ISLAMABAD: In July 2023, 2,220 new companies were registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), a 25% increase over the same period previous year. These companies have a combined capitalization of Rs. 3.3 billion. There are now 197,828 enterprises officially registered in the country.
Around 57 percent of companies in Pakistan are private limited, 41% single-member companies, 99.7% are registered online, and 2% are not-for-profit associations, trade organizations, and LLPs. Three foreign companies have established businesses in Pakistan, and 86 foreign applicants have registered from abroad.
The information technology sector led with the incorporation of 316 firms, trading with 309, services with 260, marketing & advertisement with 48, real estate development & construction with 252, food & beverages with 96, tourism with 91, lodging with 28, communications with 26, a chemical with 24, cosmetics & toiletries 21, education with 90, corporate agricultural farming with 70, e-commerce with 64, textile with 57, transport with 45, engineering with 42, healthcare with 41, pharmaceutical 36, paper & board with 19, cables & electrical goods with 12, mining & quarrying with 35, power generation with 30, auto & allied and broadcasting & telecasting with 20 each, and 168 other firms were registered in other sectors.
SECP integration with FBR and provincial departments led to 2123 NTN registrations, 69 EOBI, 40 PESSI/SESSI, and 51 excise and taxation departments, registering 2123 companies.
Forty-two new enterprises have received foreign investment, with investors hailing from Kuwait, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Canada, China, Djibouti, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UAE, UK, US, Vietnam, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, and Italy.
Most of the investment came from China, with 16 firms, followed by Singapore and the UAE, with 3, Afghanistan, Iran, the US, and Vietnam, each receiving 2, and 12 companies from other countries.
SECP’s WhatsApp facility handles name availability and incorporation queries, with 1,305 responses and a 96% monthly satisfaction rate.
