The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 2,933 new companies during August 2024, marking a 3% increase compared to the corresponding month last year and signifying the highest number of companies incorporated in a single month.
According to a press release, the total number of companies registered with SECP now stands at 228,494.
Around 56% of companies incorporated during the month were registered as private limited companies, 41% as single-member companies, and the remaining 3% as public unlisted companies, not-for-profit associations, and limited liability partnerships. Approximately 99.8% of companies were registered online.
The information technology sector led with the incorporation of 431 companies, followed by trading with 401 companies. Other major sectors included services with 367 companies, real estate development & construction with 269, and tourism with 144. E-commerce added 133 companies, while food & beverages registered 122, and education had 113 new companies.
Marketing & advertisement saw 75 new incorporations, with mining & quarrying adding 64, and healthcare registering 62 companies. The pharmaceutical sector registered 58 companies, while textile and transport sectors both added 56 companies each. Power generation contributed 54 companies, engineering added 53, and chemical registered 52 new firms.
Corporate agricultural farming added 51 companies, while fuel & energy saw 49. Cosmetics & toiletries brought in 45 new companies, auto & allied industries registered 36, and cables & electric goods added 32. Additionally, communications brought in 27 companies, lodging 24, paper & board 17, sports & allied 16, and arts & culture registered 12 companies, with 114 firms in other sectors.
Foreign investment flowed into 63 newly registered companies. Investment came from Afghanistan, Australia, China, Germany, Libya, Malaysia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vietnam. China led the way with investment in 45 companies, followed by Afghanistan and Malaysia with 4 each, Germany with 3, and the remaining countries with 1 company each.
