Understanding who ultimately owns or controls a company or other corporate entity – known as ‘beneficial ownership’ – can be crucial for uncovering the complex web of structures that are often used to conceal money laundering or other illicit financial flows. Recognising that the press and civil society have a role to play in bringing such cases to light, the EU’s latest Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6) enshrines in law that journalists and civil society organisations have a legitimate interest in accessing beneficial ownership registers.
In anticipation of the July 2026 deadline for arranging such access, Transparency International requested beneficial ownership information from registers in 14 EU countries that already have a ‘legitimate interest’ regime. However, TI’s requests to Hungary and Ireland were refused outright – in Ireland’s case because a request has to demonstrate that a company is linked to an individual who has already been convicted of money laundering or which holds assets in a high-risk country. These additional conditions – unique among the countries approached – give the illusion of allowing media or civil society access but in practice make it virtually impossible, resulting in ongoing criticism from TDs, lawyers, journalists and civil society organisations (including TI Ireland) since the rules were introduced in July 2023.
Read more about TI’s experiment here – and TI’s policy position on ensuring public interest access to beneficial ownership registers here.