Polls for six contested Election Committee subsectors to be conducted at By-elections on September 7
The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) announced today (August 12) that, following the announcement made by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC) yesterday (August 11), the nominations of 100 candidates for the 2025 Election Committee Subsector (ECSS) By-elections are valid. Pursuant to the decision of the CERC, 28 validly nominated candidates from six contested subsectors will compete for 21 seats in the ECSS By-elections to be held on September 7.
The six contested subsectors are as follows:
Commercial (third)
Architectural, surveying, planning and landscape
Technology and innovation
Labour
Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of Hong Kong and Kowloon
Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of the New Territories
Besides, there are 22 uncontested subsectors, of which 72 candidates are returned uncontested, and one candidate whose nomination for the Heung Yee Kuk subsector was ruled invalid by the CERC due to his death during the nomination period.
"The ECSS By-elections will be held on September 7. Five ordinary polling stations will be set up on the polling day, and the combined voting arrangement will continue to be adopted, i.e. a subsector voter who is also an authorised representative of another subsector can cast two votes at the same polling station. The polling hours of the ordinary polling stations are from 9am to 6pm," a spokesman for the REO said.
The Electoral Affairs Commission will hold a briefing session for candidates on August 18 to familiarise them with the electoral arrangements and various regulations, to ensure that the By-elections will be conducted in an open, fair and honest manner. Representatives from the REO, the Department of Justice, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and Hongkong Post will also be present.
The Gazette notices incorporating the names of the 28 validly nominated candidates from the contested subsectors, along with the number of each candidate on the ballot papers that was determined by drawing lots, were published today. All relevant Gazette notices and information about the candidates are available on the election website (www.elections.gov.hk).
Source: AI-found images
Companies Registry releases statistics for 2025
According to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (January 16), a total of 195,343 local companies and re-domiciled companies were newly registered in 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of local companies and re-domiciled companies registered under the Companies Ordinance increased by 96,609 compared to 2024, reaching 1,557,103, which was an all-time high figure.
In 2025, 1,532 non-Hong Kong companies that had newly established a place of business in Hong Kong were registered under the Companies Ordinance. By the end of 2025, the total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies was 15,586, up 3 per cent compared to 2024.
The company re-domiciliation regime, implemented since May 23, 2025, has received a positive market response. By the end of 2025, the Registry had received over 420 enquiries and 30 applications. Among these, six non-Hong Kong corporations incorporated in Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands or Bermuda, including an insurance company, have been successfully re-domiciled to Hong Kong. The regime provides a simple and cost-effective pathway for non-Hong Kong incorporated companies to re-domicile to Hong Kong by eliminating the need for complicated and costly judicial procedures while preserving a company's legal identity. It ensures seamless business continuity and strengthens the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a global business and financial hub.
In 2025, the number of charges on properties of companies received for registration was 12,912, which was 6.4 per cent up from 12,137 in 2024. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration increased by 14.2 per cent, from 18,201 in 2024 to 20,789 in 2025.
In 2025, a total of 180 prospectuses were registered while the figure recorded in 2024 was 157.
In 2025, the total number of documents delivered for registration increased by 7 per cent to 3,360,723, compared to 3,139,906 in 2024.
In 2025, a total of 5,229,202 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry's electronic search services, an increase of 0.7 per cent from 5,194,865 in 2024.
On the registration of limited partnership funds (LPFs), a total of 389 LPFs were newly registered in 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of LPFs increased by 35.1 per cent compared to the end of 2024, to 1,347.
For open-ended fund companies (OFCs), 210 OFCs were newly incorporated in 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of OFCs increased by 43.2 per cent compared to the end of 2024, to 676.
As regards the licensing of trust or company service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, a total of 760 new licences were granted by the Registry in 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of licensees was 7,220.
Turning to the licensing of money lenders, 155 new licences were granted by the Licensing Court in 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of licensed money lenders was 2,015.
For details of the statistics, please visit the "Statistics" section of the Registry's website (www.cr.gov.hk).
Source: AI-found images
