The Isle of Man Companies Registry has issued the first Certificate of Incorporation to a company that has used the new digital filing service offering businesses the efficiency and cost effectiveness of becoming fully incorporated online.

This is the first of a new breed of digital services that build on the new Companies Registry system delivered in September 2015 and will ultimately allow the full lifecycle of company management to be completed digitally.

The news has been welcomed by Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK, who said:

‘Supporting economic growth is a core priority of Government. This new service is a good example of how we can support business by making dealing with Government easier while recognising the backdrop of evolving international standards.

‘Modern systems and digital services such as those in Companies Registry will help us ensure we remain internationally competitive, but also remain at the forefront of international compliance. This action is a further step forward, supporting the commitment recently announced on the introduction of a central electronic register of beneficial ownership.’

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly MHK commented:

‘The Isle of Man strives to set the bar for international standards when it comes to company registration, whilst also ensuring we are cost effective and efficient in the way we deal with our business community.

‘I am really pleased that we have worked in partnership with our corporate service provider community to create this new service. With this initiative we continue to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the industry through innovation and investment in digital systems.’

John Wilkinson, Director of the Companies Registry, said:

‘This service, initially for companies incorporated under the Companies Act 2006, is the first of many services we will be launching and is a result of teamwork between the Companies Registry staff, Government Technology Services, our supplier PDMS and some of our customers. It is a great example of how Government’s Digital Strategy helps us work with our customers to deliver improved digital services that benefit them as well as Government. We’ll continue this model as we extend our digital services across all company filings and company types.’

Barbara Jolly, Manager of Statutory Services at Equiom (Isle of Man) Limited, commented:

‘We were really pleased to be asked to be involved in the design – not just of this first service but in the long term vision for all corporate services. Being the first to use the system we can say we are really pleased with how it performed. We are looking forward to more services including those that will allow us to directly interact from within our own systems helping to keep our industry competitive.’