{"id":10761,"date":"2025-12-30T01:31:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T01:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/?p=10761"},"modified":"2026-08-11T16:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:49:36","slug":"whats-a-beneficial-owner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/do\/whats-a-beneficial-owner\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s a beneficial owner?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-8cdf7575 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\"><div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\"><h1 style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"wp-block-post-title\">What\u2019s a beneficial owner?<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-info-box uagb-block-4293da6b uagb-infobox__content-wrap  uagb-infobox-icon-left-title uagb-infobox-left uagb-infobox-image-valign-middle\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-content\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-left-title-image\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-image-content\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Richard-Simms-AMLCC-956x1024.png\" alt=\"Richard Simms\" width=\"80\" height=\"85\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/div><div class=\"uagb-ifb-title-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ifb-title-prefix\">Richard Simms<\/span><h3 class=\"uagb-ifb-title\">Director and Founder of AMLCC and AMLCC Consult<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"What\u2019s a beneficial owner?\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;width:100%;height:480px;object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pexels-kampus-8353769-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-f4715dae alignfull uagb-is-root-container\"><div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-f9c6201f\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A beneficial owner is the individual who ultimately owns or controls a client, or the individual on whose behalf a transaction or activity is carried out. This concept sits at the heart of FATF&#8217;s international standards, and every country builds a version of it into domestic law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FATF is clear that regulated businesses must look beyond the name on the paperwork and identify the real person who benefits from ownership or control. This is because criminals routinely use companies, trusts and nominee arrangements to distance themselves from assets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help regulated professionals spot these tactics, beneficial ownership is treated as a core customer due diligence (CDD) requirement by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/what-is-fatf\/\">FATF<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Beneficial owners of companies and other legal persons<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a company or other legal person that isn&#8217;t listed on a regulated market, FATF&#8217;s Recommendation 24 expects countries to make sure an individual can be identified as the beneficial owner where they meet one or more of the following conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They directly or indirectly own more than a set percentage of the shares<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They directly or indirectly control more than a set percentage of the voting rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They otherwise exercise control over the management of the company<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/what-is-fatf\/\">FATF<\/a> leaves the exact percentage to individual countries, provided the approach genuinely captures who&#8217;s in control. Most jurisdictions, including the UK, have settled on 25% under their own regulations, so check the threshold that applies where you&#8217;re regulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ownership and control can be direct or indirect and can exist where there&#8217;s no shareholding at all, where ownership is dispersed among many people or where shares carry little or no real power. There&#8217;s always a person, or a group of people, exercising control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means you must look deeper at a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/whats-a-layered-ownership-structure\/\">layered ownership structure<\/a>, including where a company is owned by another company, because control can sit several steps removed from the client you&#8217;re dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If, after taking reasonable measures, you can&#8217;t identify an individual under these tests, most frameworks require you to fall back on treating the senior managing official as the beneficial owner. This is a fallback position, not a substitute for proper investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: ITCAvantGardePro-Bold, Arial; font-size: 1.636364rem; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px;\"><strong>Beneficial owners of partnerships<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partnerships don&#8217;t all work the same way in law. This changes how you find the beneficial owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In some countries, a partnership is treated as its own separate entity and&nbsp;holds its own assets and debts, as a company does. FATF treats it the same way as a company too. To identify the beneficial owner, you need to look for a partner who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>holds a large enough share of the partnership&#8217;s capital or profit interest;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>controls a large enough share of its voting or decision-making rights;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>controls how it&#8217;s run, judged against whatever threshold the country has set.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If no individual meets that bar, you fall back to the senior managing partner, the same fallback used for companies with no identifiable owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In countries where there&#8217;s no separate entity at all and the partners themselves own the business directly, in their own names, the beneficial owner test looks straight at them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Someone counts as a beneficial owner if they&#8217;re entitled to more than 25% of the partnership&#8217;s capital or profits, or if they control the partnership some other way, even without holding that share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Beneficial owners of trusts and similar arrangements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FATF&#8217;s Recommendation 25 applies specifically to express trusts: trusts a settlor sets up deliberately, usually through a written trust deed, with named trustees and beneficiaries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other trusts, like those a court imposes to settle a dispute, are formed without anyone independently choosing to set them up, so there&#8217;s no equivalent ownership test for them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For an express trust, FATF expects beneficial owners to include all of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The settlor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The trustees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The beneficiaries, or where beneficiaries are not yet determined, the people in whose main interest the trust is set up or operates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any individual who has control over the trust<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Control includes the power to appoint or remove trustees, direct distributions or otherwise influence how the trust operates. Where there are multiple beneficial owners for a single trust, you need to identify all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why beneficial ownership matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FATF&#8217;s Recommendation 10 requires regulated businesses to identify beneficial owners and take all reasonable measures to verify their identity as part of customer due diligence. This requirement reflects the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/what-is-a-risk-based-approach\/\">risk-based approach<\/a>that runs through the Recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ownership structures that obscure who really controls assets pose a higher risk of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. So regulated firms are expected to understand who ultimately controls a client, even if that means carrying out&nbsp;additional enquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Failing to correctly identify beneficial owners is a common area of non-compliance and undermines the effectiveness of your&nbsp;due diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Identification and verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FATF, and the national laws that implement its Recommendations, draw a distinction between identification and verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You must identify who the beneficial owners are by understanding the ownership and control structure of the client.