A total of 132,246 local companies were newly registered with the Registry in 2023, according to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (January 15). The total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance was 1,430,758 by the end of 2023, increasing by 39,080 compared to 2022.
During the year, the Registry launched its revamped core information system, the Integrated Companies Registry Information System (ICRIS), on December 27, 2023, together with a new e-Services Portal for customers to access all the electronic services of the Registry round-the-clock with a single logon. Some other new initiatives were also implemented on the same day, including the Unique Business Identifier, whereby the business registration number assigned by the Inland Revenue Department is adopted as the identification number for all entities under the administration of the Registrar of Companies (replacing the former company registration number); Phase 3 of the new inspection regime that further enhanced the protection of sensitive personal information on the Companies Register; and simultaneous business registration application for registration of limited partnership fund (LPF).
In 2023, 960 non-Hong Kong companies that have newly established a place of business in Hong Kong were registered under the Companies Ordinance. The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies was 14,826 by the end of 2023, up 2.02 per cent year on year.
The number of charges on properties of companies received for registration in 2023 was 12,368, 31.38 per cent down from 18,024 in 2022. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration decreased by 12.57 per cent, from 20,185 in 2022 to 17,648 in 2023.
In 2023, a total of 134 prospectuses were registered while the figure recorded in 2022 was 133.
The total number of documents delivered for registration in 2023 increased by 8.29 per cent to 2,997,459, compared to 2,768,120 in 2022.
A total of 4,925,332 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry's electronic search services in 2023, an increase of 5.50 per cent from 4,668,742 in 2022.
On the registration of LPF, a total of 188 LPFs were newly registered in 2023. The total number of LPFs by the end of 2023 was 737.
As regards the licensing of trust or company service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, a total of 429 licences were granted in 2023, and the number of licensees was 6,945 by the end of 2023.
For details of the statistics, please visit the "Statistics" section of the Registry's website (www.cr.gov.hk).
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