ISLAMABAD : With new incorporations of 1,949 new companies in July, the total number of registered companies in the country has reached 147,842. Around 99 per cent of these companies have been registered online.

Due to the advanced online systems implemented by the Secu­rities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), 43 per cent of the companies were registered same day and 175 foreign companies were registered from overseas.

The July incorporation consist of 66pc private limited companies, 31pc single member companies and 3pc public unlisted companies, not-for-profit associations, and limited liability partnerships.

The total paid-up-capital of these newly incorporated companies in July was more than Rs2.7 billion.

The construction and real estate sector took the lead with the incorporation of 313, trading with 279, IT with 243, services with 178, ecommerce with 117, food and beverages with 76, education with 63, textile with 57, corporate agricultural farming with 56, pharmaceutical with 52, engineering with 51, tourism with 40, healthcare with 39, mining and quarrying with 38, transport and, market and development with 27 each, logging, and power generation with 24 each, auto and allied, and fuel and energy with 23 each, chemical, and communications with 21 each, cables and electric goods with 18, broadcasting and telecasting, and cosmetics and toiletries with 14 each, paper and board, and steel and allied with 13 each, and 85 companies were registered in other sectors.

The highest numbers of 645 companies were registered in Islamabad, followed by 634 and 294 companies registered in Lahore and Karachi respectively.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2021