Key Takeaways
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb visited SECP headquarters to discuss boosting investment.
- SECP has registered over 18,000 new companies since January 2026 and issued 149 new licences.
- Reforms include raising the Sahulat Account investment limit and launching the Capital Market Development Fund.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb visited the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) headquarters on Wednesday to discuss strategies for boosting investment, strengthening capital markets, and improving the ease of doing business in Pakistan.
During the high-level meeting, SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu provided a detailed briefing to the minister. The discussions covered various sectors including corporate, capital markets, and non-banking financial services, with a focus on measures to attract investment and drive sustainable growth.
Since January 2026, significant progress has been made in registering new companies; a total of 18,057 new entities have been registered. Additionally, a record 109,878 post-incorporation processes, including forms and returns, have been completed. The SECP has also issued 149 new licences across different sectors.
To further streamline business operations, the SECP has developed a Central Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) Registry portal, allowing companies to submit information online. Work is underway on an AI-based system for company registration and plans are in place to establish Business Facilitation Centres in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
The minister appreciated SECP’s actions regarding notices issued to State-Owned Enterprises. On the markets front, long-standing issues at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) have been resolved, with conditional approval granted for PSX’s demerger scheme for real estate assets. The investment limit for Sahulat Accounts has been raised from Rs1 million to Rs3 million, and the Capital Market Development Fund has been formally launched.
Since January 2026, the SECP has approved Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) for 10 companies. Efforts are also underway to develop an easier app-based interface for gold trading. Major reforms in insurance have also been announced; third-party motor insurance has been implemented in Sindh with compensation increased from Rs20,000 to Rs700,000. Commercial vehicle insurance policies have seen a 1,300% increase, rising from 11,000 to over 165,000.
The SECP is preparing to extend motor insurance coverage to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. New life insurance annuity products for retirees have been introduced, and a consortium of insurance companies has been set up for crop insurance. The takaful sector’s share has reached 14%, with new guidelines issued.
The SECP confirmed that long-standing issues at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) had been resolved, and it granted conditional approval to PSX’s demerger scheme for real estate assets.
