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Finland Takes a Step Towards Transparency: Beneficial Ownership Details Now Available

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Finland has taken a significant step towards increasing transparency by making beneficial ownership details of companies registered in the Trade Register available. This move aims to prevent financial crimes and enhance cooperation among member states, as required by the EU’s 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive.

A New Level of Transparency

The Patent and Registration Office (PRH) has introduced a register extract system that provides comprehensive details on beneficial owners. This new system offers a more in-depth understanding of company ownership structures and supports Finland’s efforts to enhance transparency.

Access to Beneficial Ownership Details

Individuals can obtain an extract on beneficial owners through two methods:

• As a standalone document
• Through the Virre Information Service

The details contained in these extracts include:

• The identity and contact information of the beneficial owners (in Finnish or Swedish, depending on the language used by the company)
• A search functionality to determine whether a company has been registered

Confidentiality Requirements

While the actual details of beneficial ownership are not publicly available for all to see, this system allows for a level of transparency while respecting confidentiality requirements.

Obtaining an Extract: Fees and Instructions

Please note that obtaining an extract on beneficial owners comes with a fee. However, the PRH provides clear instructions and pricing information for both individual document orders and contracts with the Virre Information Service.

Pricing Information

For those interested in accessing these details, please refer to the PRH’s website for up-to-date pricing information and instructions on how to obtain an extract on beneficial owners.