Pakistan’s regulator registers 3,444 new companies in February

Pakistan’s companies regulator registered 3,444 new firms in February, bringing the total number of registered companies in the country to 287,049.

In a statement, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said the new registrations reflected “continued growth in Pakistan’s corporate sector”.

Private limited companies accounted for 59% of the new registrations, followed by single-member companies at 38%. The remaining 3% comprised public unlisted companies, not-for-profit organizations, limited liability partnerships, and foreign companies.

Of the newly incorporated companies, 82 had international shareholding. China emerged as the leading source of investment with participation in 44 companies, followed by the United States with investments in seven companies.

The primary destinations for foreign investment were the mining and quarrying, trading, and information technology sectors, indicating sustained international interest in Pakistan’s natural resources, commercial markets, and expanding digital economy.

From a regional perspective, Punjab led with 1,696 new companies, followed by the Islamabad Capital Territory with 656, Sindh with 555, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 317, Gilgit-Baltistan with 174, and Balochistan with 46, demonstrating broad-based geographic expansion of corporate activity.

Sector-wise, the information technology and e-commerce sectors remained the leading drivers of growth with 723 new incorporations, followed by the trading sector with 531 registrations, services with 434, and real estate development and construction with 323 new companies.

Further diversification was observed across multiple sectors, including tourism and transport (194), food and beverages (165), education (107), mining and quarrying (79), textile (69), marketing and advertisement (64), chemicals (58), pharmaceuticals (58), corporate agricultural farming (57), healthcare (56), engineering (52), cosmetics (50), communications (44), fuel and energy (42), lodging (37), and auto-allied industries (35).

In addition, 266 companies were incorporated across sectors such as cables and electrical goods, sports, and paper and board, reflecting the continued broadening of Pakistan’s industrial and business base.