DTI: 2025 business activity retreats

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recorded fewer business registrations and renewals last year, with total registrations down by nearly four percent amid the country’s slower economic performance.

- BY DEXTER BARRO II

Data from the DTI’s Business Name Registration System (BNRS) showed that business name registrations dipped to 1.02 million in 2025 from the 1.06 million recorded in the prior year.

Of the year’s total, 882,821 were new business names, while 137,629 were renewals.

The wholesale and retail trade, which also covers the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, as well as personal and household goods, was the leading sector last year with 544,779 registrations or 53 percent of the total.

Accommodation and food service activities ranked second with 139,388 applications, followed by manufacturing with 57,602 registrations, real estate activities with 53,424, and transportation and storage with 46,615.