Financial Transparency Coalition

Half a year has passed since the corruption story of the year – the Panama Papers – revealed the real owners behind thousands of shell companies. Over 50 per cent of the shell companies uncovered in the Panama Papers were set up in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). As of June this year, BVI hosted

Do you know who owns the house behind yours? What about the one down the street, or that mansion in the nice part of town? When anonymous companies are involved, you can't just walk up and ring the door bell, which makes it tough to find out who really owns a house or property. We've seen anonymous companies come up in property ownership time after time, from former Ukrainian President Vktor Yanukovych's mansion to Iran's secret ownership of a Manhattan skyscraper. Now, Transparency International has...

The European Commission has launched a series of investigations into the tax structures of companies like Google, Apple and Amazon, for fear that they are siphoning off tax revenue from Europe. Far less attention has been paid to the role of institutions like the EU-backed European Investment Bank (EIB) in financing this offshore trade, particularly when it comes to developing countries. Could this change? 

Britain’s credibility as a global leader in the fight to end corruption is under real threat.  Its fate lies in the hands of the Governor of a sunny, palm-fringed Caribbean island who was appointed by the UK itself. Last year, as chair of the G8, the UK committed to creating public registries of the real owners of companies. This was a hugely important move by the UK and one we support wholeheartedly. With global support, such a measure could put a stop to some of the worst problems of our time;...