Companies House unveils five year strategy for greater transparency

Holly Chadwick, Solicitor

On 23 October 2025, Companies House released a blog post in relation to launching its five-year strategy, with an aim to build on the new powers and responsibilities introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). Following ECCTA, Companies House now actively check and challenge information filed with them in an aim to prevent misuse of registers and fraudulent activity.

The Three Strategy Pillars

The new Companies House strategy mainly focuses on three pillars:

• Building trust in data
  • Companies House aims to become the “trusted guardian of corporate transparency” by 2030. This means ensuring that the information on the register is accurate, up-to-date, and reliable – giving businesses confidence when engaging with third party stakeholders. This includes promoting awareness of Companies House internationally to raise standards globally.
• Cracking down on economic crime
  • With already enhanced powers under ECCTA, Companies House is now equipped to disrupt criminal activity. From rejecting misleading company names to collaborating with law enforcement, the registry is taking a more active role in protecting the integrity of UK corporate structures. To achieve this, for example, it aims to expand its intelligence capabilities, conduct risk assessments of companies and transactions, analyse company behaviours at scale, and detect suspicious activity.
• Support economic growth
  • Corporate transparency is as much about creating a catalyst for growth as it is about compliance. In doing its checks and challenges, Companies House helps legitimate businesses thrive, knowing their competitors aren’t gaining unfair advantages through deception or criminal and fraudulent activity.

What this Means for You

For directors, people with significant control (PSCs), and anyone interacting with UK companies, the message is clear: the rules have changed and Companies House has increased power to ask questions of and even reject, remove, and change filings that they believe to be incorrect. These changes also offer greater protection and transparency, and further protect legitimate businesses.

Looking Ahead

The Companies House transformation is far from over, and the next five years will see continued investment in technology, enforcement, and stakeholder engagement. The goal is not just to maintain a register, but to build a system that underpins trust in the UK economy both domestically and internationally.