Business name registrations climbed for the second consecutive month in July, signaling a continued uptick in entrepreneurial activity, data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed.
A total of 79,316 business names were registered last month, up 11 percent from 71,566 in June. This followed an 8.2 percent rise in June from 66,127 recorded in May.
Despite the sequential gains, the July 2025 figure was still 8.9 percent lower than the 87,058 business names registered in the same month last year, based on data from the DTI’s Business Name Registration System (BNRS).
From January to July this year, total registrations reached 708,331 — down 7.5 percent from 766,168 in the same period in 2024.
As of August 3, BNRS data showed cumulative registrations for the year at 712,920. Of this, 611,231 were new business names, while 101,689 were renewals.
Retail trade (excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles) kept the lead with 351,176 registrations, followed by food and beverage services at 82,080, and real estate activities with 38,809.
Business names are issued as legal identities for sole proprietorships. However, a business name registration does not constitute a license to operate, the DTI said.
