TI’s BO Transparency report warns that despite initial reforms, MENA countries still struggle with opaque ownership, weak enforcement, and structures that fuel corruption and illicit finance

The report shows that while a majority of MENA jurisdictions now have legal definitions of “beneficial owner” and obligations for private-sector intermediaries to report BO data, enforcement remains uneven — with weak verification mechanisms, inconsistent record-keeping, and rare public access undermining the reforms’ effectiveness. It concludes that to translate legal frameworks into real-world transparency, countries must strengthen verification and maintenance of BO registries, ensure timely and reliable data collection…