Questions it helps answer
“Are beneficial ownership disclosures for the company AIcred JS being updated at the moment?”
Content features
The following features relate to the content and meaning of the data. They ensure that people can find and understand the information they are looking for.
Clear field and object descriptions
There is documentation which helps people understand the meaning of the data.
Example
Real-world instances
Norway
API documentation for data from the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities
Estonia
The Business Register Open Data API documentation
Questions it helps answer
“When was Louis Martin first disclosed as a beneficial owner of the company AIcred JS?”
Conformance to a data standard
Data conforms to a data standard for beneficial ownership information.
Example
This information about a beneficial ownership relationship conforms with Open Ownership’s Beneficial Ownership Data Standard (BODS):
{
"statementId": "fbfd0547-d0c6-4a00-b559-5c5e91c34f5c",
"declarationSubject": "c359f58d2977",
"statementDate": "2020-03-04",
"publicationDetails": {
"publicationDate": "2020-03-04",
"bodsVersion": "0.4",
"publisher": {
"name": "Profitech Ltd"
}
},
"recordId": "93b53022ae6a",
"recordStatus": "new",
"recordType": "relationship",
"recordDetails": {
"isComponent": false,
"subject": "c359f58d2977",
"interestedParty": "10478c6cf6de",
"interests": [
{
"type": "shareholding",
"beneficialOwnershipOrControl": true,
"directOrIndirect": "direct",
"startDate": "2016-04-06",
"share": {
"exact": 100
}
}
]
}
Real-world instances
Armenia
An example of a beneficial ownership declaration in Armenia’s Electronic Register. Click “Download as JSON” to view the data in BODS format.
Latvia
The Register of Enterprises provided a 2021 snapshot of its data in BODS format.
Questions it helps answer
“What nationalities are represented by the beneficial owners of the top 100 extractive firms, by revenue, active in the African continent?”
Use of relevant data standards
Data is presented using standard codelists, formats, or encodings. People can use their existing knowledge of data standards to understand the information.
Examples
The following is a non-exhaustive list of standards and formats which can aid with the standardisation of beneficial ownership data:
Country Codes: ISO 3166
Date formats: IETF RFC3339
Financial Services – Entity Legal Forms (ELF): ISO 20275
Market Identifier Codes (MICs) – standardised, issued, and maintained by SWIFT: ISO 10383
International Securities Identification Number (ISIN): ISO 6166
Real-world instances
Latvia
The Register of Enterprises uses ISO 3166 codes for the nationalities and countries of residence of beneficial owners.
Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation
Data about legal entities makes use of the ISO 202275 codes for the legal form of entities, and the ISO 3166 for jurisdictions.
Questions it helps answer
“What nationalities are most common among non-domestic beneficial owners?”
Authoritative company identifiers
There are reliable identifiers for all companies and other legal vehicles represented in the data. The identifiers are presented alongside an unambiguous reference to the issuing authority, and they are authoritative. Authoritative company identifiers are those created on the formation of the legal vehicle, such as a company number or tax identification number. [1] In some contexts, the internationally recognised legal entity identifier (LEI) may be considered authoritative.
Example
| Athrizia L.U. |
| Company number: 142080032 |
| LEI: 58460082C0E460CD9E91 |
| Shareholder 1: Athrizia Holdings |
| Foreign registration number: 1349044 |
| Foreign registration authority: BVI Commercial Registry |
Real-world instances
Estonia
The Estonian e-Business Register publishes domestic register codes, LEIs where relevant, and an identifier for foreign shareholding entities.
Botswana
The Online Business Registration System (OBRS) from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority publishes the Unique Identification Number (UIN) of domestic legal vehicles (and the old company number, where applicable). It also publishes the registration number and country of registration for foreign entities which are designated beneficial owners.
Questions it helps answer
“Does the legal and beneficial ownership information of foreign intermediary companies align with what is disclosed domestically?”
Authoritative personal identifiers
There are reliable identifiers for people who are represented in the data. The identifiers are presented alongside an unambiguous reference to the issuing authority, and they are authoritative. Authoritative personal identifiers are those which are connected to a person’s nationality, citizenship, or right of residence in a country, such as an ID card number or passport number.
