ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 2,993 new companies in March, showing an 11 per cent increase compared to the same month last year.

Around 99.9pc of company registrations were completed online through the SECP’s eZfile portal. With these additions, the total number of registered companies has reached 290,041.

The total paid-up capital of newly registered companies stood at Rs2.80 billion, indicating sustained investment across key sectors. Private limited companies accounted for 57pc of new registrations, followed by single-member companies at 39pc. The remaining 4pc included public unlisted companies, not-for-profit organisations, and limited liability partnerships.

Province-wise, Punjab led with 1,488 new companies, followed by Islamabad Capital Territory (552), Sindh (447), Gilgit-Baltistan (233), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (224), and Balochistan (49). Sector-wise, Information Technology and e-commerce remained the leading sectors with 606 new companies.

These were followed by trading (542), services (366), and real estate development and construction (264). Other active sectors included tourism and transport (153), food and beverages (149), education (112), textile (65), mining and quarrying (60), corporate agricultural farming (58), marketing and advertisement (58), engineering (51), healthcare (49), cosmetics and toiletries (47), fuel and energy (43), pharmaceuticals (41), chemicals (38), communications (32), and auto and allied (25). A total of 234 companies were registered in other sectors, including cables and electrical goods, sports, and paper and board.

Foreign investment remained encouraging. A total of 58 new companies received investment from overseas investors.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026