Last updated: 27 October 2026 · Reviewed against each vendor’s own product and pricing pages (checked 27 October 2026), FinCEN’s March 2025 interim final rule, Companies House identity-verification guidance, FCA final-notice press releases, the CJEU WM and Sovim judgment and the European Commission’s AML package pages

Every UBO data provider says its data comes from official sources. Very few will show you which register, on which date, at what price.

This guide compares nine UBO data providers side by side. We looked at where the data actually comes from, how many countries each provider claims to cover, whether it offers an API, and what it costs when the vendor publishes a price.

Whether you run compliance at a bank, manage KYB at a fintech, or handle risk for a multinational, the question is the same: who really owns this company, and can I prove it to a regulator?

Why UBO Data Quality Matters for Compliance Teams

Regulators are not waiting for proof of money laundering anymore. They fine institutions for weak systems. In October 2024 the FCA fined Starling Bank £29m for failings in its financial crime systems and controls. In July 2025 it fined Monzo £21m for failings in financial crime controls. Not for laundering money. For having controls too weak to catch it.

The difference between good and bad UBO data comes down to one thing: where did it come from?

Data pulled directly from a government registry is auditable. It holds up in front of a regulator. Data scraped from the web or assembled from third-party feeds can be outdated or wrong, and when a regulator asks for proof, you have nothing solid to show.

The real question for 2026: can your provider prove where every record came from?

How We Evaluated UBO Data Providers

We scored each provider on five things:

• Data Provenance — Does the provider pull data from official government registries? Or does it scrape the web and aggregate third-party feeds?
• Global Coverage — How many jurisdictions? More importantly, does it cover offshore and high-risk regions where ownership is hardest to trace?
• API Access — Is the data available through a modern REST API with structured outputs? Or do you have to log into a portal and search manually?
• Threshold Customization — Can you set custom UBO thresholds (10%, 25%, etc.) to match different jurisdictions?
• Pricing Transparency — Can you see the price before talking to a salesperson?

Top UBO Data Providers in 2026

1. Zavia.ai

Description

Zavia.ai does one thing: UBO discovery.

The platform connects to government ownership registries in 173 countries and traces ownership chains, including parent companies, subsidiaries and offshore layers. Most providers treat ownership as a side feature. Zavia makes it the entire product.

Key Features

• Registry-sourced company data, directors and officers, shareholders and group structure on every plan
• Coverage across 173 countries
• REST API access on every plan
• Ownership-change monitoring on the Corporate and Enterprise plans
• Bulk data exports from the Corporate plan, white-label option on Enterprise

Limitations

• Focused on UBO discovery, not a general sales intelligence tool
• Monitoring is not included on the Starter and Growth plans
• Newer platform compared to legacy providers

Pricing

Published on the pricing page, billed monthly, 15% off on annual billing:

Starter: $99/mo — 200 checks per month.

Growth: $199/mo — 600 checks per month.

Corporate: $499/mo — 3,000 checks per month, adds monitoring and bulk exports.

Enterprise: $999/mo — 10,000 checks per month, adds a white-label option.

Free trial with a limited number of checks. No credit card required.

FAQ

1. Does Zavia.ai pull data directly from government registries?
   Yes. Company and ownership data comes from official government registries in 173 countries, with source attribution and timestamps for audit trails.
2. What does a check include?
   One check traces one company’s ownership structure: registry data, directors and officers, shareholders and group structure.
3. Does Zavia.ai monitor ownership changes?
   Yes, on the Corporate ($499/mo) and Enterprise ($999/mo) plans.
4. What industries does Zavia.ai serve?
   Financial institutions, legal teams, compliance departments, corporate governance, and M&A/investment teams.
5. Is there a free trial?
   Yes. A free trial with limited checks, no credit card. Paid plans start at $99/month.

2. Global Database

Description

Global Database is a full-stack B2B company-data platform. It covers compliance, credit risk and sales intelligence in one place.

Its data page describes 400+ registries, 200+ countries and 600M+ companies, with data that is “primary, government-sourced” and attributed record by record. UBO identification is one of many capabilities, alongside filed financials, sanctions and PEP screening, and CRM integrations.

