The joint BO seminar / EOIR training aimed to prepare the future assessors and the future assessed jurisdictions for the upcoming EOIR peer reviews under the second round of Reviews. This training was designed to simulate the steps of a real evaluation, combining theory, group participation, and expert discussions with a particular focus on beneficial ownership. The BO part of the training focused on aspects of beneficial owners as relevant to the Global Forum’s reviews, including:

• Exploring the concept of beneficial ownership, in particular as it relates to the 2016 Terms of Reference (TOR);
• Discussing the policy, legal, regulatory and institutional requirements of ensuring the availability of beneficial ownership information;
• Understanding the interplay between anti-money laundering (AML) and tax requirements relating to beneficial ownership information; and
• Explain other beneficial ownership initiatives and describe some of the approaches taken to ensuring the availability of beneficial ownership information in Asia and the Pacific.

The EOIR part of the training focused on the other aspects of the 2016 TOR and Methodology, including on access powers, exchange of information practice, assessment criteria, and the various stages of the review. This portion of the training also used hands-on exercises, such as a mock onsite visit and practice drafting portions of the report.

This seminar was co-organized by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).