Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 657 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2009, down by 20.4% year-on-year, with the total value of registered capital declining by 17.9% to MOP81 million. Among these new companies, 248 (with registered capital of MOP20 million) were operating in Wholesale and Retail, 113 (MOP7 million) in Business Services and 92 (MOP7 million) in Construction.

Furthermore, 480 new companies (73.1% of total) were incorporated with registered capital of MOP50,000 or less and the corresponding capital (MOP14 million) made up merely 16.8% of the total. Meanwhile, there were 9 new companies incorporated with registered capital of more than MOP1,000,000 and the corresponding value of capital accounted for 38.8% of the total (MOP32 million). In addition, over eighty percent of the new incorporations were limited companies.

Capital of the new companies came mainly from Macao (MOP57 million), Mainland China (MOP10 million) and Hong Kong (MOP5 million). Capital from Guangdong Province (MOP4 million) took the lead among the Pan-Pearl River Delta provinces.

Analysed by shareholders’ place of residence, 387 new companies were established solely by Macao shareholders, 91 were joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries/regions; meanwhile, there were 179 new companies incorporated by shareholders from countries/regions other than Macao.

In the second quarter of 2009, number of dissolution of companies was similar to that a year ago, at 102, with the total value of registered capital amounting to MOP1.93 billion. Among the companies in dissolution, registered capital of 17 Real Estate companies took up 98.5% of the total.