DTI business listings up 5% in H1

MANILA, Philippines – Business name registrations with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) rose 4.82 percent in the first half as more Filipinos started new ventures despite economic uncertainty.

Data from the DTI’s Business Name Registration System showed registrations reached 659,747 from January to June, up from 629,405 a year earlier. Of the total, 558,245 were new registrations and 101,502 were renewals.

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John Paolo Rivera, senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said the increase reflected the resilience of Filipino entrepreneurs despite economic headwinds.

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“(This is) an encouraging sign that entrepreneurial activity remains resilient despite elevated inflation, higher interest rates, and external uncertainties,” Rivera said. “(It) suggests that many Filipinos continue to see opportunities to start or formalize businesses.”

June registrations

Meanwhile, June registrations fell to 37,041—the lowest monthly total this year—from 71,578 a year earlier. The total included 32,848 new registrations and 4,193 renewals.

Rivera said the slowdown was “worth monitoring” and could reflect seasonal factors, heightened uncertainty or businesses taking a more cautious stance.

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Wholesale and retail trade, including the repair of motor vehicles and personal and household goods, remained the largest source of registrations in June with 18,852 filings, or 50.89 percent of the total. Accommodation and food service activities followed with 5,695 registrations, ahead of manufacturing (2,074) and real estate (1,752). Sari-sari (mom-and-pop) store registrations reached 5,494.

Micro and small enterprises continued to dominate registrations in the first half. Barangay-level registrations reached 413,554, followed by city or provincial registrations (147,817), national registrations (54,138) and regional registrations (44,238).

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Calabarzon remained the country’s biggest source of business name registrations with 116,830 filings from January to June. Cavite led the region with 36,574 registrations, followed by Laguna (26,644), Rizal (25,033), Batangas (19,238) and Quezon (9,910).

In 2025, the DTI registered 1.02 million business names, down 3.89 percent from the previous year. /pai INQ

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