Access comprehensive intelligence on 200+ million companies from 140+ jurisdictions. Track bankruptcies, business formations, and corporate ownership with reliable, transparent data trusted worldwide.
Why transparent corporate data is essential for a fair, accountable global economy
Corporate transparency is the foundation of trust in modern business. When company ownership, financial structures, and corporate relationships are hidden from public view, corruption thrives, criminals operate with impunity, and honest businesses face unfair competition. Open Corporate provides the intelligence needed to shine light into these shadows.
Every day, billions of dollars flow through corporate structures across borders. Without transparent data, it's impossible to know who truly owns a company, where money is going, or whether businesses are legitimate. This information asymmetry creates opportunities for money laundering, tax evasion, fraud, and corruption that harm economies and societies worldwide.
The Panama Papers, Pandora Papers, and countless other investigations have revealed how shell companies and opaque corporate structures enable the world's most powerful to hide wealth, avoid taxes, and shield illicit activities. Corporate transparency isn't just about compliance—it's about creating a level playing field where businesses compete on merit, not on their ability to obscure ownership.
For investigators and journalists, transparent corporate data is essential for following the money trail. For businesses, it enables proper due diligence, risk management, and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance. For governments, it supports tax collection, sanctions enforcement, and national security. For citizens, it provides accountability for how corporate power is wielded in society.
Open Corporate aggregates official corporate registry data from 140+ jurisdictions, standardizes it, and makes it accessible. This transforms scattered, inconsistent information locked in government databases into actionable intelligence. When corporate data is open, traceable, and accessible to all, everyone benefits—except those who profit from secrecy.
Global Financial Integrity estimates that $1.6 trillion flows illicitly out of developing countries annually through corporate structures. The IMF estimates tax havens hold $8-10 trillion in hidden wealth. Transparent corporate data is the key to fighting back.
Open Corporate provides the intelligence you need to understand the global business landscape, fight corruption, and make informed decisions
Our platform has been instrumental in major investigations including Panama Papers, Pandora Papers, and Troika Laundromat. Empowering journalists and NGOs to uncover illicit activity and hold entities accountable globally.
All data sourced from official company registers with complete traceability. Every piece of information links back to its authoritative source, ensuring maximum credibility and transparency for your research.
Over 5 million users monthly rely on corporate transparency data. Information freely available to journalists, NGOs, academics, and the public. Enterprise solutions available for businesses requiring advanced analytics.
Essential for compliance, risk management, and entity verification. Trusted by federal agencies, financial institutions, and hundreds of organizations worldwide for Know Your Customer processes.
Unified corporate data from all 50 US States, UK, EU, and 140+ jurisdictions worldwide. Standardized information that overcomes siloed, inconsistent company registers across borders.
New company information added weekly or sooner from official sources. Continuous monitoring ensures you have access to the most current corporate data, bankruptcy filings, and business formations available.
Comprehensive data on companies, officers, and corporate structures across major jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Companies | Officers | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (All 50 States) | 100M+ | 190M+ | Complete |
| United Kingdom | 15M+ | 25M+ | Complete |
| European Union | 35M+ | 45M+ | Complete |
| Canada | 8M+ | 12M+ | Complete |
| Australia | 5M+ | 8M+ | Complete |
| Asia Pacific | 20M+ | 30M+ | Growing |
| Latin America | 12M+ | 18M+ | Growing |
| Rest of World | 5M+ | 7M+ | Expanding |
Critical intelligence on the health of the business ecosystem
| Year | New Business Applications | Business Bankruptcies | Formation/Bankruptcy Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (Projected) | 5.06M | 23,309 | 217:1 |
| 2024 | 5.21M | 23,107 | 225:1 |
| 2023 | 5.48M | 18,926 | 290:1 |
| 2022 | 5.09M | 13,481 | 377:1 |
| 2021 | 5.40M | 11,200 | 482:1 |
| 2020 | 4.38M | 12,500 | 350:1 |
| 2019 | 3.52M | 9,800 | 359:1 |
| 2004 | 1.07M | 35,998 | 30:1 |
Corporate bankruptcies spiked to 13-year highs as interest rates and debt pressures mounted
The surge in corporate bankruptcies from 2021 to 2024 tells a compelling story about the end of an era of cheap money. After years of near-zero interest rates, the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes to combat inflation pushed financing costs to 20-year highs. Companies that had gorged on cheap debt during the pandemic suddenly faced a harsh reality: they couldn't afford to service their obligations.
These aren't just statistics—they represent real economic pain. Rite Aid's bankruptcy affected thousands of pharmacy locations. Bed Bath & Beyond's collapse eliminated a retail institution. WeWork's failure symbolized the deflation of the shared workspace bubble. Each bankruptcy represents lost jobs, disrupted supply chains, and communities affected by store closures.
The term "zombie companies"—businesses with interest coverage ratios below 1, meaning they can't cover their debt payments from operating income—has become increasingly relevant. Many companies are surviving only by rolling over debt or taking on new loans to pay existing ones. As interest rates remain elevated, these zombies face an existential crisis: refinance at punishing rates or face insolvency.
Looking ahead, approximately $8.45 trillion in corporate debt sits on U.S. non-financial corporations' balance sheets as of late 2024. Much of this debt was incurred at low rates and will need refinancing in the coming years. The bankruptcy wave may intensify before it subsides, making bankruptcy monitoring and early warning systems critical for investors, suppliers, and business partners.
