KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 3,444 new companies in February, taking the total number of registered companies in the country to 287,049, reflecting continued growth in Pakistan’s corporate sector.
According to the SECP, private limited companies accounted for the majority of the new registrations, making up 59 per cent of the total. Single-member companies followed with 38 per cent, while the remaining 3.0 per cent comprised public unlisted companies, not-for-profit organisations, limited liability partnerships and foreign companies.
Foreign investment also remained active during the month, with 82 newly incorporated companies receiving international shareholding. China emerged as the largest source of foreign participation with investments in 44 companies, followed by the United States with stakes in seven firms. Investors from Palau and Germany participated in three companies each.
Other countries contributing investment included Egypt, the United Kingdom, Australia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Indonesia, each with stakes in two companies. Additional investment came from Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Jordan, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, the Philippines, Turkey, Portugal, Belgium and several other countries.
The mining and quarrying, trading and information technology sectors attracted the highest level of foreign investment, indicating continued international interest in Pakistan’s natural resources, commercial activity and growing digital economy.
Regionally, Punjab recorded the highest number of new company registrations with 1,696 firms, followed by the Islamabad Capital Territory with 656 and Sindh with 555. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 317 new companies, Gilgit-Baltistan registered 174, while Balochistan saw the incorporation of 46 companies, suggesting a geographically broad expansion of corporate activity across the country.
Sector-wise, information technology and e-commerce remained the leading contributors to new company formation, with 723 registrations during the month. The trading sector followed with 531 new companies, services with 434 and real estate development and construction with 323 incorporations.
Growth was also recorded in a wide range of other industries, including tourism and transport with 194 new companies, food and beverages with 165, education with 107, and mining and quarrying with 79 registrations. Additional activity was observed in the textile sector with 69 companies, marketing and advertisement with 64, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with 58 each, corporate agricultural farming with 57, healthcare with 56, and engineering with 52.
Further incorporations were recorded in cosmetics, communications, fuel and energy, lodging and auto-allied industries, while another 266 companies were established across various sectors such as cables and electric goods, sports and paper and board, reflecting continued diversification of Pakistan’s business landscape.
