Emma Watson set up an offshore company named in the latest leak of the Panama Papers.

The entity in the British Virgin Islands was established by the Harry Potter star to help protect her privacy and not for tax reasons, a spokesman said.

It is one of thousands of offshore companies that appear in a trove of millions of documents obtained from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Watson, 26, is the latest high-profile individual linked to the data leak that included details of a firm set up by UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s late father.

The actress set up Falling Leaves Limited in 2013 “for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety”, a spokesman said.

He added: “UK companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available.

“Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever – only privacy.”

According to reports Watson has suffered incidents that left her anxious over her security, including unwanted approaches by fans.

The company was among 200,000 entities published online by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on Monday.

The group recognised there are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts, adding that the presence of an entity in its database did not suggest or imply it had broken the law.