Identifying the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) is one of the most important and most challenging parts of client due diligence. This training gives participants practical tools to look through layered corporate structures, foundations, trusts and nominee arrangements to find the natural persons who ultimately own or control a client. Using realistic case examples, participants will learn how to map ownership chains, which documents to request, and how to record their findings in a way that will hold up under supervisory review.

Level

Intermediate

Topics Covered

• UBO Fundamentals – Definitions, thresholds, and ownership versus control
• Mapping Ownership Structures – Tracing ownership step by step through multiple layers of legal entities
• Foundations, Trusts & Private Foundations (SPF) – Identifying founders, beneficiaries, board members and other controlling persons
• Nominees & Indirect Control – Recognising nominee shareholders and directors, and control exercised by other means
• Documentation & Verification – Which documents to request (registry extracts, shareholder registers, structure charts, deeds) and how to verify them
• Red Flags in Complex Structures – Unclear rationale, offshore layers, frequent changes and other warning signs
• Recording Your Findings – Building a UBO file that is clear, complete and audit-proof

Who Should Attend

MLCOs, compliance officers, file handlers, notaries, lawyers, trust service providers, real estate professionals and anyone who onboards corporate or structured clients.

What You’ll Gain

• A step-by-step method to identify UBOs in layered structures
• A clear understanding of the documentation needed to verify ownership and control
• The ability to build UBO files that withstand supervisory review