From company register to standardized open data, our processes explained – Part 3: Development

This is the third in a series of data-focused blog posts explaining what goes on behind the scenes when we bring a new jurisdiction into OpenCorporates.

From company register to standardized open data, our processes explained – Part 2: Analysis

This is the second of our behind-the-scenes series of data-focused blog posts intended to help explain what happens when we introduce a new company jurisdiction to OpenCorporates. In the previous blog post we discussed how we find new sources of company data & choose the most appropriate one. In this, Part 2, we’re covering Analysis … Continue reading From company register to standardized open data, our processes explained – Part 2: Analysis →

From company register to standardized open data, our processes explained – Part 1: Scouting for data

OpenCorporates’ mission is to be able to list every company in the world, using only public sources to provide full transparency and provenance. In order to achieve this, the OpenCorporates Data team works constantly to expand its coverage of jurisdictions where companies can be registered (120 and counting so far!), whilst maintaining a rigorous set … Continue reading From company register to standardized open data, our processes explained – Part 1: Scouting for data →

How does open company data impact women’s rights?

That might sound like an absurd question. The benefits accrued from transparency, fighting corruption and money laundering, and enabling good business practise help everyone, right? Then why am I writing about women? At OpenCorporates and OpenOwnership, we’ve been thinking about the structures that enable corruption that the macro and micro level. Whether it is underlying … Continue reading How does open company data impact women’s rights? →

Modelling the UK Beneficial Ownership data

As we announced earlier this month, OpenCorporates is now pulling in Beneficial Ownership data from the UK's new PSC (Persons of Significant Control) register. This blog post is a somewhat wonkish explanation of how do we model that information (in layman's terms, how we understand the information and store as data), and in particular, how do that … Continue reading Modelling the UK Beneficial Ownership data →

OpenCorporates hits 90 million companies… plus news on data quality

Last week, OpenCorporates reached another minor milestone, as we hit 90 million companies. That's a long way from the 3 million companies we started with 4 years ago, and yet we're not finished yet. In fact, we've got several more jurisdictions (totalling several million more companies) going through our data quality checks at the moment, and … Continue reading OpenCorporates hits 90 million companies… plus news on data quality →

Understanding corporate networks. Part 4: how we record the data

In parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series, we explored the complex world of corporate control, and how it is described in various regulations. We found that a company may control other companies in many different ways, from majority and minority share holdings to contractual relationships. At OpenCorporates we believe corporate control data is the cornerstone of a … Continue reading Understanding corporate networks. Part 4: how we record the data →

Understanding corporate networks. Part 3: where’s the data?

What is a subsidiary? What do we mean by control? In Part 2 of this series on understanding corporate networks, I explored these questions and how they are answered by regulatory regimes around the world. It's one thing to define "control" in the regulations and accounting standards; however, without disclosure, we can't begin to map corporate … Continue reading Understanding corporate networks. Part 3: where’s the data? →

Understanding corporate networks. Part 2: Control without voting

In Part 1 of this series, I examined how companies can be controlled using the voting rights attached to shares. For example, this corporate network graph of Pearson New Zealand Limited is underpinned by a series of several underlying statements, most of which are about shares. You'll see that in addition to shareholdings, we list another type of … Continue reading Understanding corporate networks. Part 2: Control without voting →

Understanding corporate networks. Part 1: Control via equity

What is a corporate network? Is it the same as a corporate hierarchy, company tree, or a conglomerate? What do we really mean when we talk about 'Barclays', 'IBM' or 'BP'? As we've explained previously, a modern corporation (even a small one) is actually a complex network of related legal entities connected together in a … Continue reading Understanding corporate networks. Part 1: Control via equity →