Corporate Registers Forum
The Corporate Registers Forum is a non-profit international association of government agencies responsible for corporate registry administration, spanning 74 member jurisdictions. It runs an annual conference, members-only portal, and tiered membership programme to facilitate best-practice exchange and policy collaboration among sovereign registry authorities worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersCardiff, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Corporate Registers Forum does
The Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) is a non-profit international association founded in 2003 (originally as the Asia Pacific Corporate Registers Forum, renamed in 2005) that convenes the government agencies responsible for administering corporate and business registries. Membership is open exclusively to sovereign registry authorities and related public-interest bodies, with 74 member jurisdictions currently participating. Its purpose is to facilitate the exchange of best practice, peer benchmarking, and policy collaboration across registry systems worldwide — covering topics such as beneficial ownership transparency, registry modernisation, digital transformation, and enforcement.
CRF's core deliverables are services rather than software: an annual international conference (23 editions held since 2003, with Singapore 2026 and Tunisia 2025 as the most recent venues), a members-only portal for resource access and conference registration, and a tiered membership structure (Full, Observer, and Associate). The Secretariat is operationally hosted by the New Zealand Companies Office, with a General Secretary (Martin Fidler Jones) based at Companies House UK, and governance exercised through an elected Executive Committee chaired by President Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas (CEO, Malta Business Registry).
The business model is a recurring annual subscription: government agencies and qualifying non-profit organisations pay membership dues that are not publicly disclosed, and derive value from conference access, working groups, and partnerships with peer associations (IACA, EBRA, ASORLAC, AFREC) and standards bodies (UNCITRAL, EU BRIS). There are no external shareholders, no venture funding, and no financial disclosures; CRF is member-owned and member-governed under a constitution most recently ratified at the Malta AGM on 20 October 2023.
Corporate Registers Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Corporate Registers Forum
- Legal name
- Corporate Registers Forum
- Website
- https://corporateregistersforum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Corporate Registers Forum is a non-profit international association of government agencies responsible for corporate registry administration, spanning 74 member jurisdictions. It runs an annual conference, members-only portal, and tiered membership programme to facilitate best-practice exchange and policy collaboration among sovereign registry authorities worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Corporate Registers Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association / Industry Membership Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)
Keywords
Where Corporate Registers Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cardiff
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Corporate Registers Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: CRF generates revenue through membership fees from Full Members, Observer Members, and Associate Members. Government agencies and departments responsible for company/business registration pay membership dues to participate in the forum's activities, conferences, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Membership for government agencies responsible for corporate registries |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Corporate Registers Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Corporate Registers Forum is an international non-profit membership association that provides a platform for government agencies responsible for corporate (body corporate) registries to exchange experiences and information on the operation of corporate business registration systems. The organization offers three membership categories — Full, Observer, and Associate — alongside an annual international conference series and a secure members portal for resources, networking, and knowledge sharing across 74 jurisdictions globally.
Product overview
The Corporate Registers Forum is a global membership association for government agencies responsible for corporate registries. It does not offer a traditional software product but provides a suite of member services including a members-only portal for accessing resources and conference registration, annual international conferences for knowledge exchange and networking, and three membership tiers (Full, Observer, and Associate) for corporate registries and related organisations. The CRF's primary value proposition is facilitating international cooperation, best practice sharing, and the continuous development of efficient registry systems among its member jurisdictions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CRF Members Portal A secure online portal for CRF members providing access to resources, conference information, member-only content, and conference registration functionality. Targeted at Full, Observer, and Associate Members of the association.
- CRF Annual Conference Annual international conference bringing together registry leaders and regulatory experts to discuss developments and innovations in business registration services. The 2026 edition is themed 'Future-Ready Business Registries: Next Generation Transformation' and will be held in Singapore. Targeted at government corporate registry officials and member jurisdictions.
- Full Membership Membership category for government agencies and departments responsible for the administration of corporate registers. Full Members can vote, be elected to the Executive Committee, and participate in all CRF events.
- Observer Membership A one-year trial membership category for jurisdictions not yet part of CRF, allowing prospective corporate registries to experience membership value. Observer Members cannot vote or be elected to the Executive Committee.
- Associate Membership
Quantifiable outcome
- 74 jurisdictions participating in global registry cooperation network
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Corporate Registers Forum
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Corporate Registers Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Corporate Registers Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA)coreIACA is a professional association for government administrators of business entity and secured transaction record systems, with a focus on the United States and Canadian registry community. Founded in 1978, IACA has an overlapping membership base with CRF and both organizations participate in joint initiatives and knowledge sharing. CRF recognizes IACA as one of four global associations focused on business registries.
- European Business Registry Association (EBRA)coreEBRA was formed in January 2019 through the coalition of the European Business Register (EBR) and the European Commerce Registers' Forum (ECRF). EBRA promotes business transparency and supports European business registers in advancing single market objectives. Both EBRA and CRF collaborate on registry improvement initiatives and share best practices across jurisdictions.
- Association of Registers of Latin America and the Caribbean (ASORLAC)coreASORLAC is a non-profit organization registered in 2010 that promotes and facilitates exchanging information on registration systems among Latin American and Caribbean countries. CRF serves as a liaison among ASORLAC member countries and works collaboratively on registry best practices.
