Prior to the Companies Act 1967, registration of companies was governed by various ordinances passed at different periods of time by the British Colonial Government. The first of such ordinances was the Companies Ordinance 1889. Up to 1889, the companies legislation affecting Singapore were the Indian Joint Stock Companies Act of 1857; the Indian Limited Liability Joint Stock Bank Act of 1860; and the Indian Companies Act of 1866. The Companies Ordinance 1889 repealed these ordinances/acts, although the Registry of Joint Stock Companies retained its name and continued to function until the Companies Ordinance of 1923 when it was renamed Registry of Companies (ROC). The ROC played an important role in the registration and administration of corporate activities in Singapore. Its essential functions included the registration of companies wishing to be incorporated; submission of annual returns by registered companies; and regulation and supervision to insure that companies complied with the companies ordinances/acts. In 1983, for administrative purposes, the ROC merged with the Registry of Businesses to form the Registry of Companies and Businesses. Legally however, each functioned as a separate department.
