Financial Transparency Coalition

We’ve been following the review of the European Anti-Money Laundering rules (AMLD) closely and reported on this fascinating policy-making process before. One of our key campaigns, the need for more transparency around those that own and control companies—known as beneficial ownership disclosure—is among the most important changes that are up for consideration. With so-called trilogue negotiations (behind closed-door negotiations between European parliamentarians and diplomats), this reform is entering a crucial phase. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the different sides of the negotiating table speak the same language when transparency is concerned. A quick recap: in March, the European Parliament...

In the wake of last month's LuxLeaks investigation, the G20's heavy focus on tax avoidance and evasion, and the ongoing trilogue discussion in Europe over the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Ministers from Germany, France, and Italy have issued a letter calling on greater harmonization and strategy in fighting against tax evasion and avoidance.

"This strong initiative taken by the EU, which could be proposed by the end of 2014, would give Europe the leading place it deserves at the international level," said the letter, signed by Germany's Wolfgang Schäuble, France's Michel Sapin and Italy's Pier Carlo...

Happy Cyber Monday! In case you are from a country that doesn’t observe holidays devoted to consumerism: “Cyber Monday” is a marketing term for the Monday after Thanksgiving, created to persuade people to shop online. To those of us interested in banking and financial transactions – Cyber Monday is a fitting symbol for the emergence of online shopping and digital transactions. Over the last few years, e-commerce sales have grown by a stunning 20% annually around the world, and in the United States, e-commerce sales have increased by a steady 5% per year since 2005. Meanwhile, recent massive data breaches...

The latest edition of TaxCast, produced by the Tax Justice Network, is here! The monthly podcast, produced by Naomi Fowler, focuses on tax, corruption and illicit flows. In this month's edition, Naomi speaks with the Director of Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Action Centre, examines the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' latest data drop, LuxLeaks, and much more.