Acra

What Acra does

ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) is a Singapore statutory board under the Ministry of Finance, established in 2004, that serves as the national regulator for business registration, financial reporting, public accountants, and corporate service providers. It regulates every company, foreign company, LLP, limited partnership, and variable capital company registered in Singapore, and under the CSP Act 2024, all entities providing corporate services in Singapore. Its primary constituents are local and foreign businesses, Corporate Service Providers (CSPs), registered public accountants and audit firms, and the general public seeking corporate transparency information.

ACRA operates a digital platform ecosystem anchored by BizFile (bizfile.gov.sg), the mandatory online portal for company registration, annual return filing, share management, and business information purchases. Supporting infrastructure includes the ACRA API Marketplace (apimall.acra.gov.sg) for programmatic third-party access to registry data, trustBar for verification of business entity authenticity, XBRL filing tools (BizFinx PrepTool and patches) for structured financial statement submission, VCC eServices for variable capital company-specific filings, and ACRA Academy eLearning for accountancy professional development. Ask Ada, an AI-powered chatbot on BizFile, provides automated answers to common queries. The platform integrates with national digital identity systems Singpass and Corppass for authentication of individuals and businesses.

ACRA's operating model is that of a government regulatory authority rather than a commercial enterprise. Its revenue mechanics are a mix of government appropriations and transactional fees from filing services and paid business information products (with free business profiles and registers provided after incorporation), supplemented by certified Information Service Providers authorized to resell ACRA data. Enforcement is proactive, including the 2024 striking off of 50,000+ non-compliant entities, director disqualification, and imposition of fines (e.g., a $108,000 fine for authorising false filings). ACRA's market is essentially the entire Singapore corporate ecosystem, served through mandated digital filings rather than voluntary product adoption.

Name

Acra

Legal name

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority

Website

https://acra.gov.sg

Company type

Public

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) is Singapore's national statutory regulator for business registration, financial reporting, public accountants, and corporate service providers, operating the BizFile portal and supporting digital ecosystem for Singapore-incorporated entities, CSPs, and audit firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Business Registry and Corporate Regulation

NAICS

Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (92613)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulator/Authority Connectivity & Submission Gateways (APIs, Portals) (FSAFAKAN)

Keywords

• Business registration
• Corporate regulatory services
• Annual return filing
• Company registry data
• Financial reporting compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACRA is Singapore's national regulator for business registration, financial reporting, public accountants, and corporate service providers. It operates the Bizfile online portal as the central gateway for company registration, annual return filings, and business information purchases, supplemented by an API Marketplace, trust*Bar verification service, XBRL financial filing tools, VCC eServices portal, and ACRA Academy e-learning platform. The offering enables statutory compliance with the Companies Act, beneficial ownership transparency, and FATF-aligned AML/CFT requirements across Singapore's corporate ecosystem.

Product overview

ACRA operates as Singapore's national business registry and corporate regulator, providing a digital platform ecosystem centered on Bizfile for business registration and filings. The core offering includes the Bizfile portal for all corporate filings, the ACRA API Marketplace for third-party integrations, XBRL filing tools for financial statements, trust*Bar for verification services, and VCC eServices for variable capital companies. Supporting services include ACRA Academy for professional development and the Ask Ada chatbot for user support. The platform enables compliance with Singapore's corporate regulatory requirements including annual returns, beneficial ownership registers, and financial reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bizfile: Online filing and information portal for business registration and filing services
• VCC eServices
• API Mall
• trustBar
• ACRA Academy

Products and services

• Bizfile ACRA's primary online portal enabling businesses and intermediaries to register entities, file annual returns, update company particulars, manage shares, purchase business information products, and submit statutory filings in Singapore. Available 24/7 via Singpass and Corppass authentication.
• ACRA API Marketplace Developer portal providing programmatic access to ACRA's registry data and services through APIs. Enables third-party developers, CSPs, and other businesses to integrate automated filings, business data retrieval, and real-time compliance verification into their own systems and applications.
• trust*Bar ACRA Verification Service enabling users to confirm the authenticity of business entities registered in Singapore and verify their filings. Supports corporate transparency and counterparty due diligence by validating entity status and registration details.
• XBRL Filing Tools (BizFinx PrepTool) Software suite including BizFinx PrepTool and accompanying patches for preparing and filing financial statements in XBRL format. Supports Singapore-incorporated companies in meeting their statutory financial reporting obligations, with periodic performance optimisation updates ahead of peak filing periods.
• VCC eServices Dedicated electronic services portal for Variable Capital Companies (VCCs) operating in Singapore. Enables VCCs to manage their regulatory filings, striking-off procedures, and ongoing compliance requirements separately from standard company filings.
• ACRA Academy (eLearn) E-learning portal delivering professional development and training resources aligned with the Skills Framework for Accountancy. Supports continuing professional development for accountancy professionals, with courses drawn from partner institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• ACRA struck off 50,000 non-compliant entities in 2024, demonstrating proactive enforcement of compliance standards

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Companies House (UK): United Kingdom's statutory registrar of companies, performing the same core function as ACRA: incorporation, maintenance of company records, public access to filings, and digital service delivery. Frequently benchmarked internationally as a peer corporate registry.
• Delaware Division of Corporations: US state's corporate registry and a leading international competitor for offshore incorporations; offers similar incorporation, annual report, and information services to ACRA, and is a benchmark in cross-border entity formation.

Regional players

• Companies Registry (Hong Kong): Hong Kong's corporate registry under the IRO; a direct functional peer providing incorporation, annual return filing, and public search services, and a key regional competitor for entity formation versus Singapore.
• Ministry of Corporate Affairs (India): India's central regulator for company registration, LLPs, and oversight of company secretaries; operates the MCA21 portal analogous to BizFile, with similar registry, filing, and public information access functions for the Indian market.
• State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR, China): China's central regulator covering business registration, market supervision, and competition enforcement; functionally similar to ACRA for company registration and registry maintenance across the Chinese market.

Others

• Financial Action Task Force (FATF): Global AML/CFT standard-setter; ACRA's beneficial ownership and CSP regimes are explicitly aligned with FATF standards, making FATF an ecosystem shaper rather than a direct competitor but a highly material peer from a regulatory-design perspective.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): Australia's integrated corporate, markets, and financial services regulator; performs company registration and oversight similar to ACRA but also regulates securities, markets, and consumer credit — making it a broader incumbent relative to ACRA's narrower remit.
• Enterprise Singapore (ESG): Singapore's statutory board under MTI overseeing business development, standards, and enterprise growth; complements ACRA's registry role with enterprise capability-building, and shares overlapping government ecosystem positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/accounting-and-corporate-regulatory-authority-acra-
• Xx.com/acra_sg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SG.ACRA

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acra