SECP has recorded a notable rise in company registrations during the first four months of the fiscal year 2025, signaling confidence from entrepreneurs, investors and emerging businesses across the country. A total of 14,802 new companies were incorporated during this period, with 99.9 percent of these registrations processed digitally through the eZfile system. This has brought the national tally of registered companies to 272,918, marking continued adoption of digital corporate services and improved access for individuals seeking to formalize their ventures. The total paid up capital associated with new incorporations stood at Rs. 20.59 billion, highlighting a broad spectrum of investment activity.
Private limited companies represented the majority of new registrations at 59 percent, followed by single member companies at 37 percent. The remaining four percent included public unlisted entities, not for profit organizations, trade bodies and limited liability partnerships. Ten foreign companies also established a place of business in Pakistan during the period, demonstrating ongoing interest from international players. SECP’s digital platform continued to play a significant role in improving accessibility, enabling entrepreneurs from major cities such as Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, as well as individuals from nearly 250 smaller cities and towns, to complete the registration process without visiting SECP offices. Around 30 percent of all new registrations originated from places including Layyah, Burewala, Bhakkar, Pakpattan, Hasilpur, Chaman, Gwadar, Zhob, Turbat, Bannu, Kohat, Tank, Swat, Mansehra, Thatta, Larkana, Dadu, Rohri, Hunza and Gilgit, illustrating the growing reach of digital incorporation tools.
The distribution of registrations across provinces showed that Punjab accounted for 7,476 new companies, followed by Islamabad Capital Territory with 3,230, Sindh with 2,197, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 1,320, Gilgit Baltistan with 337 and Balochistan with 242. Sector wise activity remained strong, particularly in IT and e commerce, which led with 2,999 new incorporations. Trading followed with 1,954, services with 1,807 and real estate development and construction with 1,393. Several other fields also demonstrated steady participation, including tourism and transport with 1,042, education with 787, food and beverages with 751, mining and quarrying with 346, marketing and advertisement with 342, textiles with 327, pharmaceuticals with 284, agricultural farming and healthcare with 242 each, cosmetics and toiletries with 229, engineering with 236, fuel and energy with 188, chemicals with 184 and auto and allied with 153. An additional 1,296 companies were registered across areas such as not for profit associations, cable and electric goods, communications, power generation, logging, sports, arts and culture, steel, broadcasting and telecasting, paper and board, insurance and NBFCs.
Foreign investment played a meaningful role, with 332 newly registered companies receiving capital from investors based in Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Comoros, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. SECP continued to bolster regulatory oversight and market access by issuing 94 licenses across multiple domains, including those for capital market activities, NBFCs and entities operating as brokers, consultants, share registrars, ballotters, underwriters, BTI and DST. The Commission also issued licenses to insurance surveyors and not for profit associations as part of its broader regulatory framework.
SECP has been actively working to promote awareness regarding the advantages of incorporation, emphasizing factors such as limited liability, separate legal entity status, credibility, scalability, perpetual succession, improved governance, tax efficiency, better access to finance and greater protection for brands. This initiative supports entrepreneurs seeking to structure their businesses more effectively and participate in the formal economy with greater confidence.
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