Yes, cross-regional accounting within a company can be used to hide the true source of profits in certain circumstances. This often involves complex financial structures and accounting techniques, and may include some of the following: 1. **Transfer pricing**: Companies can set up subsidiaries in different countries or regions and manipulate transaction prices across the companies to shift profits to low-tax regions. This is a common tax planning method, but can also be used to hide the source of profits if the pricing is not reasonable. 2. **Cost sharing agreements**: Companies can set up entities in multiple regions and use complex cost sharing agreements to shift or reallocate profits from high-tax regions to low-tax regions to hide the true source of profits. 3. **Internal financial arrangements**: For example, profits are shifted from one region to another through internal loans or fund transfers to hide the true source of profits or optimize tax burdens. 4. **Different accounting standards**: When operating in different regions, different accounting standards or policies are used to report profits. This may involve recognizing revenue in one region while deferring cost recognition in other regions. 5. **Using shell companies**: Shell companies set up in multiple jurisdictions can be used to recycle transactions or perform other complex financial operations to hide the source of profits. These practices may affect the transparency of a company's financial status, so regulators will set up strict compliance requirements and audit procedures to detect and prevent these behaviors. However, once a company is found to be engaged in such activities, it may face legal consequences, fines and reputational damage. Therefore, companies should conduct cross-regional accounting within a legal and compliant framework.