Explainers · 29 October 2026
Understanding beneficial ownership registers
Who really owns a company? What a beneficial-owner entry shows, and what it cannot show.
Shareholders and beneficial owners are not the same thing. A shareholder can be another company; a beneficial owner is always a natural person who ultimately owns or controls the business.
What the entry shows
The name of the person, the basis of control (shares, votes or other means) and an approximate share.
What it cannot show
Informal arrangements, nominee agreements that were not disclosed, and changes that were not reported yet.
On VERIDEX, section 4 of every profile lists the shareholders, the beneficial owners and the group structure side by side, so differences are easy to spot.