SECP acts against non-compliant, dormant firms

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has classified 39,704 companies as inactive after they went four years without submitting required annual returns or financial statements, The Express Tribune reported. Their status will be visible to banks and other stakeholders through the SECP system. Until they submit overdue documents and restore active status, the firms cannot open new bank accounts, use financial services or register director changes.

The SECP said the measure is intended to improve the reliability of the corporate register and limit the risk of dormant entities being misused. The inactive firms are spread across nine cities, with Lahore accounting for 13,927 and Islamabad for 13,859. Pakistan had 317,002 registered companies at September-end 2026, while 43,559 were incorporated in the previous financial year, up 24% year on year; 99.9% of new registrations were online.