THE number of registered businesses rose by 6.8 percent in February, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
Data from the DTI’s Business Name Registration System (BNRS) showed a total of 116,589 listed firms in February compared to 109,798 in the same period last year.
Of the figures, 100,596 were new registrations, while 15,993 were renewals.
Majority of the business names at 98,252 were registered online, 16,912 went through the hybrid process, and 1,425 were walk-in registrations.
The wholesale and retail trade sector accounted for the largest share at 63,460 registrations, including motor vehicles and motorcycle repair, as well as personal and household goods.
Accommodation and food services ranked second with 16,157 listings.
Rounding out the top five were real estate, 6,655; manufacturing, 6,103; and other service activities, 5,237.
By location, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Calabarzon) topped the list with 22,003 registered business names.
Region 3 (Central Luzon) was second with 17,059; followed by Metro Manila, 16,202; Region 1 (Ilocos), 6,994; and Region 7 (Central Visayas), 5,928.
The business name filings also increased by six percent at 367,757 in the first two months of the year compared to 345,903 in the same period in 2025.
Last year, the number dropped 4 percent to 1.02 million, lower than the 1.06 million in 2024.