Global Updates on Enforcement, Modernisation and Transparency
May brought a distinctly enforcement-minded tone — from Ireland’s CRO crackdown and a Trinidad court reversing an online-only mandate to Australia’s urgent bill safeguarding its registry uplift. Director-address privacy stayed prominent in New Zealand, and Foster Moore launched a new registry advisory for governments. Here is our round-up of the month’s corporate-registry news.
Here are this month’s highlights:
- United Kingdom: Companies House sets out its 2026–27 priorities
Companies House published its business plan for 2026–27, setting strategic objectives for the year as it embeds identity verification and enforcement reforms.
Read More - Australia: ‘Urgent’ bill to keep the business-registers upgrade on track
The government introduced urgent legislation to stop registry responsibility reverting from ASIC to the ATO, keep RegistryConnect on course and, for the first time, link 15-digit director IDs to the companies register.
Read More - Ireland: CRO crackdown targets directors and liquidators over annual returns
The Companies Registration Office pledged to begin prosecuting companies, directors and liquidators over persistent failures to file annual returns, signalling a tougher enforcement stance.
Read More - Trinidad and Tobago: Court rules Registrar General’s online-only filing unlawful
A High Court judge ordered the Registrar General to resume accepting hard-copy documents, ruling that an online-only filing mandate was unlawful.
Read More - Global: Foster Moore launches registry advisory for governments
Foster Moore launched a dedicated advisory arm to help governments modernise ageing registries, improve interoperability and plan future investment.
Read More - Australia: ASIC consults on how it engages business on registry changes
ASIC opened a ‘have your say’ consultation on how it engages businesses through registry and digital changes, part of its RegistryConnect stakeholder work.
Read More - New Zealand: Mayor lists council HQ instead of home address on the register
Tauranga’s mayor used his council office as his director address on the Companies Register to protect his family home, testing the not-yet-in-force address-privacy regime.
Read More - New Zealand: Analysis: what price transparency on directors’ addresses?
An NZ Herald editorial weighed the transparency-versus-safety trade-off in requiring directors’ home addresses on the public register, arguing the incoming amendment may set the bar too high.
Read More - Singapore: FATF gives Singapore top AML rating but flags weaknesses
The Financial Action Task Force awarded Singapore a top anti-money-laundering rating while flagging weaknesses in penalties and cooperation, citing a S$3 billion laundering case.
Read More - Ghana: Bank of Ghana strengthens the Collateral Registry
The Bank of Ghana strengthened its Collateral Registry to ease business-financing constraints, reinforcing the role of secured-transactions registers in access to credit.
Read More - Jamaica: COJ introduces new online services
Jamaica’s Companies Office launched new online services aimed at improving efficiency and customer experience.
Read More - United Kingdom: Q1 2026 incorporation statistics published
Companies House released statistics on companies incorporated in the UK from January to March 2026.
Read More
Stay updated by visiting often our "Registry News Weekly" summary and the Foster Moore blog for more insights on these stories and other key registry news.
We Want to Hear From You!
Are there important developments or news about your registry that you’d like to share with the wider registry community? We invite registry professionals and organizations to submit news for inclusion in our weekly digest. Submit your updates to press@fostermoore.com and help us keep the registry world informed!