How many foreign companies are registered in Australia?

5,028 foreign companies held a current ARBN registration with ASIC on the June 2026 snapshot of the official ASIC Company Dataset. This counts overseas-incorporated companies registered to operate an Australian branch. Foreign-owned Australian subsidiaries are registered as ordinary Australian companies and sit within ASIC's total of 3,724,207 registered companies (May 2026), so the true foreign-controlled footprint is much larger than the ARBN count alone.

How much foreign investment does Australia have?

The total stock of foreign investment in Australia was AU$5,116.3 billion at 31 December 2025, an increase of AU$151.6 billion over the year, according to the ABS International Investment Position supplementary statistics. Of that, AU$1,302.3 billion was foreign direct investment.

Which country invests the most in Australia?

The United States, on both measures. The ABS puts the US stock of investment in Australia at AU$1,361.2 billion at 31 December 2025, ahead of the United Kingdom at AU$840.1 billion. In FIRB approval flows, the US was the largest approved source in 2024-25 at AU$122.3 billion, while Singapore led the March quarter 2026 at AU$16.0 billion.

Does registering a company in Australia require FIRB approval?

Incorporating a new Australian company with ASIC is a separate process from FIRB approval. FIRB approval applies to acquisitions, such as buying interests in Australian land, businesses or entities above the relevant monetary thresholds, and to national security actions. Many foreign companies set up a new subsidiary without any FIRB filing, but acquisitions should be checked against the framework before signing.