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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported 43,185 new corporate registrations as of the end of October, reflecting sustained entrepreneurial activity despite a slight dip from the previous year.
According to the SEC, the figure is 5.4 percent lower than the 45,624 registrations recorded during the same period in 2024.
The SEC, however, noted that the numbers “indicate sustained entrepreneurial activity across the country,” supported by continued regulatory reforms and a more business-friendly environment.
Of the new entities, 30,671 were stock corporations, 10,117 were non-stock corporations, and 2,397 were partnerships.
Among the stock corporations, 206 were foreign, a 77.6 percent surge from the 116 foreign stock corporations registered a year earlier, demonstrating growing interest from overseas investors. Domestic stock corporations accounted for the remaining 30,465.
The total number of active corporations now stands at 578,272. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) make up a significant portion, representing 420,483, or 88 percent, of the total active entities.
Active corporations are predominantly in wholesale and retail trade (22 percent), real estate (eight percent), and accommodation and food services, administrative and support services, and construction (six percent each).
SEC Chairperson Francis Lim emphasized the commission’s push to ease business setup and maintenance.
“The SEC is consistently looking for ways to streamline the company registration process as this is the first step entrepreneurs have to go through to expand and grow their businesses,” Lim said.
“Beyond improving the registration process, we also want to ensure that maintaining their active status remains easy and accessible to support seamless and uninterrupted operations,” he added.
Since Lim took office in June, the SEC has implemented several reforms. In July, SEC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 7, Series of 2025, established strict processing timelines for registrations, introducing a “deemed approved” policy if the Commission fails to act within the prescribed period.
The OneSEC (One Day Submission and Electronic Registration of Companies)-Zuper Easy Registration Online facility also expanded its coverage from 33 to 81 eligible industries and now permits companies with foreign equity to register through the platform.
As of October, 32,533 applications were processed via OneSEC.
To further encourage MSME growth, the SEC issued MC No. 8, Series of 2025, which grants discounted rates on certain transactions.
MSMEs currently receive a 20 percent discount on registration fees and a 25 percent discount on filing fees for increasing capital stock through amendments to their articles of incorporation.
These discounts are effective until the end of the year, and the SEC is "currently evaluating the possibility of extending these discounts" to encourage more MSMEs to formalize their operations.
