The Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (“the Amendment Ordinance”) has become effective on 1 March 2018. The Companies Ordinance requires a company incorporated in Hong Kong to obtain and maintain up-to-date beneficial ownership information, by way of keeping a Significant Controllers Register (“SCR”) for inspection by law enforcement officers upon demand.

The Amendment Ordinance requires a company to keep a SCR in either the English or Chinese language, as well as containing required particulars of its significant controllers (including registrable person and / or registrable legal entity). The SCR should be kept at the company’s registered office or at a prescribed place in Hong Kong.

Also, a company must designate at least one person as its representative in order to provide assistance relating to the company’s SCR to a law enforcement officer.

For more details, please refer to the Company Registry website.

A new Licensing regime for trust or company service providers (“TCSPs”) will commence with effect from 1 March 2018.

Under the new licensing regime, TCSPs are required to apply for a license from the Registrar of Companies before they can provide trust or company services as a business in Hong Kong. It is an offence for businesses to perform such services in Hong Kong without a license.

International Secretaries Limited has been registered as a "TCSP" to provide expertise company secretarial services to our clients.

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For more details, please refer to the Companies Registry website.

Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Financial Institutions) (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 has become effective on March 1, 2018. The ordinance seeks to apply the statutory customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements to designated non-financial businesses and professions when they engage in specified transactions.

We are actively engaged in compliance with the amendment, and establish proper policies and controls.

For more details, please refer to the Companies Registry website.

The new Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) (“new CO”), which commenced operation in March 2014, provides a modern statutory framework for the incorporation and operation of companies in Hong Kong. The Amendment Ordinance seeks to amend some provisions of the new CO to incorporate new developments, improve the clarity and operation of the new CO, and further facilitate businesses in Hong Kong. The Amendment Ordinance has come into operation on 1 February 2019.

The major amendments introduced by the Amendment Ordinance include:

1. The updating of relevant accounting-related provisions;
2. The expanding of the types of companies eligible for reporting exemption; and
3. The providing for miscellaneous matters in relation to various administrative, procedural and technical requirements regulating local companies and non-Hong Kong companies.

For more details, please refer to the Companies Registry website.