KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s investor base grew by 218,894 accounts from January through October, a 47.3% increase from 463,071 at the start of the year to 681,965 at the end of last month.
In October alone, 26,843 new accounts were opened, including 26,801 individual accounts and 42 corporate accounts. The net increase for the month was 25,747.
The Pakistan Mercantile Exchange also added 1,077 accounts in October, bringing its total number of investors to 61,915.
Young people accounted for most of the new individual accounts at the PSX. Investors ages 18 to 30 opened 14,634 accounts, or 54.6% of the month’s individual total. Those ages 31 to 45 opened 9,290, or 34.7%. Together, the two groups accounted for 23,924 accounts, or 89.3%.
Men opened 22,878 accounts, or 85.4% of the individual total. Women opened 3,923, or 14.6%.
Punjab province recorded the most new accounts at 14,891, followed by Sindh with 7,643. The two provinces together accounted for 83.9% of all accounts opened in October.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had 1,894 new accounts and Islamabad 1,419. Balochistan had 370, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 340, Gilgit-Baltistan 150 and overseas Pakistanis 136.
Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Chairman Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said simplifying access to investment and protecting investors’ rights were priorities for the regulator. He said transparency and effective supervision would help strengthen investor confidence.
The SECP is running a nationwide awareness campaign to support its target of expanding the stock-market investor base to 2.5 million.
The growth in participation follows a 43.5% rise in the benchmark KSE-100 Index during the 2025-26 fiscal year. The SECP approved 14 initial public offerings in the same period.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed higher on Wednesday, gaining 3,994.62 points, or 2.38%, to settle at 172,013.48. The index had closed the previous session at 168,018.87. Of the 499 companies traded in the ready market, 368 advanced and 103 declined.
Brokerage Arif Habib Ltd. had set a December 2026 target for the index at 208,000 points, which it said implied an upside of 21.6% from the close on Dec. 23, 2025. That is a private-sector forecast, not an official projection.