Example
| Urishay Armijaan |
| Person code: 9EA42BBC210C |
| IDC #: 6754-9381-0994-2226 |
| Passport number: 958225112 (UK) |
Real-world instances
Estonia
The Estonian e-Business Register publishes personal identification codes for beneficial owners.
Armenia
Armenia’s Electronic Register stores social security card numbers or passport numbers for individual beneficial owners.
Questions it helps answer
“Are politically exposed persons accurately disclosing their relationships to companies and related assets, including across borders?”
Basic company information
The basic characteristics of companies and legal vehicles are included in the data. This includes, as a minimum, their name and legal form.
Example
Image based on the Québec Register of Enterprises
Real-world instances
Québec, Canada
The Québec Register of Enterprises has full information about the name and legal form of legal vehicles.
United Kingdom
The company pages from Companies House have name and company type information.
Questions it helps answer
“What proportion of companies with foreign beneficial owners are limited partnerships?”
Relevant person information
Relevant characteristics of people are included in the data. This includes, as a minimum: their name, nationalities, month and year of birth, and country (or countries) of residence.
Example
Image based on UK’s Companies House
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
The people pages for companies registered with Companies House
Latvia
The bulk data download of beneficial owners
Questions it helps answer
“What proportion of domestic companies have at least one non-resident beneficial owner?”
Basic relationship information
The basic details of relationships between companies and people are included in the data. This includes, as a minimum: who the relationship is between, what types of interest constitute the relationship, whether the relationship is direct or indirect, the magnitude of the interests (where relevant), and when the relationship (or its constituent interests) started and ended.
Example
Image based on Estonia’s e-Business register
Real-world instances
Estonia
The e-Business Register contains some basic relationship information publicly, and more is available after users sign in.
Armenia
Beneficial ownership declarations in the Electronic Register
Questions it helps answer
“Amongst companies awarded a contract by the local government, what proportion have only direct beneficial owners?”
Basic disclosure information
Basic details about how the information was disclosed is included in the data. This includes, as a minimum: who is responsible for disclosing the information, and when they disclosed the information.
Example
{
"data":
{
"barcode": "XBB6IF0Z",
"date": "2025-10-15",
"description": "change-to-a-beneficial-owner",
"description_values":
{
"change_date": "2025-10-04",
"psc_name": "Mr Artie Cormorant Ortan"
},
"pages": 2,
"subcategory": "change",
"transaction_id": "FkaXF6a2N4MzQ4MTEwMDQwOG",
"submitter_id": "55JD833DUR88PN1",
"type": "BO-04"
},
"event":
{
"published_at": "2025-10-15T11:44:04",
"timepoint": 205184296,
"type": "changed"
},
"resource_id": "4MTEwMDQwOGMzQFkaXF6a2N4",
"resource_kind": "filing-history"
}
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
Filings data for companies registered with Companies House
Botswana
Filing information in the Online Business Registration System (OBRS) from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Questions it helps answer
“When was Louis Martin first disclosed as a beneficial owner of the company AIcred JS?”
Disambiguated companies
Information relating to a single company in bulk or aggregated data can be unambiguously identified. This may be achieved via use of an authoritative company identifier, via the structure of the data, via an internal system identifier, or via some other means.
Example
Whenever the company Arkius Holdings Company Ltd. appears in this dataset, its company number is included.
{
"resource_kind": "company-profile",
"resource_id": "53180034",
"data":
{
"company_name": "Arkius holdings company LIMITED",
"company_number": "53180034",
"company_status": "active",
"confirmation_statement":
{
"last_made_up_to": "2025-06-17",
"next_due": "2026-07-01",
"next_made_up_to": "2026-06-17"
},
"date_of_creation": "2020-06-18",
"jurisdiction": "england-wales",
"sic_codes":
[
"64204"
],
"type": "ltd"
}
}
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
The bulk data about UK companies from Companies House is disambiguated by company number.
Canada
Disambiguation is via corporation numbers and business numbers in Corporations Canada’s federal register.
Questions it helps answer
“What proportion of companies have two, or fewer, beneficial owners?”
