Through facilitating the development of the co-operatives (co-ops) sector, the Registry of Co-operative Societies' work furthers the Ministry's mission of building social capital and making Singapore home through the promotion of active citizenship.
With inputs from the various stakeholders, the Registry updates our policies and rules periodically so as to build a robust regulatory framework for the proper governance and sound management of the co-ops. This way, Singaporeans and residents will have confidence in the co-op structure and continue to participate in the co-op movement.
The Registry of Co-operative Societies has issued the Annual Report on Co-operative Societies for the financial year ended 31 March 2020. The Annual Report shares information on the different types of co-ops, key statistics of the sector, latest developments, upcoming initiatives, as well as contributions to and uses of the Central Co-operative Fund.
Annual Report on Co-operative Societies in Singapore for the financial year ended 31 March 2020
The Ministry of Law, in consultation with relevant Government agencies, has extended the duration of legislation that enables entities to hold meetings via electronic means, to 30 June 2021. This provides co-ops with greater legal certainty to plan their meetings, and the option to hold virtual meetings to minimise physical interactions, amid the continuing COVID-19 situation.
To give a further grace period to co-ops who need more time to overcome practical difficulties in organising meetings, general meetings that are due to be held may be deferred to a date no later than 31 December 2020.
You may refer to the Ministry of Law’s press release issued on 29 September here.
The guidelines and FAQ for co-ops on the conduct of virtual general meetings were updated on 21 October 2020.
To facilitate the conduct of virtual general meetings by co-ops, the “COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings for Charities, Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations) Order 2020” (‘Order’) was issued on 27 April 2020.
The guidelines and templates for co-ops on the conduct of virtual general meetings were issued on 6 May 2020. Co-ops can also refer to the presentation slides for the RCS Webinar held on 29 May 2020 and the FAQs for co-ops.
The Order was amended on 29 September 2020, and the guidelines and FAQ were updated on 21 October 2020.