TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Financial Supervisory Commission said Tuesday that Taiwan's publicly traded companies, including those listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the over-the-counter market, posted a pre-tax profit of NT$5.07 trillion (US$153 billion) last year.
The figure represents a NT$1.36 trillion increase compared to 2023, marking a 36.8% year-on-year growth. It set the second-highest record over the past decade, only behind 2021's NT$5.22 trillion, per CNA.
The commission said that Taiwan Stock Exchange-listed companies reported a revenue of NT$40.7 trillion last year, marking a 13.47% year-on-year increase, the highest in 10 years. It added that pre-tax profit for these companies reached NT$4.76 trillion, up 38.54% from 2023, the second-highest over the past decade.
The commission’s Securities and Futures Bureau Deputy Director Kao Ching-ping (高晶萍) said the profit growth of Taiwan Stock Exchange-listed companies was mainly fueled by the semiconductor, financial, and shipping sectors. She noted the chip sector benefited due to increased demand for AI and a recovery in the smartphone market.
The financial and insurance sectors saw higher investment and fee-related income due to an active financial market, Kao said. She added the shipping industry benefited from increased freight rates partly driven by geopolitical conflicts.
According to the commission, Taiwan's over-the-counter listed companies reported revenue of NT$2.72 trillion last year, a 7.22% year-on-year increase and the highest in 10 years. It said that pre-tax profit for these companies was NT$311.8 billion, up 14.8% from 2023, the third-highest over the past decade.
Kao said the profit growth of over-the-counter listed companies was mainly driven by the electronics sector, which benefited from the development of AI and 5G technology, as well as increased revenue in the gaming industry.
As of March, Kao said that all but two of Taiwan's 1,886 publicly traded companies had completed filing their financial reports for last year. The two companies that had not filed were Formosa Oilseed Processing Company and High-tek Harness Enterprise Company.
Kao said that Formosa Oilseed Processing Company delayed its financial report due to the election of a new chair. High-tek Harness Enterprise Company experienced difficulties with its report after it stopped working with its accounting firm.
Kao added the two companies were suspended from stock trading on Monday. They will be delisted in November if they fail to submit their financial reports within six months.
