The Government of Anguilla’s Ministry of Finance and Health issued a consultation note on proposed amendments to the Commercial Registry and Beneficial Ownership Registration System Act, 2022 and related Regulations to introduce “legitimate interest” access to beneficial ownership information, while tightening public-access provisions and shifting key determinations from the Registrar of Companies to the Anguilla Financial Services Commission. The note explains that, because relevant provisions have not been commenced and the Regulations do not currently specify government inspection circumstances, access is presently limited to the Competent Authority. Under the proposed framework, legitimate interest would generally be limited to journalists, bona fide academic researchers, persons acting for civil society organisations focused on combating money laundering or terrorist financing, and persons seeking the information for a potential or actual business relationship or transaction, in each case subject to evidencing that access is needed for anti-money laundering or counter-terrorist financing purposes. The proposals would remove the unused pathway for general public access, route legitimate-interest determinations to the Commission (rather than inspection applications to the Registrar), and delete provisions that could allow notifying companies or disclosing requester identities. Further changes cover suppression of disclosure, including moving decisions to the Commission, extending protection to serious-risk harms affecting household members, specifying potential referral bodies for risk assessment (including the FIU and law enforcement), preventing disclosure while a suppression application is pending, expanding revocation grounds (including certain convictions and exposure to UK sanctions extended to Anguilla), requiring reasons for revocation, and clarifying that appeals do not automatically stay decisions. The consultation also proposes requiring a “contact person” (the senior managing official) to be registered where a company has no registrable persons. Comments are requested from the financial services industry and other stakeholders by close of business on 19 September 2025.
Anguilla Financial Services Commission 2025-08-28
Government of Anguilla consults on legitimate-interest access to the beneficial ownership register and expanded decision-making powers for the Anguilla Financial Services Commission
The Government of Anguilla’s Ministry of Finance and Health is consulting on amending the Commercial Registry and Beneficial Ownership Registration System Act, 2022, to introduce "legitimate interest" access to beneficial ownership information. Access is limited to journalists, academic researchers, and civil society organizations for anti-money laundering or counter-terrorist financing purposes, with key determinations shifted to the Anguilla Financial Services Commission. Additional changes include removing public access pathways, enhancing disclosure suppression, and requiring a "contact person" registration for companies without registrable persons.