Despite economic headwinds, entrepreneurship reaches historic highs
The 435% surge in business formations since 2004 represents one of the most dramatic shifts in American economic behavior in generations. This isn't a temporary pandemic blip—it's a fundamental transformation in how people approach work, risk, and economic opportunity.
The pandemic served as a catalyst, forcing millions to reconsider traditional employment. Remote work proved businesses didn't need physical offices. E-commerce platforms like Shopify democratized retail. Social media turned individuals into brands. Technology lowered the barriers to entry across virtually every industry, enabling people to launch businesses from their laptops that would have required significant capital investment just a decade ago.
Perhaps most striking is the rise of the "side hustle" entrepreneur—44% of 2023's new businesses were started by people maintaining full-time jobs. This represents a fundamental shift in risk tolerance and work culture. Rather than the traditional binary choice between employment and entrepreneurship, millions are now doing both, testing business ideas while maintaining income security.
The demographic shifts are equally significant. Women's entrepreneurship has surged from 29% to 44% of new business owners—a massive leap toward equity. Black and African American entrepreneurship doubled from pre-pandemic levels to 5% of new owners. Hispanic entrepreneurs now represent 12% of new businesses, up from 10%. These aren't just statistics—they represent economic empowerment and wealth creation opportunities historically denied to these communities.
High-propensity business applications—those most likely to hire employees—have increased 36% compared to pre-pandemic levels. This suggests we're not just seeing a wave of sole proprietorships, but genuine job-creating enterprises. Between 2020-2022, average annual applications reached 4.9 million, an 89% increase compared to 2005-2016.
The geographic distribution reveals regional economic transformation. Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming) and Southeast states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina) saw 50%+ increases in business formations versus 2019. States like Wyoming now see 2,500+ new businesses for every single bankruptcy—a ratio that would have been unthinkable two decades ago. This represents genuine economic resilience and entrepreneurial vitality reshaping the American business landscape.
How corporate transparency intelligence drives accountability and informed decision-making
Corporate data powers investigations that expose corruption, tax havens, and illicit financial flows. From Panama Papers to Pandora Papers, transparent corporate intelligence enables journalists to hold power to account.
During the pandemic, corporate data helped identify fraudulent relief funding applications worth billions. The Anti-Corruption Data Collective and Bloomberg investigations protected taxpayer money through transparent company verification.
Financial intelligence units worldwide use corporate ownership data to trace complex networks of shell companies, exposing money laundering schemes and supporting major regulatory enforcement actions.
Major corporations and financial institutions rely on comprehensive corporate data for KYC, entity verification, and regulatory compliance - replacing outdated legacy data providers with transparent, traceable information.
With 694 US companies filing for bankruptcy in 2024 (highest since 2010), tracking corporate distress signals is essential. Monitor "zombie companies" with interest coverage ratios below 1 before they fail.
Over 5 million new businesses launched annually. Track emerging markets, identify acquisition targets, and spot industry trends through comprehensive business formation and corporate structure intelligence.
Before entering any business relationship, whether as investor, supplier, customer, or partner, corporate transparency data should be your first line of defense. Understanding who truly owns and controls a company, its corporate structure, and its financial health can prevent catastrophic losses.
For financial institutions, regulatory requirements for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance demand accurate beneficial ownership information. Corporate transparency data enables you to verify customer identities, understand ultimate beneficial ownership, assess sanctions risk, and fulfill regulatory obligations—all while reducing manual research time by 60-80%.
For supply chain managers, understanding your suppliers' corporate health and ownership is critical. If a key supplier files for bankruptcy, your production could halt. Cross-referencing corporate data with bankruptcy filings helps identify at-risk suppliers before they fail, allowing you to develop contingency plans and protect your operations.
For investors and M&A professionals, corporate data reveals the full picture of target companies—subsidiary structures, related party transactions, director networks, and historical corporate actions. This intelligence is invaluable for valuation, identifying hidden liabilities, understanding competitive positioning, and negotiating better deal terms.
Connect with our platform and schedule consultations with corporate transparency experts
Book consultations with corporate intelligence experts, compliance teams, and business stakeholders through our professional meeting platform.
Book a Meeting →Learn about our work with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) supporting corporate transparency and financial inclusion globally.
Visit IFC →Access the intelligence that powers investigations, drives compliance, and uncovers opportunities. Over 5 million monthly users trust transparent corporate data for critical decisions.
Our intelligence is backed by official government data and leading research institutions
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts - Official federal bankruptcy statistics and filings data.
uscourts.gov →Business Formation Statistics - Official source for business applications and formations data nationwide.
census.gov/bfs →Leading financial data provider tracking corporate bankruptcies, 642 filings in 2023, 694 in 2024.
spglobal.com →Research organization analyzing entrepreneurship trends - 5.5M business applications in 2023.
eig.org →World Bank Group member supporting corporate transparency and financial inclusion globally.
ifc.org →Global coalition against corruption - leveraging corporate data for accountability worldwide.
transparency.org →Comprehensive reporting on corporate bankruptcies and economic trends affecting businesses.
npr.org →Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project - investigating illicit financial flows using corporate data.
occrp.org →Corporate services and restructuring analysis - tracking 2024-2025 bankruptcy wave and trends.
cscglobal.com →