SECP marks over 39,000 non-filing companies inactive

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has placed 39,704 companies in inactive status after they went four years without submitting annual returns and/or financial statements, Business Recorder reported on October 31. The regulator says the measure is intended to improve the reliability of company records and reduce the risk of dormant entities being misused.

The inactive designation will be visible to banks and other stakeholders. Until overdue documents are filed and active status is restored, affected companies cannot open new bank accounts, use financial services or record director changes. The list includes 13,927 companies in Lahore, 13,859 in Islamabad and 4,868 in Karachi, among others.

Filing annual returns and, where applicable, financial statements is required under the Companies Act, 2017. The SECP also reported 317,002 registered companies at September-end 2026, and said 43,559 new companies were registered in the previous financial year, 24% more than a year earlier; 99.9% of new registrations were online.