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ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Slight decrease in the number of new companies

The number of new companies established in 2023 was slightly below the figure for 2022.

We processed significantly more changes to company register data than in the previous year. We managed to reduce the notification backlog and in particular, to shorten the processing times of start-up notifications.

Number of start-up notifications at previous year’s levels

The number of start-up notifications received by the Trade Register was at previous year’s levels: In 2023, they totalled 38,833 compared to 38,665 in 2022.


Processed start-up notifications

There was a slight decrease in the number of processed start-up notifications: In 2023, we processed 37,974 start-up notifications compared to 38,910 in 2022.


Processed notifications of changes

There was a substantial increase in the number of processed change notifications: In 2023, we processed 271,903 change notifications compared to 230,601 in 2022.


Processed notifications of beneficial owners

There was a marked increase in the number of processed notifications of beneficial owners: In 2023, we processed 51,233 notifications of beneficial owners compared to 37,088 in 2022.


Enterprise mortgage affairs

The number of enterprise mortgage matters submitted to the Trade Register remained at previous year’s levels: In 2023, they totalled 4,238 compared to 4,428 in 2022.

Keeping trade register data up to date easier under the new Trade Register Act

The new Trade Register Act entered into force on 1 June 2023. The new act provides the users of trade register data with more certainty that the data kept in the register is more comprehensive and of higher quality than in the past. The new act gives the PRH more effective instruments to keep the register data up to date.

The new act will be applied in stages, and some of the new provisions will enter into force in 2025 and 2026.

During 2023, we made preparations for the new provisions by developing our systems and online services. Read more about the new Trade Register Act.Open link in a new tab

New online services

In spring 2023, we introduced the updated information service (company and organisation search) of the Business Information System (YTJ). The service contains basic details of all companies and organisations with a Business ID and it is one of the most popular online services of the PRH. We used customer feedback and other information in the updating of the service.

We developed the online notification process by launching a new service for starting a limited liability company. With the new service, a limited liability company can be established online in most situations where it was not possible in the past.

We also updated the guided package to set up a limited liability company, in which the service creates the memorandum of association and articles of association for the company.

Updating of the online customer and information services will continue in the coming years.

Further action planned as part of the Real-Time Economy project

The PRH-coordinated Real-Time Economy project progressed on schedule.

During 2023, the project examined the digital wallet of companies and organisations from the perspective of customers and legislation and promoted the introduction of the electronic receipt (e-receipt).

Cooperation with the project allowed the PRH to introduce the e-receipt as the first central government accounting office. A customer making a payment at the PRH service point in Helsinki will receive an e-receipt for the purchase if the customer has concluded an agreement with a service provider supplying e-receipts.

The project continued the preparations of the digital economy ecosystem by implementing tools that can be used to develop cooperation between large entities on the basis of the situation picture of companies and the market.

The project will continue until the end of 2024 and after that, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment acts as the ministry responsible for the digital economy ecosystem, and the PRH as the agency responsible for the entity. Read more about the project and its outputs: www.yrityksendigitalous.fi/enOpen link in a new tab

We worked to pro­mote dig­i­tal fi­nan­cial state­ments

The aim of the PRH is to in­crease the num­ber of dig­i­tal fi­nan­cial state­ments.

About 260,000 fi­nan­cial state­ments are sub­mit­ted to the Trade Reg­is­ter each year and only a small per­cent­age of them are in dig­i­tal for­mat.

Dur­ing 2023, we pro­moted the use of dig­i­tal fi­nan­cial state­ments as part of the Real-Time Econ­omy pro­ject in pi­lots car­ried out in co­op­er­a­tion with two soft­ware sup­pli­ers.

We made prepa­ra­tions for sus­tain­abil­ity re­ports

We started prepa­ra­tions to re­ceive sus­tain­abil­ity re­ports sub­mit­ted by large com­pa­nies as part of their fi­nan­cial state­ments. The oblig­a­tion of listed and other large com­pa­nies to pro­duce sus­tain­abil­ity re­ports will be grad­u­ally in­tro­duced from the fi­nan­cial year start­ing in 2024.

In sus­tain­abil­ity re­ports, large com­pa­nies pro­vide in­for­ma­tion on their ad­min­is­tra­tion and on the im­pacts of their op­er­a­tions on the en­vi­ron­ment and so­ci­ety at large. In the fu­ture, they must sub­mit the sus­tain­abil­ity re­port and all other doc­u­ments in­cluded in the fi­nan­cial state­ments to the Trade Reg­is­ter in dig­i­tal for­mat.

The PRH will ap­prove the au­di­tors ver­i­fy­ing cor­po­rate sus­tain­abil­ity re­port­ing and su­per­vise their work.