DTI, SEC Partner to Fast-Track Business Incorporation with SCOPE Protocol

MANILA, Philippines — In a move to streamline business registration and enhance ease of doing business, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have signed a memorandum of agreement to integrate their business registration databases. The initiative aims to facilitate the seamless transition of sole proprietorships into corporations.

The newly established Swift Corporate and Other Records Exchange (SCOPE) Protocol was formalized during a signing event at the SEC headquarters in Makati City on Wednesday.

DTI Undersecretary Kris Ablan highlighted that this collaboration is expected to double the speed of incorporation by minimizing the time required for background checks between the two agencies.

“We will provide the SEC with the necessary application programming interface (API) by April, and we anticipate full implementation by the end of that month,” Ablan stated in an interview with the Inquirer.

Business Registration Trends

Since the start of 2025 through March 18, the DTI has recorded 398,243 business name registrations. This number is slightly lower than the 439,813 recorded in the first quarter of 2024.

Among the registered businesses, wholesale and retail trade remained the dominant sector, accounting for 58 percent or 231,158 registrations. The accommodation and food sector followed with 13.3 percent or 52,977 businesses.

Other leading business categories include:

• Real estate: 23,930 registrations

• Manufacturing: 18,796 registrations

• Other service activities: 16,088 registrations

• Administrative and support services: 13,446 registrations

• Transportation and storage: 11,981 registrations

Regional Business Growth

Region IV-A (Calabarzon) maintained its lead in business registrations, logging 70,527 applications, accounting for 17.71 percent of the total. It was followed by:

• Region III (Central Luzon): 48,360 registrations

• National Capital Region (NCR): 42,290 registrations

• Region VI (Western Visayas): 27,163 registrations

• Region I (Ilocos Region): 25,997 registrations

Other regions that made the top 10 list include Region VII (Central Visayas) with 24,754 registrations, Region II (Cagayan Valley) with 18,347, Region XI (Davao Region) with 18,446, Region X (Northern Mindanao) with 17,070, and Region XIII (Caraga) with 14,977.

With the launch of the SCOPE Protocol, DTI and SEC expect a significant improvement in the efficiency of business registration and incorporation, further fostering entrepreneurship and economic growth in the country.