According to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (January 14), a total of 110,840 local companies were newly registered with the Registry in 2021, among which 66,538 were incorporated online at the e-Registry (www.eregistry.gov.hk) or via the “CR eFiling” mobile application. The total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance reached 1,375,172 by the end of 2021.

Following the commencement of new fund re-domiciliation mechanisms under the open-ended fund company (OFC) and limited partnership fund (LPF) regimes on November 1, 2021, existing funds set up in the form of a company or limited partnership outside Hong Kong may apply for registration as an OFC or LPF in Hong Kong respectively. “The new fund re-domiciliation mechanisms aim to enhance the attractiveness of the OFC and LPF regimes and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international asset and wealth management centre,” the Registrar of Companies, Ms Kitty Tsui, said.

To enhance protection of sensitive personal information, while keeping up the transparency and usefulness of the Companies Register, a new inspection regime of the Register under the Companies Ordinance commenced during the year. The new regime is being implemented in three phases from August 2021 through end-2023.

In 2021, 1,316 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 reached 14,348 by the end of 2021, up 4.33 per cent year on year.

The number of charges on properties of companies received for registration in 2021 was 18,701, 19.86 per cent up from 15,603 in 2020. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration increased by 23.02 per cent, from 17,070 in 2020 to 21,000 in 2021.

In 2021, a total of 190 prospectuses were registered, which is the same as in 2020.

The total number of documents delivered for registration in 2021 increased by 3.59 per cent to 2,913,395, compared to 2,812,471 in 2020.

A total of 5,175,323 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry’s electronic search services in 2021, an increase of 7.20 per cent from 4,827,540 in 2020.

On the registration of LPFs, a total of 342 LPFs were newly registered in 2021. The total number of LPFs by the end of 2021 was 409.

As regards the licensing of trust or company service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, a total of 725 licences were granted in 2021, and the number of licensees reached 6,711 by the end of 2021.

For details of the statistics, please visit the “Statistics” section of the Registry’s website (www.cr.gov.hk).