13/05/2026 – Fifty-three government officials and experts from 11 jurisdictions across Asia and Pacific participated in a virtual seminar on 13 May 2026 to discuss key considerations in centralising beneficial ownership information. The joint event was organised by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum), in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Pacific Islands Tax Administrators Association (PITAA), under the umbrella of the Asia Initiative.
Ensuring that beneficial ownership information is accurate, up to date, and available is key to international tax transparency. It helps fight tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit flows, while strengthening tax systems and supporting cooperation between jurisdictions.
The event provided practical insights into the design and implementation of effective central registers of beneficial ownership. Discussions highlighted that, while no single approach is sufficient, combining complementary mechanisms, including central registers, has proven particularly effective across jurisdictions.
Through a series of presentations, the Global Forum outlined key requirements under tax transparency standards, shared lessons from peer reviews, and highlighted emerging regional and global trends. These sessions showed how well-designed central registers can improve access to timely and reliable beneficial ownership information, supporting domestic resource mobilisation and strengthening tax system integrity.
A panel of regional and international stakeholders discussed policy and technical issues, including recent reforms, improvements in verification processes, and key system features. Contributions from the Tax Justice Network and Open Ownership highlighted the importance of transparency in promoting accountability and good governance, with a focus on the design of effective central registers.
Participants also heard from Indonesia and Singapore, which shared practical experiences in establishing and operating central registers. Their insights covered legal frameworks, inter-agency cooperation, system implementation, and measures to ensure data accuracy and reliability.
The Asian Development Bank highlighted the importance of robust beneficial ownership frameworks in advancing its development objectives, particularly in strengthening governance and public sector effectiveness. The Global Forum Secretariat also presented tools developed to support implementation, including key features of its model legislation for central beneficial ownership registers.
The Global Forum and its regional partners remain committed to supporting jurisdictions through tailored technical assistance, training events, and peer learning, as they continue to strengthen beneficial ownership frameworks and advance the effective implementation of international tax transparency standards.
About the Global Forum
With over 170 members, the Global Forum is the leading multilateral body mandated to ensure that jurisdictions around the world adhere to and effectively implement the standard on transparency and exchange of information on request (EOIR) and the standards of automatic exchange of information (AEOI), covering financial accounts under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and crypto-asset transactions under the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). These objectives are achieved through robust monitoring and peer review processes. The Global Forum also runs an extensive capacity-building programme to support its members to implement the standards and help tax authorities make the best use of cross-border information sharing channels.
The Global Forum capacity-building programme is supported by the following development partners:
