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.
The Companies Registry, Photo source: online image
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).
Photo source: reference image
Speech by SITI at opening ceremony of WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2026 Hong Kong
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the opening ceremony of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2026 Hong Kong today (March 4):
Mr Stammel (Chief Executive Officer of WT Wearable Technologies Group, Mr Christian Stammel), Terry (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Terry Wong), Dr Cua (Co-Chairman of Medical Engineering and Innovation Council of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Dr Simon Cua), Mr Wismer (Regional Head of Messe Düsseldorf for Asia of MEDICA, Mr Lars Wismer), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you all today at the opening ceremony of the Wearable Technologies Conference 2026, held in parallel with the Grand Pitch Final of the Hong Kong MedTech Innovation World Cup. I warmly welcome you, especially our friends and partners from overseas, to Hong Kong.
Wearable technologies and solutions are transforming clinical practice and redefining user experience at an unprecedented pace. Hong Kong is firmly committed to advancing these fields. In the Hong Kong I&T (innovation and technology) Development Blueprint promulgated in 2022, we have identified life and health technology as one of the major strategic tech industries. Hosting the WT Conference once again and the Innovation World Cup series in Hong Kong for the very first time is a strong testament to our capabilities in facilitating global I&T exchange. It also underscores Hong Kong's unique position as both a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" in the international MedTech landscape.
Hong Kong possesses a robust foundation in life and health science research, underpinned by our five top-100 universities and two top-40 medical schools in the world, and we are on the way to setting up a third medical school in Hong Kong. Pooling together world-class experts and with well-accredited research outputs, Hong Kong enjoys a unique edge in research and development (R&D) which drives breakthroughs in life and health technology.
To capitalise on our strength, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has rolled out various initiatives to support the local development of life and health technology. For instance, our flagship InnoHK platform houses 30 research centres, pooling together around 3 000 researchers from over 30 world-renowned non-local universities and research institutes. The InnoHK platform focuses on life and health technologies, as well as AI and robotics, both of which are most crucial to wearable devices. The centres have been making notable research achievements and introduced various products to the market.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you all our commitment to supporting I&T development in Hong Kong through our three "$10 billion" schemes. In 2023, we launched the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+) to channel more funding support to research teams for transforming and commercialising their R&D outcomes in the universities. Since its inception, a total of 15 projects on life and health technology have been supported and several of them are exactly about wearable technologies.
In 2024, we launched the $10 billion New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme (NIAS) to support enterprises in industries of strategic importance, including life and health technology, to establish high-end smart production facilities in Hong Kong. Two enterprises focusing on life and health technology have been supported by the scheme with a total investment of about $1 billion. We warmly welcome more tech enterprises, whether in wearable tech devices, MedTech, or other related fields, to seize the opportunities and bring your smart factories to Hong Kong.
This year, we will also soon commence the operation of another $10 billion Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, so as to channel market capital to invest in emerging and future fields of strategic importance, including life and health technology.
Ladies and Gentleman, Year 2026 marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, in which life and health technology remains one of its key focus areas. With the unwavering support from our motherland, and the Government's firm commitment to developing the sector, I am sure that Hong Kong's life and health technology industry, together with AI and robotics, will continue to grow and thrive, bringing new opportunities and prospects for tech companies, start-ups and talents all around the world.
In closing, may I wish the event every success. Thank you.
