The ECCTA’s prototype is established: the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, onset by the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) principle is introduced. Overseas entities are obliged to register the beneficial owners of UK properties if the individual holds more than 25% of the shares or voting rights in the entity.

ECCTA receives Royal Assent

ECCTA 2023, s 214 (sanctions enforcement: monetary penalties)

ECCTA 2023, ss 196–198, Sch 12 (criminal liability of bodies, economic crimes). ECCTA 2023, s 213 (reports on the implementation and operation of ECCTA 2023, Parts 1–3).

ECCTA 2023, ss 22, 27, 67, 103, 147 (various national security-related defences and exemptions to new requirements concerning company names and identity verification requirements).

Several provisions of the ECCTA come into effect, including:

• section 2—a requirement to confirm lawful purpose on incorporation
• sections 8–21, 23–26—stronger checks on company names and new rules for registered office addresses
• section 28—appropriate address for registered office
• sections 29, 30—a requirement for all companies to supply a registered email address
• sections 79–87—greater powers given to Companies House to query, rectify and remove information from the register

The Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Register of Overseas Entities) Regulations 2024 come into force.

These regulations amend existing Companies House fees and introduce new fees, taking into account the cost of investigations and enforcement activities anticipated by Companies House under the ECCTA.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Financial Penalty) Regulations 2024 come into force

Since October 2024, Companies House has been able to issue financial penalties for any relevant offences under ECCTA and the Companies Act 2006. Companies that do not comply with their legal obligations, for example, to file their confirmation statements or accounts on time, could face financial penalties and lose Companies House’s support. More serious offences could result in civil action, director disqualification or potentially even criminal prosecution.

Companies House publishes Transition Plan outlining preliminary timeline for introducing the reforms under ECCTA.

The Information Sharing (Disclosure by the Registrar) Regulations 2024 came into force. The regulations allow Companies House to share information with insolvency practitioners and other insolvency officeholders if they suspect any fraudulent or wrongful behaviour.

The Registrar (Identity Verification and Authorised Corporate Service Providers) Regulations 2025 (IDV Regulations) and the Unique Identifiers (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2025 (UID Regulations) were published. These regulations form part of the new IDV regime and make provision about IDV, Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) and Unique Identifiers (UIDs).

The Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Protection and Disclosure of Information and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024 came into force, including provisions that widen the range of circumstances in which individuals may apply to Companies House to protect their usual residential address from public disclosure on the register.

Combatting Economic Offences: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is a significant legislative initiative introduced by the UK Government, aimed at combatting the exploitation of corporate structures in relation to fraud and money laundering. Receiving Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, the ECCTA introduces a host of reforms to Company Law and greater powers to Companies House, thereby affecting both new and existing corporate entities. The ECCTA applies to all UK registered legal entities, UK companies, UK Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP), UK Limited Partnerships (LP) and overseas companies with a UK establishment registered. Some provisions held by the ECCTA are already in force whilst others are expected to fully take effect in the next two years.

Companies House published Registrar’s Rules relating to the new IDV regime on 5 February 2025, setting out the information and types of evidence individuals will be required to provide.

Individuals and organisations will be able to register as an ACSP, enabling them to carry out IDV ahead of the regime becoming mandatory.

The registrar’s new power to expedite the strike off a company registered on a false basis is also expected to come into effect and Companies House will be able to annotate the register in specific situations involving disqualified directors and unresolved statutory notices.

Company directors and PSCs can voluntarily verify their identity directly with Companies House or through an ACSP via GOV.UK One Login.

Companies House publishes new guidance on how individuals can verify their identity for Companies House; and how ACSPs can inform Companies House once they have verified an individual’s identity

Since this date, individuals have been able to apply to suppress the following information from historic documents: residential address in most instances when shown elsewhere on the register, day of birth for documents registered before 10 March 2015 (only the month and year of birth have been publicly displayed since 10 March 2015), signatures and business occupation.

A new volume of the Registrar’s Rules relating to the register of overseas entities (ROE Rules 2025) came into force, setting out the requirements applicable to the documents delivered to the registrar of companies in respect of the ROE.

Under Part 35 CA 2006, the registrar is authorised to make rules governing the filing of documents at Companies House. The Registrar’s Rules are made under s 1117 CA 2006 and outline the form, manner of delivery and authentication methods for documents delivered to Companies House in electronic or paper format.

Companies House has been able to allow access on request to certain trust information on the Register of Overseas Entities.

You will need to use GOV.UK One Login to access your Companies House WebFiling account. From this date, users signing into WebFiling will be redirected to connect their accounts to GOV.UK One Login. Anyone who shares access to a WebFiling account will need to create their own GOV.UK One Login, using a different email address, and will no longer be able to access information in the shared account.

Companies House has been able to make identity verification a compulsory part of incorporation and new appointments for new directors and PSCs and has begun the 12-month transition phase to require more than 7 million existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity – the identity verification will happen as part of the annual confirmation statement filing.

The statutory obligations on companies to keep the following registers locally were abolished:

• register of directors
• register of directors’ residential addresses
• register of secretaries
• register of persons with significant control

These registers are now held centrally at Companies House. In order to ensure these registers remain up to date, enhanced filing obligations are in place. Although it is no longer a statutory requirement, companies may consider it good practice to continue to maintain these registers locally and ensure any historical registers are kept accessible.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 7) Regulations 2026 came into effect, bringing into force s 49 ECCTA 2023, which removes the option for private companies to keep membership information on the central register held by Companies House instead of in the ‘local’ register of members. All companies are now required to maintain their own register of members, with transitional provisions applying to those that previously elected to keep their register of members with Companies House.

Companies House fees changing: Changes to Companies House fees – Changes to UK company law

Companies House should be able to: require all Limited Partnerships (LPs) to submit additional information for increased transparency; complete the IDV process for all individuals on the register and commence compliance activity against those who failed to verify their identity; and, finally, facilitate data cross-checking between Companies House and other public and private sector bodies.

Companies House should be able to make identity verification of the presenters a compulsory part of filing any document. They will also require third party agents filing on behalf of companies to be registered as an ACSP.

Changes to company accounts, which were previously due to come into force on 1 April 2027, have been postponed to come into effect from 1 April 2028 to allow companies and software providers more time to prepare. The changes will include the requirement for all accounts filings to be filed digitally using commercial software (in iXBRL format), with the existing web/paper routes (including the dormant accounts web service) to be closed. Companies claiming an audit exemption will also be required to provide a strengthened eligibility statement. In addition, there will be changes to the filing requirements for micro-entity and small company accounts, including:

• Profit and loss accounts will be required for small and micro-entity companies, but with the option to opt out of publishing this information on the public register
• Removing the ability to file ‘abridged’ accounts
• Additional statement on the balance sheet re audit exemptions
• Restricting number of times accounting reference dates can be shortened

Companies will have one full accounting year, plus 9 months (21 months total) to prepare for the changes