Key Features

• 400+ government registries, 200+ countries, 600M+ company profiles (Global Database figures)
• UBO and ownership graph that traces owners layer by layer to the natural person, at 25%, 10% or any threshold you set
• Corporate linkage to the global ultimate parent across group structures
• Filed financial statements, with up to 20+ years of history where the register holds it
• PEP and sanctions screening
• REST API, bulk data feed, MCP server for AI agents, and Salesforce, HubSpot and Dynamics connectors
• Redistribution licensing with worldwide territory and a perpetual licence on delivered records

Limitations

• Broad platform — teams focused only on UBO may find it wider than needed
• No published price list; KYB, API and licensing volumes are quoted

Pricing

Not published. Free trial available; API, KYB and data-licensing pricing on request.

FAQ

1. How many companies does Global Database cover?
   600M+ companies in 200+ countries from 400+ registries, by Global Database’s own figures.
2. Does Global Database offer UBO identification?
   Yes. Its ownership graph resolves chains to the natural person at the threshold your policy sets, with direct and indirect stakes calculated separately.
3. Can I resell the data?
   Yes, under a redistribution licence: worldwide territory, with your users able to view, export and retain the records you surface.
4. Does it integrate with CRMs?
   Yes. Native connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot and Microsoft Dynamics, plus a browser extension.
5. What is Global Database best for?
   Teams that want compliance, UBO discovery, financial data, credit risk and sales intelligence in a single platform.

3. Zephira.ai

Description

Zephira.ai is built for developers. It is an API-first company-data platform: its coverage page lists 640 million companies across 220 countries and territories (September 2026 snapshot).

If your team builds onboarding flows, KYB automation, or data enrichment pipelines, Zephira is designed to plug directly into your stack.

Key Features

• API access to company data in 220 countries and territories
• Tax ID validation (VAT, EIN, CNPJ, and more)
• Ownership and shareholder data with parent-subsidiary mapping
• AI normalization across jurisdictions (industry codes, legal forms, statuses)
• Monitoring and resale rights from the Business plan up

Limitations

• Data provider only — no workflow automation or decisioning engine
• No individual identity verification (company-level data only)
• Requires integration work as an API-first platform

Pricing

Published on zephira.ai/price: Starter $99/month (200 checks), Pro $199 (600), Business $499 (3,000), Scale $999 (10,000), Enterprise custom.

FAQ

1. Is Zephira.ai built for developers?
   Yes. API-first with structured JSON outputs, built for direct integration into KYB and onboarding systems.
2. Does Zephira.ai validate tax IDs?
   Yes. VAT, EIN, CNPJ, and other country-specific identifiers.
3. How does Zephira.ai differ from Global Database?
   Zephira focuses on API delivery for developers. Global Database is a broader platform with sales intelligence, CRM tools and financial reporting.
4. Can I embed Zephira data into my own product?
   Resale rights start on the Business plan.
5. Does Zephira.ai provide UBO data?
   Yes. Ownership and shareholder data with parent-subsidiary mapping. For a product built only around UBO tracing, Zavia.ai is the dedicated tool.

4. Moody’s Orbis (Bureau van Dijk)

Description

Orbis is one of the biggest corporate databases in the world. Owned by Moody’s, it is the default for large banks, auditors and regulators who need deep ownership trees and standardized financials.

Moody’s describes Orbis as covering more than 600 million companies, with data from more than 170 providers plus hundreds of its own sources, and over 2 billion ownership links. That mix is the catch: Orbis is an aggregation, not a single registry pull.

Key Features

• 600M+ companies, 2B+ ownership links (Moody’s figures)
• Standardized financials across countries and accounting standards
• Registry access and original documents through Moody’s Entity Verification API, which Moody’s says reaches 200+ countries and jurisdictions
• Sanctions and PEP screening through Moody’s KYC suite
• Decades of archived company data

Limitations

• No published pricing; enterprise contracts
• Complex licensing that restricts redistribution
• Data quality varies by jurisdiction because records arrive from many providers
• Onboarding can be slow for smaller teams

Pricing

Not published. Enterprise contracts; contact Moody’s for a quote.

FAQ

1. How much does Orbis cost?
   Moody’s does not publish Orbis pricing. Contracts are quoted on scope and users.
2. Does Orbis connect directly to government registries?
   Partially. Moody’s describes a mix of 170+ data providers and its own sources; direct registry retrieval is sold separately through its Entity Verification API.
3. Is Orbis suitable for small teams?
   Not really. Pricing, contracts, and implementation are designed for large institutions.
4. What is Orbis best for?
   Large banks, auditors, and regulators that need deep ownership data and standardized financials at enterprise scale.

