SECP Registers 3,444 New Companies in February

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 3,444 new companies during February, increasing the total number of incorporated entities in Pakistan to 287,049.

According to the regulator, private limited companies constituted the majority of new incorporations, accounting for approximately 59 percent of the total. Single-member companies represented 38 percent, while the remaining 3 percent comprised public unlisted companies, not-for-profit organisations, limited liability partnerships and foreign companies.

The data also reflected continued foreign participation in Pakistan’s corporate sector. A total of 82 newly incorporated companies reported international shareholding. China emerged as the largest contributor to foreign participation, with investors involved in 44 companies, followed by the United States with stakes in seven companies.

Investors from Palau and Germany participated in three companies each, while Egypt, the United Kingdom, Australia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Indonesia were represented in two companies each. Additional foreign shareholding was reported from Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Jordan, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, the Philippines, Turkey, Portugal and Belgium.

The SECP noted that foreign investment was primarily directed toward sectors such as mining and quarrying, trading and information technology, indicating sustained international interest in Pakistan’s natural resource, commercial and digital industries.

From a provincial perspective, Punjab recorded the highest number of new incorporations with 1,696 companies, followed by the Islamabad Capital Territory with 656. Sindh accounted for 555 new registrations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 317, Gilgit-Baltistan 174 and Balochistan 46.

Sectoral distribution showed that information technology and e-commerce remained the leading areas for new company formation, with 723 incorporations. Trading followed with 531 companies, services with 434, and real estate development and construction with 323.

Other sectors also experienced notable incorporation activity, including tourism and transport with 194 companies, food and beverages with 165, education with 107, mining and quarrying with 79 and textile with 69.

Additional sectors registering new companies included marketing and advertisement with 64, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with 58 each, corporate agricultural farming with 57 and healthcare with 56.

Further incorporations were recorded in engineering with 52 companies, cosmetics with 50, communications with 44, fuel and energy with 42, lodging with 37 and auto-allied industries with 35 companies.

The regulator also reported that 266 additional companies were registered across various other sectors, including cables and electric goods, sports equipment and paper and board manufacturing, reflecting ongoing diversification within Pakistan’s corporate landscape.