The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 422 companies in March as compared to 370 companies during the previous month, showing an increase of 14 per cent. An increase in the incorporation of companies has been witnessed, which is a sign of healthy growth and development of the corporate sector. The private companies have the highest share in new incorporation totaling to 385, followed by 26 single-member companies, four public unlisted companies, four non-profit association and three foreign companies. Of the three foreign companies, each belonging to the Turkey, the UK and South Korea were registered in Karachi.
Foreign investment by France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Australia, U.K., Germany and Denmark nationals was witnessed in four new local companies registered in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad in trading finance and banking, engineering and power generation. As for the sector-wise breakdown, with 64 companies the Hajj and Umra services’ sector has the highest number of new incorporations, followed by services and trading with 56 companies each, information technology with 24 companies, construction with 22 companies, food and beverages with 20 companies, communications with 18 companies, tourism with 14 companies, broadcasting and telecasting, power generation and textile with 11 companies each, and education with 10 companies.