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You must then take all reasonable measures to verify those individuals&#8217; identities using information obtained from a reliable source which is independent of the person being verified.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What&#8217;s considered reasonable depends on the level of risk. More complex or opaque structures generally require deeper verification, potentially using&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/what-is-enhanced-due-diligence\/\">enhanced due diligence<\/a>&nbsp;(EDD) where risk is higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The definition of a beneficial owner is deliberately wide, wherever you&#8217;re regulated. It&#8217;s designed to prevent individuals from hiding behind corporate structures, trusts or informal arrangements to disguise ownership or control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applying the definition properly means asking one simple question and following it through logically: who ultimately owns or controls this client or transaction? When that question is answered clearly and evidenced appropriately, your due diligence is on far firmer ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-info-box uagb-block-7e2f0fec uagb-infobox__content-wrap  uagb-infobox-icon-above-title uagb-infobox-image-valign-top has-ast-global-color-4-background-color\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-content\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-title-wrap\"><\/div><p class=\"uagb-ifb-desc\"><strong>Explore how AMLCC&#8217;s features can keep your business completely compliant<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"uagb-ifb-button-wrapper wp-block-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/product-features\/training\/\" class=\"uagb-infobox-cta-link wp-block-button__link\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" onclick=\"return true;\"><span class=\"uagb-inline-editing\">Learn more<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container article-cta uag-hide-desktop uagb-block-f6be450a\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-69b8c097\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">The one-stop AML solution<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-6-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3\">Educate your teams, improve efficiency and achieve AML compliance all in one place, using AMLCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"justify-content: center;\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a href=\"\" class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button demo-secondary\" onclick=\"Calendly.initPopupWidget({url: 'https:\/\/calendly.com\/lisa-jco\/amlcc-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1&#038;primary_color=ff4f5b'});return false;\">Book now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uag-hide-desktop uagb-block-c5c14d25\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-a787415a\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">We know AML<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-6-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3\">We\u2019re regulated professionals too. We know what you need to comply with the Regulations.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list uagb-block-cffcf54f\"><div class=\"uagb-icon-list__wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-082e00ee\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">We\u2019re internationally recognised AML experts<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-ebce1a01\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">We work with most accountancy supervisors and the Law Society<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-352e4894\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">Bespoke AML consultancy available for all sectors<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-btn__default-btn uagb-btn-tablet__default-btn uagb-btn-mobile__default-btn uagb-block-fc153394\"><div class=\"uagb-buttons__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons-child uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-block-79a4148c wp-block-button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__wrapper\"><a class=\"uagb-buttons-repeater wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/consult\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__link\">Find out more<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-99e38104\">\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-table-of-contents uagb-toc__align-left uagb-toc__columns-1  uagb-block-1daea5fd article-toc     \"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-scroll= \"1\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-offset= \"30\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJump to:\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__list-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#beneficial-owners-of-companies-and-other-legal-persons\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Beneficial owners of companies and other legal persons<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#beneficial-owners-of-trusts-and-similar-arrangements\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Beneficial owners of trusts and similar arrangements<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#why-beneficial-ownership-matters\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Why beneficial ownership matters<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#identification-and-verification\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Identification and verification<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#final-thoughts\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container article-cta uag-hide-tab uag-hide-mob uagb-block-9b41d3fe\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-28078d4a\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">The one-stop AML solution<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-6-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3\">Educate your teams, improve efficiency and achieve AML compliance all in one place, using AMLCC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-6-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3\">Talk to our experts about how we can help you secure your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"justify-content: center;\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a href=\"\" class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button demo-secondary\" onclick=\"Calendly.initPopupWidget({url: 'https:\/\/calendly.com\/lisa-jco\/amlcc-demo?hide_gdpr_banner=1&#038;primary_color=ff4f5b'});return false;\">Book a demo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uagb-position__sticky wp-block-uagb-container uag-hide-tab uag-hide-mob uagb-block-353bcb12\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-45cdaeb7\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">We know AML<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-6-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3\">We\u2019re regulated professionals too. We know what you need to comply with the Regulations.