Securities & Exchange Commission Of Pakistan has released the figure for new companies registered in the country during July 2021. A total of 1949 new companies were registered with 1279 in Lahore & Islamabad only.
With registration of 1949 new companies, the total number of registered companies in Pakistan has exceeded 147 thousand. Sources at SECP say that as many as 99% of the new companies registered are now registered online. While real estate & construction sector lead the way with highest number of registrations i.e. 313, trading companies came second with registering 279 new comers. Remaining registrations include 243 IT companies, 178 services concerns, 117 e-commerce & 76 food & beverages. Paid-up capital for these new companies exceeded Rs. 2.7 billion.
Islamabad recorded the highest number of new companies with 645 registrations. The remaining companies, according to their origins, are as follows: Lahore 634, Karachi 294 companies, Peshawar 120, Multan 96, Faisalabad 75, Gilgit-Baltistan 57, Quetta 22, and Sukkur 6. According to government released data, 47 of the new companies have received foreign investment from more than 20 countries.
While the jump in real estate sector is sure a positive indicator for people & entities involved, it however came at no surprise. With introduction of government’s amnesty policy for investors & Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, a certain boom in real estate sector has been observed since last year. According to market sources, a lot of new investors are arriving in the market every day with existing businesses also expanding their base. The new companies are not all new investors but also include the businesses that had been in the market for years & decades making their moves as more opportunities open their doors. New housing schemes bring new opportunities for traders & builders alike. A visible increase in demand for cement & steel (along with price increase) has also been observed showing the increased level of construction activity across the country.
How long this trend will continue & will this surge sustain are the questions asked by many. Economic & political indicators suggest that the next several years are promising for the sector.
