FINANCIAL SECRECY
Impact
ICIJ has redefined what investigative journalism looks like in the 21st century. We have repeatedly conducted journalistic collaborations so big, so visionary and so aspirational that they are unlike any others in history.
Our Offshore Leaks, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers and FinCEN Files investigations were the biggest cross-border journalism projects ever. They have shaken the establishment and led to public protests, to multiple arrests, sweeping legal reform, and official inquiries in more than 70 countries, and to the resignations of the leaders of Pakistan, Iceland and Malta after allegations of corruption.
We helped bring about the Corporate Transparency Act in the United States, hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure since the Patriot Act of 2001. Our work has also been credited for helping bring more than 130 countries together to sign a worldwide minimum tax rate as a measure to stop giant corporations avoiding their responsibilities.
Nov 23, 2022
African nations win UN tussle over paving the way for global tax reforms
Tax fairness advocates marked the resolution as a "historic win" in the push to wrest control of global tax policymaking from the small group of wealthy nations who have traditionally dominated the space.
Nov 19, 2022
International arrest warrant issued for Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos
Sources say Interpol's "Red Notice" for dos Santos relates to allegedly corrupt dealings exposed in ICIJ’s Luanda Leaks investigation.
Oct 31, 2022
Provinces pose threat to Canada’s bid to curb corporate secrecy, researchers warn
The country plans to establish a national corporate ownership registry, which would reveal the true owners of shell companies, by next year.
Oct 25, 2022
‘We co-opted democracy,’ Uber Files whistleblower tells European Parliament
Ex-Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann calls for widespread reforms to guarantee platform workers’ rights as he slams the ridesharing giant’s past ‘growth at all costs’ approach.
Oct 21, 2022
Switzerland aims to track corporate ownership in attempt to curb money-laundering
Facing international pressure to shed light on shadowy corporate ownership, government plans to reveal who actually owns legal entities.
Oct 03, 2022
One year on, Pandora Papers continues to be anti-corruption ‘tour de force’
From pivotal legislative pushes in the U.S. and elsewhere, to ongoing probes into deposed leaders and tax dodgers, the impact of the largest ever offshore investigation is still being felt around the world.
Oct 03, 2022
ICIJ celebrates 5 years of global impact
As you read through our 2021 report, you will see that success at ICIJ was achieved on many different levels.
Sep 20, 2022
New US company owner database ‘taking way too long’ to implement, experts warn
After ICIJ’s FinCEN Files investigation, transparency advocates cheered a new law mandating a beneficial ownership register in the U.S. Two years later, experts are expressing serious concerns.
Sep 08, 2022
Taxi drivers block Brussels, demanding EU investigate Uber Files revelations
Hundreds of cabbies from across Europe took part in the ‘Brussels World Strike’ to protest deregulation of the taxi industry and demand inquiries on Uber’s lobbying of political leaders.
Sep 01, 2022
UN reports China may have committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang camps
A damning assessment by the office of the U.N. human rights chief that calls for immediate end to “systems of arbitrary detention” of Muslim minorities ignites Beijing fury.
Aug 24, 2022
Leaked files shed light on financial structures behind oligarchs’ seized yachts
Amid a wave of sanctions against President Vladimir Putin’s allies, complex networks of offshore companies are making for choppy waters for authorities looking to confiscate high value assets.
Aug 12, 2022
Former Czech PM Babis is under investigation for alleged money laundering over deal exposed by the Pandora Papers
French financial authorities are looking into Andrej Babis’ acquisition of a lavish property on the French riviera through offshore companies ー a $22 million deal first revealed by ICIJ and media partners.
Aug 10, 2022
As US returns looted relics to Cambodia, officials call on more collectors to come clean
A museum and private collectors relinquished dozens of religious artifacts linked to alleged antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford, whose offshore trusts were uncovered in the Pandora Papers.
Aug 05, 2022
Families of slain and injured sue Ericsson over claims it funded Middle East terror
A new lawsuit alleges the company routed funds through partners to terrorists while Americans were risking their lives in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
Jul 22, 2022
Panama Papers source says ‘Russia wants me dead’ in first-ever media interview
“John Doe” told German news outlet DER SPIEGEL that he was “astounded” by the success of the investigation, but more needs to be done to clamp down on financial secrecy.
Jul 21, 2022
Uber Files sparks more protests and calls to investigate lobbying efforts
Politicians and advocates are demanding action in Spain, France and the United Kingdom.
Jul 15, 2022
Major anti-money-laundering reform passes US House
The Enablers Act, included in the annual defense bill, was first proposed shortly after ICIJ’s Pandora Papers investigation exposed widespread exploitation of lax financial disclosure rules in the U.S.
Jul 14, 2022
Dutch politicians call for probe into tax authorities’ handling of Uber audit after Uber Files exposé
Leaked records reveal details of the company’s “strong relationship” with tax authorities in the Netherlands, a corporate tax haven where Uber has registered dozens of subsidiaries.
Jul 13, 2022
Uber Files sparks street protests, calls to investigate politicians and a rude rebuttal
Officials in multiple countries react to findings on the ride-hailing giant’s lobbying and other aggressive tactics behind its global rise.
Jul 11, 2022
Macron, Kroes under pressure as Uber Files puts spotlight on high power lobbying in Europe
Former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes and French President Emmanuel Macron are facing critical questions about their past involvement with Uber.
Jun 23, 2022
House committee advances ‘once in a generation’ crackdown on enablers of financial crime
Proposed in the wake of the Pandora Papers, the Enablers Act requires trust companies, lawyers, art dealers and others to vet clients seeking to move money and assets into the American financial system.
Jun 09, 2022
US securities regulator opens probe into Ericsson’s conduct in Iraq
The Swedish company is now under investigation by the SEC, as well as the Justice Department, on matters described in a 2019 internal Iraq bribery report that was leaked to ICIJ.
Jun 02, 2022
Putin allies Mordashov and Roldugin targeted in latest round of US sanctions
Multiple U.S. government agencies announced new restrictions on dozens of entities and assets in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, including Putin’s close friends and allies, as well as yacht brokerages and defense industry companies.
May 24, 2022
UK, US and Germany say Xinjiang Police Files offer ‘shocking’ new evidence of China’s human rights abuses
Officials from around the world renewed calls for an official investigation into the treatment of Uyghurs in China after a leak of confidential government records and chilling photographs taken inside internment camps in Xinjiang.
May 12, 2022
New US sanctions target trust companies and corporate service providers for the first time
While the industries are now barred from working with anyone inside Russia, professional enablers of financial secrecy in states like Wyoming and Alaska have opposed proposals to increase transparency.
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