FMIT Implements new Online Companies Registry in Tonga - www.companies.gov.to
Tonga's first online registry went live on Monday the 16th of November. The new online registry is a culmination of legal reform, business process improvement and technology to be a leading example in what the South Pacific island nations can achieve. The new registry service will provide better public access to company information. This is the start of a program of online registry services for Tonga.
FMIT, IFC and MED have been working together for the last two years to implement the first online companies registry in Tonga. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has been driving legal reform of the Tongan companies act. This reform has focussed on enabling growth of the local economy and aid in business reform initiatives with provisions for the use of online services to help stimulate growth. This work has paved the way for the implementation of an online companies registry. The NZ Ministry of Economic Development (MED) and Foster Moore IT have implemented the software registry solution based on MED and FMIT's award winning registry solutions. The website is now live at http://www.companies.gov.to. All Tongan companies are now available online for public searching of their current company details.
All companies in Tonga are required to go through a re-registration process from 1 December this year. This process will ensure that the registry is accurate and upto date following the riots in 2006 when the registry building and the associated paper files were destroyed by fire. The Tongan Companies Office (MLCI) is planning to expand its online services over the next few years to include online companies registration and annual filing.
