Despite of all difficulties for the Russian business today, the number of companies registered in the Unified state register of legal entities demonstrates the positive trend. As of 1.07.2016, the number of active companies in the country amounted to 4,8 mln. This indicator increased by 24,3 th (or 0,5%) for the year. So Russia has almost reached the number of 5 mln registered companies and is listed in the Top-10 companies in the world by this parameter. Nowadays 24,5 mln companies are registered in the USA; more than 9,1 mln in the Great Britain; 8,3 mln in Brazil; 7,7 mln in France; 4,1 mln in Japan; 3,7 mln in Italy and 3,3 mln in Germany.

Indicator of business subjects’ number helps to show the size of the economy, level of development of the business environment and entrepreneurial activity.

Totally for the past 6 years, more than 389 th newly established or reorganized legal entities have appeared in Russia. They are real subjects of economic activity, paying taxes to the budget, providing of jobs, manufacturing finished products and rendering service (see picture 1).

Picture 1. Number and dynamics of legal entities registered in Russia

The most popular legal form among the Russian enterprises is limited liability company (LLC). 82,4% or 3,9 mln LLCs are registered in Russia as of 1.07.2016. The popularity of this form can be explained with the simplicity of registration and lower downside risk within the cost of investment contributed by the shareholders.

14% of the registered legal entities follow to the share of non-profit organizations, which are:

• state and municipal institutions – 254 th;
• legal entities registered according to the special regulation of the Ministry of justice of Russia – 217,5 th (political parties, public associations, religious organizations, departments of international organizations and non-profit organizations);
• consumer cooperatives – 89,6 th;
• other non-profit organizations – 106 th.

Non-public and Public joint-stock companies are only 2,4% of totally registered legal entities: 93,1 th and 22,6 th relatively.

Picture 2. Structure of enterprises registered in Russia according to their legal form, as of 1.07.2016

As for the location of registered companies, the statistical data on 1.07.2016 is as follows: the Central federal district accumulated 37,7% or 1,8 mln of totally registered legal entities. The second place is for Privolzhskiy federal district with 16,3% or 778,3 th legal entities. The Northwest federal district with 13% or 622,0 th legal entities goes the third.

After joining the RF (the Crimean federal district has become a part of the Southern federal district), 40,6 th companies of the Crimean federal district were re-registered or re-opened (30,6 th in the Republic of Crimea and 10 th in Sevastopol).

Picture 3. Number of enterprises registered in Russia according to federal districts, as of 1.07.2016

Speaking about regions, the majority of legal entities are expectedly registered in Moscow – 1,1 mln; 369,8 th are registered in Saint-Petersburg and 236,9 th – in the Moscow region. The share of 35,4% of totally registered companies and institutions of the RF falls to three mentioned regions. The following seven subjects increased this share up to 54,1%. This indicates extremely unequal allocation of wealth due to the displacement of population and in part the implemented budget policy (migration of human and financial flows to some key regions with a large number of subsidized depressed areas).

The number of companies in Moscow has reduced by 4,8 th, and in Saint-Petersburg increased by 10,5 th by contrast. The Northern capital demonstrates maximum increase in the number of organizations by the country in general.

Table 1. Regions with the highest absolute number of registered legal entities

The table 2 contains regions leading by the relative increase in the number of registered organizations for the year. Excluding already mentioned the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Vologda and Voronezh regions where the number of legal entities has increased by 6,6% and 5,7% relatively, got in on the ground-floor. The growth more than by 5% was demonstrated by the Republic of Udmurtia, Ivanovo region and the Republic of Tatarstan. In general, 46 subjects have the positive dynamics of new legal entities registration.

Table 2. Regions with the highest relative increase and decrease in number of registered legal entities.

The opposite situation of reduction in the number of registered organizations is observed in 39 subjects of the federation. The anti-rating is headed by the Republic of Kalmykia and its decrease by 9,1% of companies. The number of legal entities in the Republic of North Ossetia decreased by 7,3% and by 6,0% in Kursk region and the Republic of Altai.

The fact of great number of registered companies is not indicates the quality changes of processes in the country: the stable economic growth, wide offer of jobs or high social standards of life. Sometimes “fly-by-night” companies established as real companies for shady financial arrangements. So the counterparties check in the current situation is not a luxury but a necessity.

Not only clear rules of game on the part of the government and fair demand on goods (services), but also the sources of long-term money in the form of investment or installation bank credits are necessary for the business successful development. Now it is difficult to speak about a favorable situation by well- known economic grounds. However there is no denying that for the past years the market system was created in Russia, and many companies, institutions and firms cooperate according to it; moreover completely new sectors have appeared. Enterprising spirit artificially limited in the Soviet years, has not disappeared and gains momentum again.

Lately in Russia great efforts are put for small and medium-sized businesses support. Information agency Credinform has already prepared several publications related to this topic in 2016: in January "Monitoring of small and medium-size enterprises support"; April "What are the small and medium enterprises waiting from the State?"; and May "New limit values for income from business activities".

Despite taken measures, it is early to call business conditions favorable. According to the data of the National social organization «Opora Rossii», about 17 mln people work in this category of enterprises officially, among them 30% are individual entrepreneurs (IE) and about 70% work on small and medium enterprises (SME). However, SME interest in the gross domestic product structure is only 20%. At the same time, as a result of efforts made lately, about 40% of purchase for needs of the government authorities and government-owned corporations operating according the 44 and 223 Federal Laws, draw up contracts with small and medium business. Total transactions volume achieved 28 bln RUB. Difficulties in access to the information about purchase restrain from the increase in purchase volume. Development of the electronic register of SME suppliers aimed to solve this problem and will operate since August 1, 2016.

Insertion of SME in the register will be carried out by the Federal Tax Service (FTS). Reason for placing on the register will be data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL) and the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs (EGRIP), and also data provided by IE and SME about average number of employees for the previous year, income records and other information.

For listing on the register IE and SME should correspond to the imposed for small and medium-sized businesses requirements: annual turnover should not exceed 120 mln RUB for micro-enterprises, 800 mln RUB – for small enterprises and 2 bln RUB for medium enterprises. Average number of employees should not exceed 15 people for micro-enterprises, 100 people for small enterprises and 250 people for medium enterprises.

Data will be placed on the register at free access during 5 years since publication date. Information in the register is supposed to be updated every month. Among changes will be current removal from the register of IE and SME that lost such status. In case of pretensions from enterprises and entrepreneurs, they will have to confirm their status of small and medium business in the tax authorities or in a judicial proceeding.

As expected, use of the register will help to simplify the process of SME participation in purchase and receiving of support of the Government. Earlier enterprises needed to provide corresponding certificates to confirm the correspondence to the criteria of small and medium business and IE, and now listing on the register is sufficient.

You can estimate novation by learning the List of small businesses and socially-oriented NPO (non-profit organizations) as grant recipients in the RF. This list contains 64 520 companies. Access to the list is open for subscribers of the Information and analytical system Globas-i.