Bermuda moves its beneficial ownership register to the Registrar of Companies under a new Act
Bermuda's Beneficial Ownership Act 2025 received assent on 29 September 2025 and was expected to come into force on 3 November 2025. It takes the beneficial ownership rules out of the Companies Act 1981 and moves the central register from the Bermuda Monetary Authority to the Registrar of Companies. Access remains limited to competent authorities and regulated firms doing due diligence.
The Beneficial Ownership Act 2025 received the Governor's assent on 29 September 2025. The Registrar of Companies set out the next steps on 7 October 2025.
What changed
- Beneficial ownership requirements previously in Part VIA of the Companies Act 1981 are consolidated in a separate Act.
- The central register moves from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) to the Registrar of Companies, on 3 November 2025, when the Act came into force. The BMA stopped taking applications at 5pm on 28 October 2025.
- The Registrar can disclose register information to specified competent authorities and to obliged entities for customer due diligence. The register is not public.
- The Registrar issued guidance notes and ran webinars on registering and managing beneficial ownership.
Who is affected
Bermuda companies and other entities, and the corporate service providers who file their beneficial ownership information.
Later developments
The Registrar later set, then deferred, the start of enforcement, and the Act was amended in September 2026. See our coverage.
Sources
- Harneys: Bermuda's Beneficial Ownership Act 2025, a legal summary
- Walkers: Bermuda updates to the beneficial ownership reporting regime (28 September 2026)
- Government of Bermuda: Implementation of the Beneficial Ownership Act 2025, next steps (7 October 2025)
- Government of Bermuda: Tabling of the Beneficial Ownership Bill 2025
- Government of Bermuda: Registrar of Companies