Innovating for change: Tackling corruption with a new Task Force on Interoperable Beneficial Ownership Data
Open Ownership, in partnership with the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC) and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Risk Intelligence, is launching a Task Force on Interoperable Beneficial Ownership Data. This initiative seeks to advance technology and data governance innovations to combat transnational corruption. Below, we outline the rationale for this approach and the Task Force's upcoming work.
Opaque company ownership structures are involved in seventy percent of major corruption cases in recent decades, often using complex transnational structures. These entities enable illicit financial flows (IFFs), diverting public resources needed for critical services like education and healthcare. Women, children, and underserved communities are disproportionately harmed by these losses.
Accurate and accessible beneficial ownership (BO) data is essential to reducing corruption and enabling accountability. Despite progress – such as over 90 jurisdictions establishing live BO registries – challenges persist. Many companies fail to comply with disclosure requirements, and data often lacks the structure or accuracy needed to track illicit activities across borders. Having accessible and standardised data allows it to be interoperable and compared with other datasets to follow the money across borders.
The Opportunity
Standardised, interoperable BO data can empower anti-corruption efforts by reducing costs, exposing illicit financial networks, recovering stolen assets, and promoting transparency and good governance. The private sector, particularly technology firms, has the tools and expertise to accelerate these solutions. Connecting data transnationally is core to their business models, and companies such as the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Risk Intelligence have invested heavily in driving innovative and market-leading solutions.
However, international policymakers and data standard-setters have yet to fully leverage this expertise. Bridging this gap is critical to achieving scalable, transnational data-sharing that effectively counters corruption. In order to catalyse change, Open Ownership is partnering with the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC) and LSEG Risk Intelligence to drive innovations in technology and data governance solutions to unlock the power of BO data for fighting transnational corruption.
The Task Force
The Task Force on Interoperable Beneficial Ownership Data, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Countering Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge for Development, brings together private sector leaders, international organisations, and law enforcement. Its mission is to identify and develop innovative policy and technology solutions to connect BO data with other datasets domestically and across borders, enabling anti-corruption actors to act faster and more effectively.
Building on existing recommendations and tech innovations, over the next 18 months, the Task Force will address key challenges in BO data governance and explore innovations to maximise its impact. The Task Force will prioritise innovations that have the potential to benefit lower-income economies most affected by corruption.
Why It Matters
Corruption undermines trust, stability, and economic progress worldwide. If we want to change things, we need to do things differently. By enabling accessible and standardised BO data, we can combat corruption’s root causes and create a fairer, more transparent global economy. This initiative reflects USAID’s commitment to fostering inclusive development and empowering local communities to lead the fight against corruption.
The time is right to innovate new technology and data solutions to make transnational data sharing happen in practice, at speed and at scale. And collaboration is essential to success. Together with partners like LSEG Risk Intelligence and the GCFFC, and with leading tech companies, international organisations and governments across the world, we aim to drive systemic change that benefits individuals and societies globally, by innovating in both technologies and data governance to make data interoperable.
Get Involved
More information on the Task Force and opportunities for collaboration will be available in early 2025. In the meantime, questions can be directed to our Senior Advocacy Manager Agustina De Luca at [email protected].