Targeted Transparency: Sectoral Approach to Beneficial Ownership in Procurement and Real Estate by Ivana Rossi, Chady El Khoury, Indulekha Thomas, Luisa Malcherek, Mohammed Al Janahi published by IMF (9/2025).
Identifying the natural person who ultimately owns or controls an asset—known as the beneficial owner—is a key transparency measure to prevent misuse for criminal or unethical purposes. This is especially critical in high-risk sectors, where vulnerabilities are amplified during economic or existential crises, such as financial bubbles or climate change. While many countries are establishing centralized beneficial ownership registries—often linked to commercial registers for anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance—these may not fully meet the needs of sector-specific oversight. Agencies like procurement authorities or land registries often require more granular or tailored beneficial ownership data, such as information on foreign entities or lower thresholds for politically exposed persons (PEPs).
