Beneficial Owner (UBO)
The natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company, even through layers of intermediaries.
A Beneficial Owner (or Ultimate Beneficial Owner, UBO) is the natural person who ultimately owns or exercises control over a company. Under Singapore's Companies Act, all companies must maintain a Register of Registrable Controllers - tracking individuals who hold 25%+ of shares or voting rights, or who otherwise have significant control. ACRA requires the register to be kept up to date and made available to law enforcement on request. The threshold and disclosure rules align with FATF and OECD standards on beneficial ownership transparency.
A Pte Ltd held 100% by a BVI company, which is in turn held 100% by an individual, must register the individual as the ultimate beneficial controller - not the BVI entity.