5. Kyckr

Description

Kyckr is a registry-first KYB platform, founded in Waterford, Ireland in 2007 as Global Business Register and acquired by the Australian investment firm Realwise in 2022. It connects to 300+ registers covering 200 million companies in 100+ countries, by its own count. One differentiator: it delivers original registry documents alongside structured data.

Key Features

• 300+ registers, 200M companies, 100+ countries (Kyckr figures)
• 3,000+ original registry document types alongside structured data
• Ownership Discovery (UBO Verify), which Kyckr’s developer docs say works across 100 countries with a threshold you set from 1% to 100%
• Event-driven monitoring notifications through the API
• API integration for compliance platforms

Limitations

• UBO results depend on whether each register publishes shareholder data; Kyckr’s own FAQ says coverage varies by jurisdiction
• No built-in AML screening (Kyckr points to partners)
• Limited financial data
• Pricing not published

Pricing

Usage-based: Kyckr advertises “pay per call, no usage minimums” but publishes no price per call. Contact Kyckr for a quote.

FAQ

1. Does Kyckr provide original registry documents?
   Yes. Both machine-readable data and original documents for audit trails.
2. Is Kyckr good for KYB automation?
   Yes. Its API is commonly integrated into onboarding and lifecycle management platforms.
3. How many countries does Kyckr cover?
   100+ countries through 300+ registers, covering 200 million companies, by Kyckr’s own figures.
4. Does Kyckr offer UBO identification?
   Yes, through Ownership Discovery (UBO Verify), where the underlying register publishes shareholders.
5. How does Kyckr compare to Zavia.ai for UBO?
   Kyckr is a registry-retrieval platform with UBO unwrapping on top. Zavia.ai is built only for UBO discovery and publishes its prices. Our Kyckr alternatives guide goes deeper.

6. Sayari

Description

Sayari is a risk intelligence platform built for investigations. It combines corporate data, trade records and sanctions lists with graph analytics to uncover hidden connections between entities.

Its platform page describes a “Commercial World Model” of 12B+ records, 550M+ companies and 650M+ individuals across 250+ jurisdictions. In-Q-Tel, the US intelligence community’s investment arm, is a named investor; TPG took a majority stake in January 2024.

Key Features

• Graph analytics across 550M+ companies and 650M+ individuals
• 250+ jurisdictions including hard-to-reach regions
• Embedded watchlists and trade data
• Supply chain mapping, now a premium add-on inside Sayari Graph (formerly the separate Map product)
• REST API with change monitoring, plus bulk data delivery

Limitations

• Pricing not published
• Investigation tool, not an automated KYB platform
• A resolved research graph rather than a live retrieval from each register
• Requires onboarding and training investment

Pricing

Not published. Annual contracts, scoped by Sayari (“priced to the program”).

FAQ

1. What is Sayari used for?
   Sanctions screening, UBO investigations, supply chain due diligence, and financial crime investigations.
2. Does Sayari provide real-time registry data?
   Sayari resolves records from registries and other sources into its own graph, which it refreshes on a schedule. It is not a per-request registry pull.
3. How much does Sayari cost?
   Not publicly disclosed. Enterprise contracts required.
4. Is Sayari good for automated KYB?
   No. It is built for analyst-driven investigations. For automated KYB, use an API-first registry provider. See our Sayari alternatives guide.
5. Who uses Sayari?
   Government agencies, banks and investigative teams. Sayari’s about page says it serves over 25% of the 35 largest global banks.

7. OpenCorporates

Description

OpenCorporates is the largest open database of company information. It publishes company records direct from official primary sources across 140+ jurisdictions. The focus is transparency: making basic company filings publicly searchable, with the source of each record shown.

Key Features

• Open access to basic company data from 140+ jurisdictions
• Strong data provenance and source transparency
• API access for searching company records
• Free public website search; free at-scale access for public-benefit users

Limitations

• Not built to resolve ultimate beneficial owners
• No sanctions, PEP, or adverse media screening
• No free API tier; the entry API plan allows 500 calls a month
• Not built for compliance automation

Pricing

Published on its pricing page: Essentials £2,250/year (500 API calls/month), Starter £6,600/year (2,500/month), Basic £12,000/year (5,000/month). Enterprise bulk data on request.

