The Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies and Industrial and Provident Societies (RBO) recently published its 2025 Annual Report
The main highlights from the report are:
- 330,284 live companies were required to file beneficial ownership information with the RBO at the end of 2025, an increase of 5% on 2024.
- 294,541 companies had registered their beneficial ownership information with the RBO, representing:
-
- an increase of 17,650 companies, or 6%, compared with 2024; and
- a company filing compliance rate of 89.18%.
-
- 895 live societies were required to file with the RBO.
-
- 695 societies had registered their beneficial ownership information.
- This represented a filing compliance rate of 77.65%.
-
- The RBO received 84,298 submissions during 2025:
-
- 72,314 submissions were registered;
- 11,984 submissions were rejected;
- the registration rate was 85.78%; and
- the rejection rate was 14.21%.
-
- The RBO issued 3,654 Rejection/GDPR letters to data subjects whose personal details were used in submissions that failed the PPSN validation checks. This was a decrease from 4,087 letters in 2024.
- A total of 359,854 individual beneficial ownership or control types were recorded for the 294,541 entities registered with the RBO. The breakdown was:
-
- 263,681 shareholding interests;
- 7,810 voting-rights interests;
- 26,378 ownership interests;
- 10,261 instances of control through other means; and
- 51,724 Senior Managing Officials.
-
- Some beneficial owners may be recorded under more than one category. There was an average of 1.22 beneficial ownership or control types registered per entity.
- The RBO received and replied to 24,215 emails during 2025, an increase of 13% from 21,430 in 2024.
- The RBO issued 4,032 pre-deadline reminders to entities to file their beneficial ownership information.
-
- Following the reminders, 2,404 entities subsequently filed.
- The RBO reported an overall compliance rate of 83% among newly incorporated or registered entities.
-
- Discrepancy Notices:
-
- 2,592 DN2 Discrepancy Notices were received from designated persons, an increase of 14% compared with 2024.
- 2,310 notices were resolved during the year.
- 282 notices remained outstanding at the end of 2025.
- No DN1 Discrepancy Notices were received from competent authorities during 2025.
-
- Non-Compliance Notices:
-
- 515 Non-Compliance Notices were received, an increase of 110% compared with 2024.
- 469 notices were resolved during the year.
- 46 notices remained outstanding at the end of 2025.
-
- A total of 165,295 searches of the RBO were carried out during 2025:
-
- 480 Tier One or unrestricted searches; and
- 164,815 Tier Two or restricted searches.
-
- Revenue generated from Tier Two searches and designated-person account top-ups amounted to €429,489.21, an increase of 4% compared with 2024.
- 347 Designated Person accounts and 1,097 associated Sub-User accounts were established during 2025.
- Seven applications for access to RBO information on the basis of a legitimate interest were received during 2025. None was approved, as the applicants did not satisfy the required criteria.
- Enforcement and Prosecutions:
-
- The RBO issued 578 enforcement letters during 2025.
- Automatic first enforcement emails were introduced for entities that had not filed within two months of their filing deadline.
- The RBO brought 31 prosecutions for failure to file beneficial ownership information before the Dublin Metropolitan District Court.
- 11 entities were convicted.
- The Probation Act 1907 was applied in respect of 20 entities that pleaded guilty.
-
- As part of its phased enforcement strategy, the RBO intends to begin referring non-compliant companies to the CRO during 2026 with a view to those companies being struck off the Register of Companies.
NB: The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.
Share this on...