SECP reports 24% annual increase in company registrations as IT, e-commerce, and trading sectors drive business expansion across Pakistan.
Pakistan’s corporate sector recorded its strongest annual expansion in fiscal year 2025-26, with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registering a record 43,559 new companies, reflecting a 24% increase compared with 35,087 registrations in the previous fiscal year.
According to an SECP statement issued on Friday, the latest registrations have pushed the total number of registered companies in Pakistan to 301,615, highlighting growing entrepreneurial activity and increasing confidence in the country’s formal business sector.
The regulator also achieved its highest-ever monthly registrations in June 2026, when 4,323 companies were incorporated. The SECP attributed the strong performance to its ongoing regulatory reforms, digital transformation initiatives, and efforts to simplify the process of doing business in Pakistan.
The commission said these measures have helped create a more transparent, efficient, and business-friendly corporate environment that supports entrepreneurship, investment, and sustainable economic growth.
Company registrations increased across multiple business categories during the fiscal year. Public companies recorded a 25% rise, while private companies grew by 27%. Single-member companies increased by 20%, limited liability partnerships expanded by 28%, and both Section 42 licensed companies and foreign companies posted 5% growth.
Punjab remained the leading province in new company registrations, with 22,364 incorporations during FY2025-26 compared with 18,198 a year earlier. Islamabad followed with 8,340 registrations, Sindh with 6,691, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 3,820, Gilgit-Baltistan with 1,585, and Balochistan with 759, all recording year-on-year increases.
The information technology and e-commerce sector led new incorporations with 8,700 companies, followed by trading with 6,615, services with 5,368, and real estate and construction with 4,042. Other key contributors included tourism and transport, food and beverages, education, mining, marketing, and textile industries.
Together, these ten sectors accounted for 34,153 newly registered companies, representing 78% of total incorporations during the fiscal year. Among all sectors, trading recorded the fastest growth at 41%.
Foreign investor participation also strengthened during FY2025-26. The SECP registered 1,014 companies with 1,512 foreign shareholders and paid-up capital of nearly Rs2.5 billion, up from 935 companies with Rs2 billion in paid-up capital in the previous year.
Additionally, 22 foreign companies established operations in Pakistan during the fiscal year. Major investor countries included China, Afghanistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Nigeria, Canada, Spain, and Russia. The non-banking financial institutions (NBFI) sector witnessed an 85% increase in foreign participation, indicating growing international confidence in Pakistan’s financial services industry.
The SECP said the record number of incorporations, expanding regional business activity, increasing foreign investment, and greater sectoral diversification reflect the resilience of Pakistan’s corporate sector and reinforce its commitment to promoting a competitive and sustainable business environment.