SEC's registration system wins int'l innovation award
The Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) system won a 2023 Innovation Award at the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) held in Malta from Oct. 17 to 20.
The SEC’s eSPARC, launched in 2021, is the automated system developed to hasten and streamline the company’s registration processes and applications. It is managed by the SEC’s in-house information technology teams to ensure it operates to its full capacity.
The system primarily helps reduce the processing time from 16 steps in 34 days to simply three days. One of its components, the One-Day Submission and Electronic Registration of Companies (OneSEC), posts a record one minute and 14 seconds from the start of application to the receipt of a digital Certificate of Incorporation.
“The SEC is proud to accept this award, as it showcases not only our dedication to easing the doing of business in the country but also the benefits of embracing digital transformation,” said SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino.
The eSPARC is integrated with the Philippine Business Hub, and enables companies to register with other government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System, and the Home Mutual Development Fund (PAG-IBIG), after successful registration with the SEC.
As of 2022, the commission has logged a 13 percent increase in company registrations, totaling 42,926 compared to its initial launch.
“We will continue to improve and innovate our existing and soon-to-be launched digital innovations in order to make our services easily accessible and efficient to the benefit of the investing public, the Philippine corporate sector, and the economy as a whole,” Aquino added.
Other digital transformation initiatives developed by the SEC are the Electronic System for Payments to the SEC (eSPAYSEC), Electronic Filing and Submission Tool (eFAST), Electronic SEC Universal Registration Environment (eSECURE); Electronic SEC Education, Analysis, Research Computing Hub (eSEARCH); SEC API Marketplace; Electronic Registration Application for Market Participants (eRAMP); and the SEC CheckApp 2.0.
The SEC was among the six international regulators who received the commendation from the CRF. Other winners were Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority, Maldives’ Ministry of Economic Development, Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission, and the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services.
The CRF, an international association of international corporate registries, confers the Innovation Award to CRF members who have implemented unique digital solutions to enhance capacity and productivity of companies, and provide efficient customer services.