The Beneficial Ownership
Data Standard

The Beneficial Ownership Data Standard is the world's leading open standard providing a specification for modelling and exchanging information on the beneficial ownership and control of companies, trusts and other types of entities and arrangements.

Visit standard.openownership.org to discover full documentation in English, French, Spanish and Russian.

Why use the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard?

Adequate, accurate and up-to-date data

With the Financial Action Task Force, OECD and other international bodies strengthening beneficial ownership rules, there is a growing need for high-quality, usable beneficial ownership data which is adequate, accurate and up-to-date

Global standard

The Beneficial Ownership Data Standard is an open standard which is free for anyone to use. It is designed to structure and connect information from any country on companies, trusts, nominee relationships and direct or indirect beneficial ownership networks

Growing adoption

Countries across the world are adopting the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard as part of ongoing reforms. The more countries there are collecting data in a standardised way, the easier the international exchange of beneficial ownership information will become

Open source tools

To help do more with the information, data produced in line with the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard can be visualised, reviewed, analysed, connected and converted into linked data formats using a range of open source tools related to the standard which are free to use

International endorsements of the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard

World Bank

"Standardized data formats, such as the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard (BODS), play a pivotal role in ensuring consistency and facilitating data exchange across different registers.”

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