British Overseas Territories: Companies
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on ensuring publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership in all overseas territories.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, all Overseas Territories committed to implementing registers with the maximum possible degree of access and transparency. The Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to join Montserrat and Gibraltar in implementing fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks & Caicos Islands agreed to implement registers of beneficial ownership, accessible to those with a legitimate interest, by June 2025.
UK Officials are working proactively with Overseas Territories officials to ensure their proposals meet the agreements made at the JMC. I have and will continue to raise this directly with elected leaders, including in my meeting with Premier Wheatley of BVI, in his own capacity, and as President of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) last week.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →