Business

SECP registers 2,993 new companies in March 2026

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 2,993 new companies in March 2026, showing an 11 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

This growth reflects rising investor confidence in Pakistan’s corporate sector. It also highlights SECP’s continued focus on digital transformation and ease of doing business, in line with the government’s broader economic reforms, said a news release issued here on Monday.

Around 99.9 percent of company registrations were completed online through the SECP’s eZfile portal. With these additions, the total number of registered companies has reached 290,041.

The total paid-up capital of newly registered companies stood at Rs. 2.80 billion, indicating sustained investment across key sectors. Private limited companies accounted for 57 percent of new registrations, followed by single-member companies at 39 percent. The remaining four percent included public unlisted companies, not-for-profit organizations, and limited liability partnerships.

Province-wise, Punjab led with 1,488 new companies, followed by Islamabad Capital Territory (552), Sindh (447), Gilgit-Baltistan (233), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (224), and Balochistan (49).

Sector-wise, Information Technology and e-commerce remained the leading sectors with 606 new companies. These were followed by trading (542), services (366), and real estate development and construction (264).

Other active sectors included tourism and transport (153), food and beverages (149), education (112), textile (65), mining and quarrying (60), corporate agricultural farming (58), marketing and advertisement (58), engineering (51), healthcare (49), cosmetics and toiletries (47), fuel and energy (43), pharmaceuticals (41), chemicals (38), communications (32), and auto and allied (25).

A total of 234 companies were registered in other sectors, including cables and electrical goods, sports, and paper and board.

Foreign investment remained encouraging. A total of 58 new companies received investment from overseas investors. These investments came from China (28), Afghanistan (7), the United Kingdom (4), Russia (2), British Virgin Islands (2), Norway (2), Germany (2), and one company each from Japan, Hong Kong, the United States, Spain, the Czech Republic, Canada, Nigeria, Malaysia, Myanmar, Croatia, and Saudi Arabia. APP

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