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list uagb-block-b41f0db0\"><div class=\"uagb-icon-list__wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-333d0a11\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">We\u2019re internationally recognised AML experts<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-b485c460\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">We work with most accountancy supervisors and the Law Society<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child uagb-block-c0d2ec75\"><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__source-wrap\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M0 256C0 114.6 114.6 0 256 0C397.4 0 512 114.6 512 256C512 397.4 397.4 512 256 512C114.6 512 0 397.4 0 256zM371.8 211.8C382.7 200.9 382.7 183.1 371.8 172.2C360.9 161.3 343.1 161.3 332.2 172.2L224 280.4L179.8 236.2C168.9 225.3 151.1 225.3 140.2 236.2C129.3 247.1 129.3 264.9 140.2 275.8L204.2 339.8C215.1 350.7 232.9 350.7 243.8 339.8L371.8 211.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"uagb-icon-list__label\">Bespoke AML consultancy available for all sectors<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-btn__default-btn uagb-btn-tablet__default-btn uagb-btn-mobile__default-btn uagb-block-27986e97\"><div class=\"uagb-buttons__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons-child uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-block-5e096d1b wp-block-button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__wrapper\"><a class=\"uagb-buttons-repeater wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/consult\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__link\">Find out more<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container half-blue-desktop uagb-block-89ea4904 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-fdab8534\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-52a83ed5\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">What others have said<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider amlcc-testimonial-slider uagb-block-6c68dd50 uagb-slider-container\"><div class=\"uagb-slides uagb-swiper\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider-child uagb-slider-child-wrap swiper-slide uagb-block-b998a2d4\"><div class=\"swiper-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-04f3c45e\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-02c01de1\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-b215507c\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">&#8220;We had the man from the ICAEW here yesterday to carry out a QAD practice review. We got a clean bill of health \u2013 not a single action point\u2026That is in no small measure due to AMLCC so I just wanted to say \u2018thank you\u2019&#8221;<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-949a56df\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-495\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/4;object-fit:contain;width:auto;height:382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-1.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-1-203x300.jpg 203w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider-child uagb-slider-child-wrap swiper-slide uagb-block-cc23ebfe\"><div class=\"swiper-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-af8628f6\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-9e1b5830\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-bdd14157\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">&#8220;Thank you for such a perfect and informative [solution]. You have given me a clear direction for my AML training and CPD.&#8221;<br><\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-ef336e36\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-496\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/4;object-fit:contain;width:auto;height:382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-2.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-2-210x300.jpg 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider-child uagb-slider-child-wrap swiper-slide uagb-block-040a7367\"><div class=\"swiper-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-3b2e0080\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-64ce7dad\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-3d47ccc6\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">&#8220;I just wanted to say \u2018thank you\u2019 to you, Richard, and all the team at AMLCC for providing a service that really does minimise the burden of AML compliance.&#8221;<br><\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-e1d755c8\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-494\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/4;object-fit:contain;width:auto;height:382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-3.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-3-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider-child uagb-slider-child-wrap swiper-slide uagb-block-403770d4\"><div class=\"swiper-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-a0d5a66b\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-a9b0dbd5\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-302585b3\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">&#8220;What a refreshing pleasure working with a company who actually listens to the feedback from their customers and communicates with them!&#8221;<br><\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-64782dba\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-497\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/4;object-fit:contain;width:auto;height:382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-4.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-4-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-slider-child uagb-slider-child-wrap swiper-slide uagb-block-9b9b7e36\"><div class=\"swiper-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-3a9f75d3\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-aa8435c0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-afe45a8b\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">&#8220;Your team they have been excellent from the moment Fiona did a demo for me with only 15 minutes notice, and thoroughly going through the AMLCC product, answering the many questions I had! It was at this point at which I made up my mind this is the sort of business I want to work with for my AML.&#8221;<br><\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-8f4648c6\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-498\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/4;object-fit:contain;width:auto;height:382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-5.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/testimonial-5-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-bd594624\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-deefd48d\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Making compliance easier<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image aligncenter uagb-block-94cd8a56 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-center\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amlcc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-22-1.png\" alt=\"AMLCC newsroom\" class=\"uag-image-1454\" width=\"700\" height=\"450\" title=\"image-22-1\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-btn__default-btn uagb-btn-tablet__default-btn uagb-btn-mobile__default-btn uagb-block-d88e5ed5\"><div class=\"uagb-buttons__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap \">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-buttons-child uagb-buttons__outer-wrap uagb-block-762fbc5a wp-block-button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__wrapper\"><a class=\"uagb-buttons-repeater wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"\/press\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"uagb-button__link\">View more articles<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A beneficial owner is the individual who ultimately owns or controls a client, or the individual on whose behalf a transaction or activity is carried out. This concept sits at the heart of FATF&#8217;s international standards, and every country builds a version of it into domestic law. FATF is clear that regulated businesses must look [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is A Beneficial Owner? 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