According to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (January 17), a total of 145,053 local companies were newly registered in 2024. By the end of 2024, the total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance was 1,460,494, increasing by 29,736 compared to 2023, which was an all-time high figure.
In 2024, 1,079 non-Hong Kong companies that have newly established a place of business in Hong Kong were registered under the Companies Ordinance. By the end of 2024, the total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies was 15,126, up 2 per cent compared to 2023, which was also an all-time high figure.
During the year, the Government took forward two legislative amendment exercises to enhance the Companies Ordinance. The first exercise aims at enabling listed companies incorporated in Hong Kong to hold shares bought back in the treasury and dispose of them, and promoting paperless corporate communication for both listed and unlisted Hong Kong companies. On January 8, 2025, the Legislative Council passed the relevant Companies (Amendment) Bill 2024. To allow sufficient time for companies to make preparations, the new arrangements will come into effect three months after the amendment ordinance is published in the Gazette. The second exercise aims at introducing a company re-domiciliation regime to enable non-Hong Kong-incorporated companies to re-domicile to Hong Kong while maintaining their legal identities as a body corporate and ensuring business continuity without the need to go through complicated and costly judicial procedures. The relevant Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2024 was introduced into the Legislative Council for the First Reading on January 8, 2025.
In 2024, the number of charges on properties of companies received for registration was 12,137, which was 1.87 per cent down from 12,368 in 2023. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration increased by 3.13 per cent, from 17,648 in 2023 to 18,201 in 2024.
In 2024, a total of 157 prospectuses were registered while the figure recorded in 2023 was 134.
In 2024, the total number of documents delivered for registration increased by 4.75 per cent to 3,139,906, compared to 2,997,459 in 2023.
In 2024, a total of 5,194,865 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry's electronic search services, an increase of 5.47 per cent from 4,925,332 in 2023.
On the registration of limited partnership funds (LPFs), a total of 292 LPFs were newly registered in 2024. By the end of 2024, the total number of LPFs was 997, increasing by 35.28 per cent compared to the end of 2023.
For open-ended fund companies (OFCs), 231 OFCs were newly incorporated in 2024. By the end of 2024, the total number of OFCs was 472, increasing by 93.44 per cent compared to the end of 2023.
As regards the licensing of trust or company service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, a total of 798 new licences were granted by the Registry in 2024. By the end of 2024, the total number of licensees was 6,817.
Turning to the licensing of money lenders, 138 new licences were granted by the Licensing Court in 2024. By the end of 2024, the total number of licensed money lenders was 2,110.
For details of the statistics, please visit the "Statistics" section of the Registry's website (www.cr.gov.hk).
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