All domestic stock corporations, excluding lending and financing companies, are now required to use the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new fully online, paperless company registration system.

The SEC introduced SEC Zuper Easy Registration Online (ZERO) in a memorandum issued last week to simplify the registration process using its eSPARC and OneSEC portals.

SEC ZERO eliminates the need for hard copies of notarized or physically signed documents.

The system enables applicants to submit and authenticate registration documents electronically, with integration to eSECURE for user verification and eSAP for document authentication through one-time passwords (OTPs), replacing traditional paper-based signatures.

“SEC ZERO exemplifies our commitment to digitalization and sustainability, making setting up a business easier and faster than ever,” said SEC chairperson Emilio Aquino.

“By allowing companies to authenticate their registration documents online, company registration can now be done anytime and anywhere.”

“The credentialing process through eSECURE, plus authentication through eSAP, further enables us to filter out scheming individuals wanting to use the corporate vehicle to defraud the public. With this, those registering corporations are identified and can be held accountable, if need be.”