The Register of Registrable Controllers (RORC) has quietly become the most heavily enforced ACRA register in 2026. Two reinforcing developments have driven this: the higher penalty regime introduced by the first tranche of the CALA Act 2025 on 6 May 2026, which raised the maximum fine for register failures to S$25,000, and the parallel rollout [...]
One of the most quietly significant changes in the Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 (CALA Act) — which commenced its first tranche on 6 May 2026 — is the new permission for a sole director to also serve as the company secretary of a Singapore private company. For more than five decades, Section [...]
The first tranche of the Corporate and Accounting Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 (CALA Act) commenced on 6 May 2026, marking the most significant overhaul of Singapore's company law in over a decade. ACRA published its commencement notice on 16 April 2026, giving directors and company secretaries roughly three weeks to prepare. If you are a [...]
Drag-along rights are one of the most consequential provisions in a Singapore shareholders' agreement — and one of the most misunderstood. They sit quietly until a sale comes along, at which point they determine whether the company can be sold cleanly to a buyer or whether minority shareholders can hold the deal hostage. For founders [...]
Singapore SMEs put a lot of effort into winning a grant — drafting the proposal, lining up the vendor, navigating the eligibility rules. The reality is that the work after approval is just as important and, in many cases, more rigorous. Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Business Grants Portal (BGP) both run a tightly controlled [...]
Running an e-commerce business in Singapore looks deceptively simple from the outside: incorporate, plug into Shopify or a marketplace, and ship. The tax and compliance reality is much more layered. Cross-border supply rules under the Overseas Vendor Registration (OVR) regime, GST on imported low-value goods, the InvoiceNow electronic invoicing mandate, marketplace deemed-supplier rules, and the [...]
The Employment Pass (EP) is the work pass most foreign professionals reach for, but for founders building a venture-backed or IP-led business in Singapore, the EntrePass is often the better fit — and in some cases the only fit. Unlike the EP, the EntrePass is awarded based on the merits of the business itself, not [...]
Closing a Singapore company is a process that demands precision. While the strike-off route is the cheapest and quickest way to wind down a dormant or non-trading entity, ACRA's eligibility bar is strict — and many directors are caught out by lingering tax liabilities, undischarged charges, or simple paperwork errors that delay the process by [...]
Running a food and beverage business in Singapore involves more regulatory layers than almost any other small-business sector. The corporate-secretarial obligations under the Companies Act 1967 are only the foundation — on top of those, F&B operators have to navigate licensing under the Sale of Food Act 1973, food safety rules under the Singapore Food [...]
Receiving the Letter of Offer from Enterprise Singapore is the moment most companies treat the grant as "done". In reality, that letter is the starting line, not the finish. The next 6–24 months — claim submissions, milestone reporting, qualifying expenditure substantiation, and post-disbursement audit — determine whether the funded amount actually lands in your bank [...]