# CSP business scenarios

> The core jobs a Singapore corporate service provider handles — incorporation, officer changes, share transactions, meetings and resolutions, dividends, annual return and AGM, KYC and striking off — each mapped to its legal basis and a step-by-step CorpSec AI playbook.

_Updated 2026-07-11_

Source: /help/business-scenarios

**In short:** Every scenario below follows the same shape: when you meet it, its legal basis (from CorpSec AI’s verified citation table), the standard offline steps, then exactly how to do it in CorpSec AI with links to the module guides. Pick the job you have in front of you.

> **Note:** These playbooks are practical guides, not legal advice. Legal bases are drawn from CorpSec AI’s verified citation table; anywhere a sub-clause is unconfirmed it is labelled “to be confirmed by counsel”. For the underlying rules see the regulatory reference.

## Lifecycle & structural changes

The one-off events that change a company’s officers, shares or standing. Almost all are filed with ACRA within 14 days of the effective date.

| Scenario | Legal basis | Playbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Incorporate a new company | s145(1)/(2) resident & natural-person director (verified); s171 secretary (counsel); RORC (verified) | Incorporate a company |
| Appoint a director | s145(1)/(2) (verified); board resolution under the constitution (verified); ACRA + 14 days | Appoint a director |
| Handle a director resignation | s145(1) resident-director floor (verified); ACRA + 14 days | Director resignation |
| Change the company secretary | s171(1) — 6-month vacancy limit (counsel); ACRA + 14 days | Secretary change |
| Change the registered address | ACRA + 14 days; HDB/URA approval if residential | Address change |
| Transfer shares | ss 196A / 126(3) effect on ACRA registration (verified); e-Stamping 0.2%, 14/30 days (verified) | Share transfer |
| Allot new shares | s161 members’ authority; allotment may be void without it (rule verified; sub-clause counsel) | Share allotment |
| Amend the constitution | Members’ special resolution (governing section, majority & notice to be confirmed by counsel); Model Constitution relationship (verified); ACRA lodgement | Constitution amendment |
| Change the bank signatories / mandate | Board resolution under the constitution (verified); bank’s own KYC — not an ACRA filing | Bank mandate change |
| Strike off a dormant company | Striking-off provisions of the Companies Act 1967 (section to be confirmed by counsel); pre-conditions checklist | Striking off |

## Meetings, resolutions & distributions

The members’ and directors’ decisions taken between annual returns — meetings (or written resolutions in their place) and the distributions and rule-changes they authorise.

| Scenario | Legal basis | Playbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Convene an EGM | s184A–184G written-resolution alternative (verified); s179 voting/quorum (counsel); notice & majority to be confirmed by counsel | EGM |
| Hold the AGM (or rely on the exemption) | s175A — FS to members within 5 months of FYE (verified); s201(16) directors’ statement (counsel); notice to be confirmed by counsel | AGM |
| Declare a dividend | s403 — dividends out of profits only, directors personally liable otherwise (verified); interim/final mechanics per constitution; one-tier tax (confirm with adviser) | Dividend declaration |

## Recurring compliance

The calendar-driven and cyclical obligations that keep a client in good standing year after year.

| Scenario | Legal basis | Playbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| File the annual return (and the AGM question) | s175A AGM exemption — FS to members within 5 months of FYE (verified); AR filing window (counsel) | Annual return & AGM |
| Run a periodic KYC review | CDD kept current on a risk-driven cycle; 5-year records (CSP Act 2024, verified) | Periodic KYC review |
| Prepare for an ACRA inspection | CSP Act 2024 record-keeping & CDD (verified); append-only audit trail | Prepare for inspection |
| Change the financial year end | s198 — notify ACRA; 6–18 month limits; approval if >18 months or changed within 5 years (approval sub-clause to be confirmed by counsel) | FYE change |
| Update the controller / director registers | RORC — internal register within 7 days, ACRA central within 2 business days, penalty up to S$5,000 (verified); director registers’ timelines to be confirmed by counsel | RORC / register update |

## Onboarding & migration

Getting clients into the system — one at a time, or a whole book at once. In both cases KYC must clear before any document can be generated.

| Scenario | Legal basis | Playbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Onboard a new client | CDD before providing services (CSP Act 2024, verified); s145 checks on setup | Onboard a client |
| Import an existing book | Records-in only; CDD still required per client before drafting (CSP Act 2024) | Import an existing book |

## How to read a playbook

Each scenario page is built the same way so you can move fast:

- When you meet it — the real-world trigger for a CSP.
- Legal basis — the provisions in play, from the verified citation table, with a counsel caveat where a sub-clause is unconfirmed.
- The standard steps — how the job is done offline / from a compliance standpoint.
- In CorpSec AI — the exact buttons and panels to click.
- Related guides — links to the module help and the regulatory reference.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I have to run KYC before every one of these?

A client must have passed CDD before any document is generated for it — that is a hard gate. For lifecycle jobs on an existing client, KYC is usually already cleared and kept current by periodic review; for a new or freshly imported client, run KYC first.

### Which scenario handles a change of company name or financial year end?

A financial-year-end change now has its own playbook — see Change the financial year end (governed by section 198, with ACRA approval needed in some cases). A name change follows the same 14-day ACRA filing pattern as other changes and is covered in the regulatory reference; create a task of the matching type and the AI drafts the paperwork.

### Do I need a physical meeting for members’ decisions?

Usually not, for a private company. Most matters can be passed by a members’ written resolution under sections 184A–184G of the Companies Act 1967 — no meeting, notice period or quorum. See the EGM and AGM playbooks for when a meeting is needed and how to run either route.

## Related

- [Singapore regulatory reference](/help/regulatory)
- [Tasks and workflows](/help/tasks-and-workflows)
- [Documents](/help/documents)
- [KYC & compliance](/help/kyc-compliance)