Legal Update – 22 September 2026

BRELA to Strike Off Over 5,000 Companies

• Final notice of intended striking off issued
• 5,277 companies listed for possible removal from the Register
• Affected companies given final 90-day window to object
• Directors, shareholders and company secretaries put on notice
• Companies urged to verify their status and act promptly

The Registrar of Companies under the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) has issued a Final Notice of Intention to Strike Companies off the Register of Companies pursuant to section 403(3) of the Companies Act, Cap. 212. The Notice was published in the Government Gazette dated 18 September 2026 as General Notice No. 16308.

The Notice lists 5,277 companies which the Registrar intends to strike off the Register. Directors, shareholders and company secretaries of the affected companies have accordingly been put on notice of the intended removal.

The Final Notice follows two earlier notices issued by the Registrar on 2 June 2022 and 13 July 2022, requiring the listed companies to confirm whether they were carrying on business. The latest Notice therefore represents the final stage of the process before the Registrar proceeds with striking off the affected companies.

The listed companies have been given a final period of 90 days from the date of the Notice within which an objection may be raised. Where no objection is received within that period, the Registrar has indicated that the affected companies will be struck off the Register.

The Notice is an important reminder for companies, particularly those which have remained dormant or have outstanding statutory compliance matters, to ensure that their corporate records and status with BRELA are up to date. Any company appearing on the published list which is still carrying on business should take immediate steps to engage with BRELA and regularise its position before expiry of the 90-day period.

The consequences of striking off can be significant. Once a company is struck off the Register, it is dissolved. Importantly, property and rights belonging to the company immediately before dissolution do not automatically pass to its shareholders. Under the Companies Act, such property and rights generally become bona vacantia and belong to the Government. The Act also preserves certain liabilities of directors, officers and members notwithstanding dissolution and striking off should therefore not be regarded as a means of extinguishing outstanding liabilities, including tax liabilities. The Act further provides a mechanism through which an aggrieved company, member or creditor may apply to Court for restoration of the company to the Register.

To read the Government Gazette, click here. See pgs. 18 to 60.