The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's final regulations implementing the Corporate Transparency Act took effect on January 1, 2024. These regulations have far-reaching implications for various entities, including foreign pooled investment vehicles. The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was enacted into federal law in the United States in January 2021, establishing uniform beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements. This act aims to prevent money laundering, fraud, and other illicit activities conducted through previously anonymous entities.
The CTA will require thousands of privately held US and non-US entities to report beneficial ownership to the US Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). A beneficial ownership information report supplies personal identifiable information about individuals who own or control a business, whether directly or indirectly. The LLCTA will come into effect beginning December 21, 2024 and will impose certain beneficial ownership reporting obligations similar to those imposed by the CTA.
Investment funds must report beneficial ownership information to FinCEN, but the ruling raises many questions about compliance, privacy, and what information must be disclosed. The new regulations will have a significant impact on foreign pooled investment vehicles, as they will now be required to provide detailed information about their ownership structure and beneficiaries.