Guides

Learn to read a structure.

Start with the walkthrough on a real group, then the legend for the vocabulary, then your firm's guide.

Interactive walkthrough · 5 minutes

A guided tour of a live group: from the target to the Duke of Westminster.

Seven individual beneficial owners, a corporate parent, fifteen holdings and a filed shareholder register, with the real tree beside you at every step.

Start

Reading the tree

PSC (Person with Significant Control)

Companies House's term for anyone who owns 25% or more of a company's shares or votes, or can appoint or remove its directors. Every UK company must declare its PSCs on the public register.

UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner)

The real, individual person at the top of a chain, once every corporate PSC in between has been unwrapped. Corporate PSCs are intermediate steps; the chain keeps climbing until it reaches a person, a listed or exempt entity, or an overseas parent.

Ownership chain

The tier(s) above the target: each card is a person or company with significant control over the one below it, up to the ultimate beneficial owner.

Control band

The pill on each link. The PSC regime records control in bands (25–50%, 50–75%, 75–100%) for shares and for voting rights separately. An exact figure appears when the shareholder register is available.

Nature of control

Ownership of shares, voting rights, the right to appoint or remove directors, or significant influence, each notified to Companies House with a date.

Holdings

The companies beneath the target, where the target is itself a PSC. Nested holdings are shown to full depth.

Shareholder register

Every holder from the latest confirmation statement, by share class. Shows holders under 25%, which the PSC register never does.