For most firms, Companies House is background plumbing: rarely exciting, but used constantly. When a lender checks a borrower, a wholesaler sizes up a new customer, or an accountant tests whether a director is who they claim to be, the register is usually the first stop. That is why this latest update matters. Companies House says nearly 4 million people have completed identity verification since November 2025, while 151,000 company addresses have been removed from the register since March 2024. (gov.uk) On its face, this is a compliance story. In practice, it is about whether everyday business decisions are being made on cleaner data. For SMEs especially, better information can mean fewer wasted credit checks, fewer false starts with suspect counterparties, and a smaller chance of being caught up in somebody else’s fraud. That practical reading is an inference from the role the register plays in business decisions, as set out by Companies House. (gov.uk)

The update, published on 11 June 2026, is the third statutory progress report on parts 1 to 3 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. It covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, and GOV.UK says further annual reports will follow every 12 months until 2030. Companies House describes the Act as the biggest reshaping of UK company law in almost two centuries. (gov.uk) That long title matters less than the direction of travel. The registrar is being asked to do more than simply record what it is sent. The aim is a register that is harder to abuse and more useful to legitimate businesses, which is a small but important shift in how the UK treats corporate transparency. This final point is an inference based on the published reforms and objectives. (gov.uk)

The biggest operational change so far is mandatory identity verification. According to Companies House, nearly 4 million individuals have verified their identities and linked their appointments since the system went live in November 2025. That does not end fraud, but it should raise the cost and effort involved in using fake or borrowed identities to control UK companies. That assessment is an inference from the reform’s stated purpose. (gov.uk) Andy King, chief executive of Companies House, says the organisation is moving away from being a passive register and towards acting as a more active keeper of company data. For business readers, the interesting point is not the phrasing but the operating model behind it: more checks, more intervention, and less tolerance of clearly misleading filings. (gov.uk)

The clean-up of registered office data may be even more tangible. Companies House says 151,000 company addresses have been removed since March 2024, a move designed to protect people whose homes or premises were being used without consent. Anyone who has had debt chasers, legal notices, or mystery post sent to the wrong place will understand why that matters. (gov.uk) A cleaner address field also matters for due diligence. If a supplier, lender, or landlord is trying to work out whether a company is real, active, and contactable, a bogus address is more than a data error; it can be an early warning sign. Fewer false addresses should make the register a more reliable opening check, though never the only one. That conclusion is an inference from the reforms described by Companies House. (gov.uk)

Enforcement is also starting to look less theoretical. Companies House says joint working with HMRC, the Insolvency Service, and other law enforcement partners has already helped to seize millions of pounds in suspected criminal proceeds. Duncan Beach, chief executive of the Insolvency Service, says a more accurate register improves the agency’s ability to spot abuse and act against those defrauding businesses and taxpayers. (gov.uk) The Insolvency Service also says the 2023 Act has given it more than 100 offences to work with. For legitimate firms, that matters because a tougher register is not only about catching bad actors after the event; it is also about making the UK a less comfortable place to set up throwaway companies in the first place. The final point is an inference from the enforcement framework set out by the agencies. (gov.uk)

There is still a fair distance to go. Companies House says the next phase includes further rollout of identity verification, stronger transparency around the Register of Overseas Entities, and a more systematic, intelligence-led approach to enforcement. The official line is that action will stay targeted and proportionate, with the focus on those trying to abuse the system rather than adding friction for ordinary businesses. (gov.uk) For Market Pulse UK readers, the sensible takeaway is straightforward. A better Companies House register will not remove the need for proper credit control, sanctions screening, or supplier checks. But if the data underneath those decisions becomes cleaner and harder to game, the wider business environment becomes a little more trustworthy. For small firms making judgement calls with limited time and limited budgets, that is not a minor administrative win. It is a commercial one. (gov.uk)