FM reviews corporate, capital market reforms at SECP

July 08, 2026 (MLN): Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb visited the headquarters of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), where he chaired a high-level meeting to review matters related to the corporate and financial sectors.

During the meeting, SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu gave a detailed briefing to the Finance Minister. The SECP commissioners also attended the meeting.

SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu briefed the minister on the Commission's key achievements, which included registration of a record 18,057 new companies, issuance of 149 new licences to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), and successful rollout of third-party motor insurance in Sindh that recorded 1,300 percent growth within three months.

He further noted the approval of 10 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and the addition of 127,907 new investors at the Pakistan Stock Exchange over the last six months, taking the total investor base past 583,052, said a press release issued.

The minister was also briefed on SECP's enhanced supervisory and enforcement actions, comprising 75 inspection reports, 13 investigations, and 534 show-cause notices, alongside action against illegal deposit-taking activities. The Commission issued 397 adjudication orders during the period, resulting in penalties exceeding Rs 20.857 million deposited into the Federal Consolidated Fund.

Senator Aurangzeb appreciated SECP's measures against non-compliant State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and called for improved governance standards. He directed the Commission to keep Principal Accounting Officers of relevant ministries informed about compliance issues for timely corrective action, and instructed SECP to further simplify registration, licensing, and public offering processes through digitalization and reduced human intervention to encourage business growth and new listings.

Dr. Sidhu said SECP's reform agenda centres on strengthening People, Processes, and Technology to make regulatory services efficient, transparent, and responsive. He pointed to key initiatives including IBAN-based KYC verification, the CDC 'Asaan Connect' app, the Broker Referral Program, the KTrade-JazzCash partnership, restructuring of the IFMP, a proposed Pakistan stock market-based ETF in China, and digital access to gold trading.

The Finance Minister commended SECP's reform initiatives and called for continued innovation, digital transformation, and regulatory facilitation to strengthen Pakistan's financial markets.

Commissioners Imtiaz Haider, Muhammad Ali Farid Khwaja, Muzzafar Ahmed Mirza and Zeeshan Rehman Khattak, along with senior SECP officials, attended the meeting. Advisors to the Finance Minister, Khurram Schehzad and Omer M. Khan, were also present.

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