Mapping the Global Geography of Shell Companies

The views expressed in this note are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. [...] The importance of a data-driven approach to compiling such lists is illustrated by the fact that we identify Delaware as one of the jurisdictions with the highest shell companyprevalence,while this jurisdiction is not included in anyof the tax haven listswe consider. [...] The name and address of the director of the firm do not have to be listed in the incorporation form. [...] Instead, the name and address of a registered agent (which may be a company) have to be filed.6 The registered agent is the point of contact for all legal correspondence of the firm and is the only person/entity knowing the identity of the ultimate benefi- cial owner of the entity. [...] In particular, Cyprus is known for its ”Golden Passport” regime, which allowed any individual investing at least €2 million into the country and passing a lax background check, to acquire the Cypriot nationality.13 The €2million in- vestmentwouldoftenbemade in the formofacquiring real estateon the island throughashell company, to obscure the identity of the ultimate owner.