The Philippine business landscape continues to show resilience, with 43,185 new corporations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as of end-October. The latest figures reflect sustained entrepreneurial activity supported by regulatory reforms and a more business-friendly environment. Of the new registrations, 30,671 are stock corporations, 10,117 are non-stock, and 2,397 are partnerships. Foreign stock corporation registrations rose sharply to 206—up 77.6% from last year—signaling stronger investor interest.

The country now has 578,272 active corporations, 88% of which are micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Wholesale and retail trade accounts for the largest share of active firms at 22%, followed by real estate at 8%, while accommodation and food services, admin support, and construction each make up 6%.

SEC Chairperson Francis Lim highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to streamline registration and make compliance easier through initiatives such as stricter processing timelines under MC 7, expanded OneSEC-Zuper Easy Registration coverage, and discounted fees for MSMEs under MC 8. Since June, these reforms have significantly improved ease of doing business, with OneSEC processing 32,533 applications as of October. The SEC is evaluating whether to extend MSME discounts beyond year-end to further encourage business formalization.