FAQ

1. Does OpenCorporates provide UBO data?
   Not as a resolved answer. It shows company records and relationships from filings but is not built to identify ultimate beneficial owners.
2. Is OpenCorporates free?
   Website search is free. API access starts at £2,250 a year for 500 calls a month.
3. Can I use OpenCorporates for AML compliance?
   Only as a source of basic company records. It lacks UBO resolution, sanctions screening and PEP data.
4. How does OpenCorporates compare to Zavia.ai?
   OpenCorporates provides open company filings. Zavia.ai is built specifically for UBO discovery from government registries.

8. Dun & Bradstreet

Description

D&B is one of the oldest names in business data. Its D-U-N-S Number is a global standard for business identification. On 16 October 2025 it launched D&B.AI, describing its data as covering more than 600 million public and private businesses across 200+ countries. Ownership data sits inside larger compliance and risk products rather than a standalone UBO tool.

Key Features

• D-U-N-S Number as a global identifier
• PAYDEX and financial stress scores
• Corporate linkage and ownership hierarchies
• Credit risk, supplier risk, and compliance modules
• D&B.AI agents and data access for AI tools (launched October 2025)

Limitations

• Enterprise compliance products are quoted, not published
• Restrictive licensing — limits redistribution
• UBO data bundled into larger suites, not standalone
• Slow onboarding for smaller teams

Pricing

D&B Hoovers Essentials is published at $49/month for 150 company and 150 contact credits, a sales-prospecting product. Compliance and ownership products are custom quotes.

FAQ

1. Does D&B provide UBO data?
   Yes, inside its broader compliance and risk products. Not as a standalone UBO tool.
2. What is the D-U-N-S Number?
   A unique nine-digit business identifier used globally for verification, government contracts, and supply chain management.
3. How much does D&B cost?
   Hoovers Essentials starts at $49/month; compliance products are custom contracts.
4. Is D&B good for startups?
   For prospecting, yes. For UBO checks, its compliance products are priced for enterprises; Zavia.ai and Zephira.ai publish lower entry prices, and Global Database offers a free trial.

9. FinScan

Description

FinScan is an AML screening platform. Its UBO module pulls multiple ownership layers, with the percentage at each level, “from global databases of private and public companies”, applies your threshold, and screens the owners it finds against watchlists, PEP lists and adverse media.

Key Features

• Automated UBO identification with PEP and watchlist screening
• Multi-layer ownership analysis with a custom threshold
• Identifies controlling executives, not only owners
• Single platform for entity and individual risk assessment

Limitations

• Ownership data comes from third-party company databases, not direct registry retrieval
• Screening platform, not a standalone UBO data provider
• Pricing not published

Pricing

Not published. Contact FinScan for a quote.

FAQ

1. Does FinScan connect to government registries?
   FinScan describes its ownership source as global databases of private and public companies, not direct registry connections.
2. What is FinScan best for?
   AML screening that combines UBO checks with sanctions, PEP, and adverse media in one platform.
3. Is UBO data available standalone from FinScan?
   No. It is part of the screening platform.
4. How does FinScan compare to Zavia.ai?
   FinScan is a screening tool that uses third-party ownership data. Zavia.ai provides registry-sourced UBO identification.

UBO Data Providers at a Glance

Provider	Data Source	Coverage (vendor’s figure)	UBO Focus	API	Starting Price
Zavia.ai	Direct Registry	173 countries	Core	Yes	$99/mo
Global Database	Direct Registry	200+ countries, 400+ registries	Yes	Yes	Not published
Zephira.ai	Registry + enrichment	220 countries & territories	Yes	Yes	$99/mo
Moody’s Orbis	Mixed (170+ providers)	600M+ companies	Yes	Yes	Not published
Kyckr	Direct Registry	100+ countries, 300+ registers	Add-on	Yes	Not published
Sayari	Resolved graph	250+ jurisdictions	Yes	Yes	Not published
OpenCorporates	Open Data	140+ jurisdictions	No	Paid plans	£2,250/yr
D&B	Mixed	200+ countries	Bundled	Yes	Custom (compliance)
FinScan	Third-party databases	Global	Screening	Yes	Not published

Registry-Sourced vs. Aggregated UBO Data

This is the most important distinction when choosing a UBO provider.

Registry-sourced data comes directly from government authorities. It is legally defensible. It has clear provenance. Regulators accept it as evidence.

Aggregated data is assembled from secondary sources: web scraping, user submissions, credit agency feeds, outdated directories. It is often broader, but you cannot always prove where it came from. When a regulator asks, that is a problem.

