SECP registers 329 companies in January

Licences granted to 25 non-profit bodies so far this financial year.

Our Correspondent February 08, 2013

The Company Registration Office (CRO) of Lahore saw the highest incorporations with 108 companies, followed by CROs of Karachi and Islamabad, registering 90 and 84 companies respectively. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has said that it registered 329 companies in January, with Lahore office registering the highest number of firms.

Authorised and paid-up capital of these companies is Rs5 billion and Rs573 million respectively, says an SECP press release.

The new incorporations include 304 private companies, 16 single-member companies, five public unlisted companies, two non-profit associations and two foreign companies – one each from the Cayman Islands and the US.

Nationals of Norway, Bangladesh and South Korea made investments in three new companies in the information technology, finance and banking and food and beverages sectors.

The trading sector has the largest share in new incorporations with 47 companies, followed by tourism with 44, services 29, IT 23, construction 18, corporate agricultural farming 14 and pharmaceuticals 13.

The Company Registration Office (CRO) of Lahore saw the highest incorporations with 108 companies, followed by CROs of Karachi and Islamabad, registering 90 and 84 companies respectively.

Multan CRO registered 20 companies and CROs in Peshawar and Faisalabad registered 16 and 9 companies respectively. Quetta and Sukkur CROs registered one company each.

In the month under review, returns for an increase in authorised capital of 114 companies were accepted, with total capital increment of Rs24.26 billion. Apart from this, 89 companies filed returns for enhancing the paid-up capital with total increase amounting to Rs4.2 billion.

In the second quarter (Oct-Dec) of financial year 2012-13, the SECP granted licences to 11 non-profit associations, taking the number of such licences in the first half to 25.

Of the 11 associations, four got licences in the education sector, two for charity activities and one each for services, dairy sector, rural development, social welfare and research and development.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.

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