The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered some 2,095 new companies in December 2023, bringing the total number to 209,604.
As per a news release by the SECP, the total capitalisation for the newly incorporated companies is Rs 2.6 billion.
Around 57% of Pakistani companies are private limited companies, with 41% being single-member companies. The remaining 2% are public unlisted companies, not-for-profit associations, limited liability partnerships, and foreign companies.
Three foreign companies had established businesses in Pakistan, with 99 foreign applicants registered through eServices.
The trading sector took the lead with the incorporation of 288 companies, followed by information technology with 286, services with 238, real estate development and construction with 220, education with 107, tourism with 98, food and beverages with 80, ecommerce with 66, marketing and advertisement with 51, power generation with 47, textile with 44, corporate agricultural farming with 43, mining and quarrying with 41, healthcare with 40, chemical with 39, transport with 38, pharmaceutical with 37, engineering with 35, fuel and energy with 34, cosmetics and toiletries with 32, lodging with 24, communication with 19, paper and board with 14, broadcasting and telecasting with 13, and cables and electrical goods with 10.
Some 151 companies were registered in other sectors.
The integration of SECP with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and provincial departments led to the registration of 2,036 companies for NTN registration, 56 with EOBI, 27 with PESSI/SESSI, and 31 with excise and taxation departments.
The SECP said that foreign investment in 62 new companies has been reported, with investors from Afghanistan, Australia, China, Denmark, El Salvador, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Mozambique, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, and the USA.
The major chunk of investment was received from China, followed by Afghanistan, US, Nigeria, Denmark, Germany, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.
