What is GlobalDoc Verify?

GlobalDoc Verify supports secure identity and document checks across 32 pages, helping organizations confirm records with biometric and expert review tools.

What happens when a company has multiple shareholders?

Each shareholder's stake is mapped and assessed against the applicable ownership or control threshold. All natural persons meeting the threshold are identified and verified, with the full shareholding chain documented.

What if another company owns the business?

Ownership is traced through the parent company and any further holding layers. Each corporate layer's records are checked until natural persons are identified or the chain is documented as unverifiable from available records.

Why are complex ownership structures reviewed more carefully?

Layered structures can obscure who ultimately benefits from or controls an entity. Careful review establishes whether the structure serves a legitimate purpose and ensures screening covers the actual people behind the business.

Ownership Verification

Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) Verification

Identifying the natural persons who ultimately own or control a company — through shareholding analysis, control mapping and verification of corporate records across single and multi-layer structures.

What is a UBO?

UBO stands for Ultimate Beneficial Owner — the natural person or persons who ultimately own or control a company or other legal entity. Where a company is owned by other companies, the UBO is found by tracing ownership through each layer until the individuals at the top are identified.

Why UBO Identification Matters

Corporate entities can be used to conceal who genuinely benefits from a business or a transaction. Identifying UBOs is therefore a core requirement of KYC, CDD and AML frameworks globally, and is central to sanctions and PEP screening: screening only the front entity without screening its UBOs leaves a significant gap.

Complex Ownership Structures

We analyse share registers, statutory records and corporate filings to map ownership and control. For complex structures — trusts, nominees, multi-jurisdictional layers — we document each step of the chain and clearly flag where ownership could not be fully established from available records.

What We Verify / Review

Shareholding percentages and thresholds
Direct and indirect ownership layers
Control through voting rights or agreements
Registered directors and officers
Parent companies and holding structures
Trusts and nominees where disclosed

How the Process Works

1Obtain the entity's statutory and shareholding records
2Map the ownership structure layer by layer
3Identify natural persons meeting ownership or control thresholds
4Verify the identity documents of identified UBOs
5Screen identified UBOs where applicable
6Deliver a UBO report with the ownership chain documented

Who May Need This Service

Banks and accountable institutions onboarding corporate clients
Corporate compliance and vendor-management teams
M&A and investment professionals
Estate agencies handling corporate buyers
Regulated businesses with corporate customers

Documents & Information That May Be Required

Requirements may vary depending on the institution, jurisdiction, customer risk profile and nature of the transaction.

Company registration and statutory records
Share registers and certificates
Shareholder agreements
Trust deeds and nominee arrangements
Identity documents of identified UBOs
Group structure charts where available

Service Overview

Shareholding analysis
Ownership structure mapping
Control and influence assessment
Director and signatory verification
Multi-layer (parent company) tracing
Clear UBO documentation

Request Verification Submit a Document

GlobalDoc Verify provides document verification, identity verification, screening and compliance-support services. Our services are designed to assist organisations with verification and risk-management processes and do not constitute legal, financial or regulatory advice unless expressly stated. Regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction, institution, customer risk profile and transaction type. Completion of a verification process does not guarantee account opening, transaction approval, regulatory approval or acceptance by a bank, financial institution or other third party.

Related Services

Customer Due Diligence (CDD)Corporate Verification Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)KYC Verification PEP Screening

UBO Verification — Frequently Asked Questions

A UBO — Ultimate Beneficial Owner — is the natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company or other legal entity. When a business is owned by other businesses, ownership must be traced through each layer until the individuals at the top are identified.

More answers in the KYC, AML & Document Verification FAQ hub, or browse the compliance glossary.

Verification Built for a Global World

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