The United Kingdom’s Anti-Corruption Champion, Baroness Margaret Hodge, is arriving in the British Virgin Islands on Sept. 22 to assess progress on commitments to implement public beneficial ownership registers.
Hodge is scheduled to meet with government officials and representatives of the financial and legal sectors on Sept. 23 and 24. She will submit her findings to Stephen Doughty, the U.K. minister of state for the Overseas Territories, who will decide on next steps in Britain’s oversight.
“The UK is committed to transparency and the international fight against illicit finance,” Hodge said ahead of the meetings. “Public beneficial ownership registers are an essential tool that help us all follow the money so that we can expose corruption and money laundering.”
The Virgin Islands joined other U.K. Overseas Territories in November 2024 in pledging to establish registers with “legitimate interest access” by June 2025. While the commitment has been made, concerns remain about the pace of progress toward meeting the U.K.’s minimum requirements.
During her visit, Hodge will evaluate both the progress achieved and the challenges faced in creating transparent registers. She will then make recommendations to Doughty, who oversees U.K. engagement with the Virgin Islands on governance and financial transparency.
