ISLAMABAD: The number of investor accounts at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has surpassed 600,000 for the first time, reflecting growing investor confidence in Pakistan’s improving economic outlook, a senior finance ministry official said on Thursday.
The milestone builds on data from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), which showed 583,052 investor accounts at the end of the last fiscal year in June.
In a post on X, Advisor to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said 23,973 new investor accounts were opened in July, marking the second-highest monthly increase on record after April, when more than 24,000 accounts were registered.
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘁 𝗣𝗦𝗫 – 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
The strongest signal in any capital market is not where the index stands—it’s how many people choose to participate.
Pakistan Stock… pic.twitter.com/thW1d8SH3i
— Khurram Schehzad (@kschehzad) August 6, 2026
Schehzad said the number of PSX investor accounts has more than doubled over the past four years, rising from 275,000 in June 2022 to over 600,000, an increase of more than 332,000 accounts, or 121 percent.
“The strongest signal in any capital market is not where the index stands— it’s how many people choose to participate,” Schehzad wrote.
“Pakistan Stock Exchange has crossed 600,000 investors for the first time in history, reaching 607,025 in July 2026.”
Series of reforms
The sharp increase in investor accounts follows a series of reforms introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) last month to make investing in the stock market more accessible.
The regulator increased the investment limit for Sahulat accounts from Rs1 million to Rs3 million, eliminated duplicate documentation requirements for investors opening accounts through banks and digital financial institutions, introduced IBAN-based verification, and permitted minors to open trading accounts under the supervision of their legal guardians.
According to the SECP, nearly 190,300 new investor accounts were opened during the last fiscal year, representing a record 48% annual increase.
Khurram Schehzad said the pace of investor growth has accelerated significantly in recent years. Average monthly additions stood at around 2,300 accounts in FY23 and 2,200 in FY24, before rising to 5,300 per month in FY25 and surging to 15,860 per month in FY26, reflecting growing participation in Pakistan’s capital market.
“The latest wave is being led predominantly by GenZ and first-time retail investors, broadening ownership and strengthening Pakistan’s investment culture,” he added.
Record registrations
Separately, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said 5,438 new companies were registered in July, marking the highest monthly total on record and a significant increase from 4,323 registrations in June.
Also Read: Pakistan Registers Record 5,438 New Companies In July
The information technology sector led the registrations with 1,008 new companies, followed by trading (845), services (638) and construction (348). Other sectors recording notable growth included food and beverages, tourism, e-commerce, education, real estate development and corporate agriculture.
The SECP also reported that five international companies from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and China established offices in Pakistan during the month, while 112 newly registered companies included foreign directors on their boards.
Private limited companies accounted for the largest share of new registrations at 3,148, followed by 2,117 single-member companies, 127 limited liability partnerships (LLPs), 28 non-profit organisations, and 18 public limited companies.
Provincially, Punjab led with 2,756 registrations, representing 51% of the total, followed by Islamabad (1,053), Sindh (864), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (450), Gilgit-Baltistan (180) and Balochistan (135).
