The U.S. is the easiest place in the world for a criminal, terrorist, tax cheat, or kleptocrat to open an anonymous shell company to launder their money with impunity. Anonymous corporations are great ways to hide money and other assets — they can hold a bank account or buy a yacht. Criminals often layer anonymous corporations, with one owning another and so on, making it even harder for law enforcement to “trace the money” and figure out who is directing the company’s activity. It’s time to ending the use of anonymous shell companies as vehicles for illicit activity by requiring that the true owners of U.S. companies be disclosed at the time of formation and updated upon any change.
Move Comes as Lawmakers Consider Dropping Important Anti-Money Laundering Section from Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Delaware’s top government official overseeing company formation in the state endorsed a bipartisan federal proposal to require companies to disclose their true owners at the time of formation in new a new letter to Congress.
Criminals and corrupt government officials and businesses use anonymous companies – usually registered in Western, developed countries – to move and hide assets, launder money, and evade law enforcement. The true owners of these companies should be required to report to authorities their identity when incorporating as a company or legal entity. This simple transparency would make it much harder for corrupt officials to steal vast wealth from their populations.
International NGOs sent a letter to the House Financial Services Committee on the Discussion Draft of the Counter Terrorism and Illicit Finance Act. The full letter can be downloaded here.
36 former military and civilian national security leaders sent a letter to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services, urging members to end anonymous shell companies.
36 former military and civilian national security leaders sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs urging members to end anonymous shell companies.
Though it may seem fanciful, there is a powerful tool that is tailor made for simultaneously combating North Korean nukes, Russian aggression, Chinese influence, and Iranian maleficence. This tool is beneficial ownership. In practice, existing beneficial ownership rules in the United States require compliance departments to collect, verify, and store data on clients, all at a cost to the consumer.
