Tagged: beneficial ownership

19 Nov, 2017

Making the Case for Requiring Beneficial Ownership Information

In this era of aggressive enforcement, global companies have to integrate beneficial ownership requirements when conducting due diligence of business associates and when engaging customers. For most businesses, beneficial ownership is critical in two main legal contexts: sanctions compliance and FCPA risk. Both of these areas present significant risks to any US company conducting business overseas, regardless of what industry. Of course financial institutions face...

Podcasts

29 Oct, 2017

Episode 8 — The Critical Importance of Beneficial Ownership to Compliance

In the aftermath of the Panama Papers scandal and increased focus on shell companies and hidden ownership interests, US enforcement and regulatory agencies are increasing focus on beneficial ownership of related entities. In this era of aggressive enforcement, global companies have to integrate beneficial ownership requirements when conducting due diligence of business associates and when engaging customers in order to ensure full compliance with anti-corruption,...

General

15 Sep, 2017

Michael Volkov Interview with BvD’s Alistair King

I had the good fortune to spend time recently with Bureau van Dijk’s Alistair King for an interview. BvD recently posted the interview Here. BvD is a sponsor of this blog and a terrific compliance partner I have been impressed with BvD’s product offering – key tools in your third-party screening process that offer difficult to find information. BvD specializes in information on private companies,...

General

17 Jul, 2017

Important Polling Results from BvD Webinar on Beneficial Ownership

On June 28, 2017, Bureau van Dijk, a sponsor of my blog, conducted a webinar on the importance of beneficial ownership information to corporate compliance functions. The blog posting by Alistair King is here, and the replay of the important webinar is here. I have emphasized in a number of postings the importance of beneficial ownership information to compliance functions. It is not enough to...

General

8 May, 2017

Corporate Shell Games and KYC Requirements

Anti-money laundering professionals are in for a rude awakening. Know Your Customer or KYC requirements are currently kicking up a notch, and will be even more dramatic when the new FinCEN beneficial ownership regulations become effective in 2018. Financial regulators have become much more sophisticated since the financial crash, and the industry should expect even greater regulatory demands. As financial scandals continue to pop up...

General

20 Apr, 2017

Beneficial Ownership Due Diligence Requirements

The new FinCEN regulations requiring financial institutions to secure beneficial ownership information is fast approaching – May 2018. The US has been way behind in this regulatory area. As a result, money-laundering activity in the US is fairly common. The EU has fast outpaced the US with its 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, and with the UK’s initiation of an ownership registry for UK companies. Prosecutors...

Events

16 Oct, 2016

Watch Replay of Bureau Van Dijk Live Webinar on Unraveling Corporate Structures

I was honored to participate with Ted Datta and Bill Hauserman from Bureau Van Dijk concerning unraveling corporate structures. Beneficial ownership is a critical issue that companies have to address in their due diligence and compliance programs. Watch the webinar here — register first and then get access to the webinar, slides and contact information.

General

29 Sep, 2016

Dig a Little Deeper: The Importance of Beneficial Ownership

Companies interact with a large number of entities in the outside world – customers, third party intermediaries and vendors and suppliers to name the most significant ones. These relationships are the lifeblood of a company. In today’s world, companies have to know with whom they are dealing – not just the name of the company, not just the officers of the company, but the natural...

Events

28 Sep, 2016

Free webinar: Unravelling Corporate Structures: Understanding beneficial ownership and introducing new tools for due diligence

Beneficial ownership remains a compliance hot topic. While understanding beneficial ownership of an entity – a corporate or fund – is a key element in many compliance activities, it’s a daunting challenge. Countries vary in the amount of financial data private companies are required to disclose, and disclosure of ownership is not yet mandatory. Join us for a free webinar on October 12 (Register Here) during...

General

25 Sep, 2016

Trust But Verify — Due Diligence with a Jaded Eye

Ronald Reagan’s mantra with respect to US-Soviet relations in the 1980s applies with equal force to today’s world of due diligence. (I know it shows my age that I can recall this statement). Not all due diligence cases require a skeptical eye. But most compliance professionals know when they are digging into a due diligence review that will require a substantial investigation. Government enforcement agencies...