Training & Events

Het Belgische register van Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) - Stand van zaken en de rol van waakhonde

Date : 18/10/2022

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The Belgian Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) register 

18 October 2022 - Tervurenlaan, 2, Brussels, Loyens & Loeff offices

Transparency International Belgium partners with Loyens & Loeff for the Belgian national event of the EU project Civil Society Advancing Beneficial Ownership Transparency (CSABOT), part of a series of national events related to the project. The event aims at discussing the complementarity of the current legal framework and of the role of media and other watchdogs in monitoring UBOs. 

CSABOT is a project that implements the Preparatory Action – Capacity Building Programmatic Development and Communication in the Context of the Fight against Money Laundering and Financial Crimes. This project is performed by Transparency International Secretariat (TI-S), together with Tax Justice Network (TJN), Transcrime – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Transcrime – UCSC) and the Government Transparency Institute (GTI), under a contract with the European Union represented by the European Commission. The opinions expressed are those of the contractors only and do not present an official view of the European Commission.

In Belgium, the quality and accuracy of the Beneficial Owners data remains an important issue. Financial intermediaries are considered by the Belgian legislator as the primary watchdog of the data accuracy. Entities subject to Anti-Money Laundering obligations cannot rely entirely on the information found in the UBO register and would need to cross-check the information with other screening tools and information requests.  

Considering the challenges faced by financial institutions, civil society and the media can also contribute to complement the legislative arsenal and play a watchdog role. The media have demonstrated that they can play an important role in tracking assets hidden abroad, as reflected by the recent “Dubai Papers” case, which is still under criminal investigation, or the Pandora papers.  Civil society organisations also have a central role to play have in advocating for policy reforms and promoting greater Beneficial Owners transparency at the national level.  

For more information:

Download our briefing note on the Belgian context of the CSABOT EU project

Or contact Piotr Pogorzelski 

E: piotr.pogorzelski@transparencybelgium.be / M: + 32.499.78.50.83

The below agenda is provisional and could still be subject to updates and modifications.