Sitting across the kitchen table at her central London home, Charlotte Pawar cheerfully explained how it was possible to create British companies without disclosing the owner’s real identity and how cash could be transported to foreign banks.

I had been invited to visit after emailing her company, Formations House, seeking advice on behalf of my fictional boyfriend in North Macedonia who was hoping to expand his used car sales business. During the meeting Ms Pawar talked me through how he could create a company without publicly disclosing his identity and obtain an account with banks not constrained by the strict anti-money laundering rules enforced by those on the British high street.

My backstory was carefully chosen as I had been advised that references to