The transaction point in extractive value chains where corruption risks are often highest is when trading companies deal directly with governments. Yet, these interactions are still largely opaque.
Research by RMF shows that very few of the companies making these trades disclose data about the payments they make. And disclosure is even more rare on data related to other direct transactions between trading companies and governments, in the form of resource-backed loans or swap agreements. Normalization of the public disclosure of commodity trading transactions is critically important to support financial integrity and good governance of extractive resources.
This research insight highlights current public transaction disclosure statistics, and points out the importance of normalizing transparency.