The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 2,847 new companies in August 2023, an increase of 20.6% from the same month last year. The total number of registered companies in Pakistan is now 200,629.
Of the new companies, 415 were in the information technology sector, followed by 392 in trading, 357 in real estate development and construction, and 324 in services. Other sectors with a significant number of new registrations included tourism (125), mining and quarrying (119), e-commerce (111), education (98), food and beverages (90), and corporate agricultural farming (83).
Foreign investment was reported in 69 new companies, with the largest amount coming from China (33 companies). Other countries with significant investment included the United States (9 companies), Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates (4 companies each), and Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Russia, and Saudi Arabia (2 companies each).
The SECP's WhatsApp service handled 1,305 queries related to name availability and incorporation in August, with an overall satisfaction rate of 96%.
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