A Singapore Government Agency Website
A Singapore Government Agency Website
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.
As Singapore has entered Phase Two (Heightened Alert) on 16 May 2021, co-ops should avoid organising physical work-related events (including AGMs) unless critical, and should conduct virtual meetings instead. The Ministry of Manpower’s tightened Safe Management Measures for the workplace must be complied with.
Co-ops should rely on the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings for Charities, Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations) Order 2020 to hold their AGMs virtually. Please refer to the Guidelines and FAQ for co-ops under “Resources and useful links”.
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, beyond 30 June 2021. The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings for Charities, Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations) Order 2020 will continue to be in force until revoked or amended by MinLaw. 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.
You may refer to the Ministry of Law’s press release issued on 6 April 2021 here.
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
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 6 April 2021, and the guidelines and FAQ were last updated on 16 April 2021 and 21 May 2021 respectively.