KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan registered 3,161 new companies in May 2026, with the regulator also setting a new single-day record of 415 incorporations, stated a statement on Tuesday.
The monthly total was achieved despite reduced working days owing to the Eidul Azha holidays, bringing cumulative registered companies in Pakistan to 297,239. Nearly all registrations (99.9 per cent) were processed online.
Punjab led regional activity with 1,643 new companies, accounting for 52 per cent of the monthly total. The Islamabad Capital Territory contributed 596 registrations (19 per cent), followed by Sindh with 479 (15 per cent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 260 (8 per cent), Gilgit-Baltistan with 112 (4 per cent), and Balochistan with 71 (2 per cent).
Private limited companies remained the most popular corporate structure, representing 1,884 registrations or 60 per cent of the total. Single-member companies accounted for 1,212 registrations (38 per cent), reflecting a growing trend of individual entrepreneurship and formalisation of small-scale businesses. Limited liability partnerships and other categories comprised the remaining 65 registrations (2.0 per cent).
The IT and e-commerce sector led sectoral growth with 598 new incorporations. Trading followed with 503, services with 404, and real estate development and construction with 303. The tourism and transport sector recorded 206 new companies.
Foreign participation spanned 17 countries across 80 locally registered companies. China led with 89 shareholders, followed by Afghanistan with five and the US with three. Belgium, Russia, and South Korea each recorded two shareholders. Foreign investors contributed total paid-up capital of Rs139.4 million, with Chinese investors accounting for Rs132.3 million of that amount.
