ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) registered 5,241 new companies in September, the agency said Friday. This brings the total number of registered companies in the country to 317,002.
Almost all of the new registrations — 99.9% — were done online.
Most of the new companies were private limited companies (3,013, or 57.5%). Next were single-member companies (2,058, or 39.2%). The rest included 127 limited liability partnerships, 29 not-for-profit companies, 10 public companies, two trade organizations and two foreign companies.
By region, Punjab had the most new registrations with 2,740 (52.3%). Islamabad came next with 1,009, followed by Sindh with 790, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 428, Gilgit-Baltistan with 169 and Balochistan with 105.
The information technology sector saw the most new companies at 920. It was followed by trading (808), services (599), construction (339), food and beverages (239), tourism (222), real estate development (193), education (189), e-commerce (179) and mining and quarrying (127). Other sectors made up 1,426 registrations.
Foreign investors also took part, with 167 investors from different countries. China had the most with 113 investors. The United States had seven, the United Kingdom six, Hong Kong five, and Singapore and Saudi Arabia three each. Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Germany, Canada, Spain, Thailand and Afghanistan each had two investors, while 14 came from other countries. Ten of the foreign investors were companies, and the rest were individuals.
More men than women held top roles in the new companies. Women made up 14% of shareholders and directors, 11% of ultimate beneficial owners and 8% of chief executives.
“Company incorporation is an important step towards building a formal, documented economy,” said SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu. “We are working to make the registration process simpler and more accessible, enabling entrepreneurs to establish businesses and contribute to economic growth.”