Disambiguated people
Information relating to a single person in bulk or aggregated data can be unambiguously identified. This may be achieved via use of an authoritative person identifier, via the structure of the data, via an internal system identifier, or via some other means.
Example
Here, values in an authoritative person identifier field, “identity_number_masked” help people to establish that two records (one for Jargod Pūsaņši, and one for Jar Pūsaņši) actually refer to two different people.
{
"fields":
[
{
"id": "id",
"type": "numeric"
},{
"id": "legal_entity_registration_number",
"type": "numeric"
},{
"id": "forename",
"type": "text"
},{
"id": "surname",
"type": "text"
},{
"id": "identity_number_masked",
"type": "text"
},{
"id": "registered_on",
"type": "timestamp"
},{
"id": "last_modified_at",
"type": "timestamp"
}
],
"records":
[
[
64582,
40003229495,
"Jargod",
"Pūsaņši",
"090859-*****",
"2012-08-21T00:00:00",
"2025-11-15T22:01:41"
],[
64583,
47388949492,
"Jar",
"Pūsaņši",
"181259-*****",
"2019-05-02T00:00:00",
"2019-05-02T08:41:39"
]
]
}
Real-world instances
Latvia
The bulk data download of beneficial owners disambiguates entries by Latvian identity number.
Estonia
In the E-business register, personal identification codes can be used for disambiguation of nationals.
Questions it helps answer
“What is the ratio of foreign domestic beneficial owners in the mining industry?”
Scope features
These features relate to the extent of the available information. They ensure that people can understand full beneficial ownership networks as they exist now, and in the past.
Legal ownership or intermediary data
The data can be used to understand beneficial ownership networks. If beneficial ownership is maintained via an intermediate legal vehicle (or vehicles), at least one intermediary is clearly identified in the data. [2]
Example
Image generated by the BODS Data Visualiser
Real-world instances
Armenia
All intermediary legal vehicles are published in beneficial ownership declarations in the Electronic Register. As in this instance (visualised above).
United Kingdom
Data about “relevant legal entities” is published alongside information about persons with significant control. This can be pieced together to reveal beneficial ownership networks.
Questions it helps answer
“Which companies awarded government contracts in the last two years have a parent company (direct or indirect) based in Bermuda?”
Includes non-compliant and exempt companies
Companies or legal vehicles which are not required to disclose their beneficial owners (or which have not complied with the requirement to do so) are identified within the data.
Example
Image based on ariregister.rik.ee
Real-world instances
United Kingdom
Data is available via API on companies which are exempt from beneficial ownership disclosure requirements.
Questions it helps answer
“Does AIcred have no beneficial owners to disclose, or is it exempt from disclosing its beneficial owners?”
Up-to-date information
Included in the data about companies, people, and their relationships is the latest known information.
Example
Image based on Corporations Canada’s Federal Register
Real-world instances
Canada
Information published on Corporations Canada’s Federal Register is updated within hours of being submitted.
Latvia
The bulk data download of beneficial owners is updated daily with any newly reported information.
Questions it helps answer
“Who are the beneficial owners of the country’s biggest private media company?”
Historical information
Information about beneficial ownership relationships in the past, and the characteristics of related companies and people, is available.
Example
![OO Example - beneficial owners [05.07.2024]](https://oo.hacdn.io/media/images/OO_Example_-_beneficial_owners_05.07.2024.original.png)
Real-world instances
Estonia
An entry with historic data in the E-business register
Armenia
An entry with historic data in Armenia’s Electronic Register
Questions it helps answer
“Has the beneficial ownership of the country’s biggest private media company changed in the last two months?”
Footnotes
[1] See: Kadie Armstrong and Stephen Abbott Pugh, Using reliable identifiers for corporate vehicles in beneficial ownership data (Open Ownership, 2023), https://www.openownership.org/en/publications/using-reliable-identifiers-for-corporate-vehicles-in-beneficial-ownership-data/.
[2] Alanna Markle, “Achieving the registrar’s three main objectives” in Sufficiently detailed beneficial ownership information (Open Ownership, 2025), https://www.openownership.org/en/publications/sufficiently-detailed-beneficial-ownership-information/achieving-the-registrars-three-main-objectives/.