Beneficial Ownership Register: New Access Rules Enter Into Force

On January 9, 2026, Legislative Decree No. 210 of December 31, 2025 entered into force, amending and supplementing Legislative Decree No. 231/2007 (the "AML Decree"), the cornerstone of Italy's anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing framework. This measure implements Article 74 of Directive (EU) 2024/1640 (the "EU Directive," part of the AML Package) and introduces more stringent rules governing access to the register of beneficial owners.

The new legislation is intended to remedy what had become, in practice, indiscriminate access to the register's data—a situation that prompted the Council of State to suspend the register's operation pending the EU Court of Justice's ruling on whether the prior Italian regime was compatible with EU law. What follows is a concise overview of the current framework, the issues that have emerged, and the impact of the newly introduced measures.