Ownership & corporate structure
Explore who owns a business and how legal entities are connected. Follow the distinction between direct shareholders, corporate groups and ultimate beneficial owners.
18 of 45 topics shown
- Beneficial ownership & controlUltimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)An ultimate beneficial owner is a natural person who ultimately owns or controls an entity. The immediate shareholder may be another company, so identifying a UBO can require following an ownership chain and examining control separately. A corporate owner should not be presented as the final answer to a question about the people behind a business.
- Beneficial ownership & controlBeneficial OwnershipBeneficial ownership describes ultimate ownership or control interests that may sit behind direct legal ownership.
- Beneficial ownership & controlDirect OwnershipDirect ownership is an ownership interest held immediately in an entity without an intermediate owner on that path.
- Beneficial ownership & controlIndirect OwnershipIndirect ownership is an interest held through one or more intermediary entities or arrangements.
- Beneficial ownership & controlControl of a CompanyControl of a company concerns the ability to direct relevant decisions through rights, arrangements or practical influence.
- Corporate group relationshipsCorporate LinkageCorporate linkage describes the relationships between legal entities, such as parent companies, subsidiaries and other members of a corporate group. It turns individual company records into a view of how businesses are connected. Each relationship should identify its type and the evidence supporting it.
- Corporate group relationshipsParent CompanyA parent company has an ownership or control relationship with another company under the relevant definition.
- Corporate group relationshipsSubsidiaryA subsidiary is an entity controlled by another entity under the applicable corporate or accounting definition.
- Corporate group relationshipsUltimate Parent CompanyAn ultimate parent company is the highest parent identified in a defined group hierarchy and evidence scope.
- Corporate group relationshipsAffiliated CompanyAn affiliated company is a company connected to another through a relationship whose precise meaning depends on the context.
- Shareholders & rightsShareholderA shareholder holds shares in a company and may have economic or governance rights associated with those shares.
- Shareholders & rightsVoting RightsVoting rights are rights to participate in specified decisions and may differ from the proportion of economic ownership.
- Shareholders & rightsNominee ShareholderA nominee shareholder holds shares in their name on behalf of another party under an arrangement.
- Shareholders & rightsBearer SharesBearer shares are shares whose ownership is associated with possession of the instrument under the relevant legal framework.
- Shareholders & rightsOwnership PercentageOwnership percentage expresses a specified ownership interest relative to the relevant total.
- Ownership structuresOwnership ChainAn ownership chain is a sequence of ownership relationships connecting an entity with successive holders.
- Ownership structuresCorporate Ownership ChartA corporate ownership chart visualises documented ownership relationships among entities and relevant individuals.
- Ownership structuresJoint VentureA joint venture is a business arrangement involving parties that share participation in a defined activity or entity.