The number of companies applying to list on Taiwan's over-the-counter (OTC) market is expected to double to 40 in 2010, the GreTai Securities Market (GTSM) said Monday. GTSM Chairman Gordon Chen said that during last year's economic slump, only 20 companies applied to be listed, and he expected the number to increase to 40, or even 50, this year. Among the potential applicants, 10 companies operating abroad are eyeing primary listings in Taiwan, including enterprises from China, Southeast Asia, and Silicon Valley in the United States, Chen said. A company applying to engage in OTC trading must have paid-in capital of at least NT$50 million (US$1.56 million) . At present, there are 548 companies listed on the OTC. Chen also expected that another 50 companies would apply to list on GreTai's emerging stock market in 2010, with 15 to 20 of them companies operated by Taiwanese businessmen abroad. There are 235 companies currently listed on the emerging stock market. Emerging stocks are common stocks traded on the GreTai Securities Market by means of negotiation. The companies listed have no revenue, capital, years of operation or shareholder number requirements, but they have registered their supervision agreement with recommending securities firms with GTSM. 