Zavia.ai, Global Database and Kyckr retrieve from government registries. OpenCorporates republishes official records openly. Sayari resolves registry and other records into its own graph. Orbis, D&B and FinScan draw on a mix of providers.

If your compliance framework requires you to prove data provenance, registry-sourced is the only safe choice.

What to Look for in a UBO Data Provider

1. Data Sourcing

Ask one question: does the provider connect directly to government registries? If the answer is unclear, that tells you something.

2. Jurisdictional Depth

Country count is a vanity metric. What matters is whether the provider covers the specific jurisdictions you need, especially offshore and high-risk regions. Our Global Ownership Data Index shows what ownership data each of 173 countries actually publishes.

3. API Quality

Modern compliance runs on APIs. You need structured JSON outputs, clear docs, and scalable rate limits. If the provider’s main interface is a web portal, it will not scale.

4. Threshold Customization

The EU uses 25%. Some countries use 10%. If your provider locks you into one threshold, you will have gaps in every jurisdiction that uses a different standard.

5. Pricing Transparency

If you cannot see the price without talking to sales, expect enterprise pricing. That is fine for large institutions. A 10-person compliance team needs a provider that respects its time.

UBO Compliance by Region (Quick Reference)

• European Union: the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 replaces national rules on beneficial ownership from 2027, with the threshold set at 25% or more. The CJEU’s WM and Sovim judgment of 22 November 2022 ended general public access to EU registers; access now runs through legitimate interest. Full detail in our EU AMLR, AMLD6 and AMLA guide.
• United Kingdom: under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, identity verification for directors and PSCs has been mandatory since 18 November 2025. Existing directors give their personal code in the company’s next confirmation statement, and a company cannot file that statement until every director is verified.
• United States: FinCEN’s interim final rule of 21 March 2025 removed CTA reporting for US-formed companies and US persons. Foreign companies registered to do business in the US must still report. See our US CTA guide.
• Asia-Pacific: Hong Kong and Singapore require companies to keep their own registers of controllers, open to authorities rather than the public.
• Offshore Jurisdictions: BVI, Cayman Islands, and Jersey keep beneficial-ownership registers that are not open to the public. Access is limited to authorities and, increasingly, to applicants with a legitimate interest.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a UBO data provider?

A company that supplies verified information about the real people who own or control legal entities. They connect to registries and databases to map ownership chains.

2. Why does UBO identification matter?

It is required by AML, KYC and KYB rules built on FATF Recommendations 24 and 25. Without it, you cannot verify who you are doing business with, and regulators fine weak controls even when no laundering is proven.

3. What’s the difference between registry-sourced and aggregated UBO data?

Registry-sourced data comes from government authorities and is legally defensible. Aggregated data comes from secondary sources and can have accuracy or freshness issues.

4. What ownership percentage defines a UBO?

Most commonly 25%, the EU standard. It varies: some jurisdictions use 10%, and most also count control exercised through means other than ownership.

5. How much do UBO data providers cost?

Of the nine here, published entry prices run from $49/month (D&B Hoovers, a prospecting product) and $99/month (Zavia.ai, Zephira.ai) to £2,250/year (OpenCorporates API). Global Database, Moody’s Orbis, Kyckr, Sayari and FinScan do not publish prices.

6. Can I use UBO data for M&A due diligence?

Yes. UBO data reveals true ownership structures, hidden risks, and sanctioned individuals behind target companies.

7. What is the Corporate Transparency Act?

A US law enacted in 2021 requiring beneficial ownership reporting to FinCEN. Since FinCEN’s interim final rule of 21 March 2025, US-formed companies are exempt. Foreign companies registered in the US must still report.

8. Do all UBO providers offer API access?

Most do, but quality varies. API-first platforms like Zephira.ai and Zavia.ai are built for programmatic use. Legacy providers may have slower, less documented APIs.

9. How often should UBO data be refreshed?

Best practice: continuous monitoring with change alerts. Minimum: at onboarding, at annual reviews, and at any trigger event such as an ownership change or a regulatory update.

10. Which provider is best for small compliance teams?

One with a published price and no enterprise contract. Teams that also need financials and credit data can look at Global Database, which offers a free trial. Zavia.ai starts at $99/month for 200 checks, so a small team can verify a company’s UBO in one lookup before committing to more volume.