Who is a beneficial owner?
Unicount avatar
Written by Unicount
Updated over a week ago

Estonian Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act says that a beneficial owner is a natural person who, taking advantage of their influence, makes a transaction, act, action, operation or step or otherwise exercises control over a transaction, act, action, operation or step or over another person and in whose interests or favor or on whose account a transaction or act, action, operation or step is made.

In the case of companies, a beneficial owner is a natural person who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity through direct or indirect ownership of a sufficient percentage of the shares or voting rights or ownership interest in that person, including through bearer shareholdings, or through control via other means.

Pursuant to law direct ownership is a manner of exercising control whereby a natural person holds a shareholding of 25 percent plus one share or ownership interest of more than 25 percent in a company; indirect ownership is a manner of exercising control whereby a company that is under the control of a natural person holds or multiple companies that are under the control of the same natural person hold a shareholding of 25 percent plus one share or ownership interest of more than 25 percent in a company. Read more here.

Did this answer your question?