- Business Registry InsightssupportingBusiness Registry Insights is a global, practitioner-led initiative that produces semi-annual surveys and interactive dashboards tracking trends across over a hundred business registries worldwide. The project is supported by organisations including EBRA, CRF, IACA, and ASORLAC. CRF participates in this initiative to provide standardized, longitudinal data and comparative analytics for registry benchmarking.
- Francophone Alliance of Business and Commerce Registers (AFREC)supportingAFREC brings together public institutions responsible for managing business, company, and beneficial ownership registers across French-speaking countries. Established during the Forum of Francophone Registries in Djerba, AFREC aims to strengthen cooperation among national registry authorities. CRF supports AFREC's mission to modernize and harmonize business registry systems throughout the francophone world.
- Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS)supportingBRIS is European Union infrastructure that facilitates access to information on EU companies and ensures all EU business registers can communicate electronically in relation to cross-border mergers and foreign branches. CRF member registries in EU countries participate in BRIS to enhance confidence in the single market through transparency.
- United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)supportingUNCITRAL is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its working group has been looking at a model companies law along with a legislative guide on key principles of a business registry. CRF works with UNCITRAL on modernizing and harmonizing rules on international business.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Corporate Registers Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS): The BCBS is the global standard-setting body for banking supervision, comprising central banks and supervisors. It is a structural peer to CRF as a committee-style international body whose members are government regulatory agencies collaborating on standards and best practice.
- FATF (Financial Action Task Force): FATF sets global standards (the FATF Recommendations) on AML, CTF, and beneficial ownership transparency — directly relevant to corporate registries. It is a high-level peer to CRF as a member-based intergovernmental body driving agenda that registries must implement.
- International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS): IAIS is the global standard-setting body for insurance supervisors, membership comprising insurance regulators worldwide. It is comparable to CRF as a long-established, member-funded international association with working groups, annual conferences, and standards development.
- Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units: The Egmont Group is a global association of Financial Intelligence Units focused on AML and financial intelligence sharing. It is a structural peer to CRF as a member-funded, government-agency-only international association with operating committees, working groups, and annual plenaries.
- World Federation of Exchanges (WFE): WFE is the global industry association for regulated exchanges and clearinghouses. It is comparable to CRF as a long-standing, member-funded global association serving regulated financial market infrastructures, with a similar conference-driven and working-group engagement model.
Regional players
- Francophone Alliance of Business and Commerce Registers (AFREC): AFREC brings together public institutions managing business, company, and beneficial ownership registers across French-speaking countries. It is a regional peer to CRF focused on a specific linguistic/geographic community, with CRF-listed partnership and support.
- Association of Registers of Latin America and the Caribbean (ASORLAC): ASORLAC is a non-profit (founded 2010) that promotes information exchange on registration systems across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a regional peer to CRF with overlapping members and collaborative initiatives.
Direct peers
- European Business Registry Association (EBRA): EBRA promotes business transparency and supports European business registers, formed in 2019 from the merger of EBR and ECRF. It is a direct peer to CRF as a registry-focused association, with overlapping membership and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA): IACA is a non-profit professional association for government administrators of business entity and secured transaction record systems, focused on US and Canadian registries. It is directly comparable to CRF as a registry-association counterpart with overlapping membership and joint initiatives.
Emerging players
- Business Registry Insights: Business Registry Insights is a practitioner-led initiative producing semi-annual surveys and dashboards tracking trends across 100+ business registries, supported by EBRA, CRF, IACA and ASORLAC. It is an emerging peer/adjacent player creating data and benchmarking assets that could compete with CRF's knowledge-dissemination role.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Corporate Registers Forum social profiles
Digital presenceCorporate Registers Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Corporate Registers Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Corporate Registers Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Corporate Registers Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Corporate Registers Forum
What does Corporate Registers Forum do?
Corporate Registers Forum is an international non-profit membership association that provides a platform for government agencies responsible for corporate (body corporate) registries to exchange experiences and information on the operation of corporate business registration systems. The organization offers three membership categories — Full, Observer, and Associate — alongside an annual international conference series and a secure members portal for resources, networking, and knowledge sharing across 74 jurisdictions globally.
Is Corporate Registers Forum a public or private company?
Corporate Registers Forum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Corporate Registers Forum founded?
Corporate Registers Forum was founded in 2003. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Corporate Registers Forum based?
Corporate Registers Forum is headquartered in Cardiff, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Corporate Registers Forum make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are Corporate Registers Forum's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), FATF (Financial Action Task Force), International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units and World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). Regional players are Francophone Alliance of Business and Commerce Registers (AFREC) and Association of Registers of Latin America and the Caribbean (ASORLAC). Direct peers are European Business Registry Association (EBRA) and International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA). Business Registry Insights is listed as an emerging player.
Does Corporate Registers Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Corporate Registers Forum.
What industry is Corporate Registers Forum in?
Corporate Registers Forum's product category is Professional Association / Industry Membership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies), with a secondary code of THAHAMAD, Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.