Pakistan’s stock market attracted 218,894 new investors between January and October 2026, marking a 47.3% increase. The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) investor base grew from 463,071 at the start of the year to 681,965 by October-end.
The market also recorded strong growth in October, with 26,843 new accounts opened during the month. These included 26,801 individual accounts and 42 corporate accounts. The net addition to the investor base stood at 25,747.
Young investors accounted for most of the new individual accounts. People aged 18–30 opened 14,634 accounts, representing 54.6% of the monthly total. Meanwhile, investors aged 31–45 added another 9,290 accounts, or 34.7%. Together, these groups made up 89.3% of new individual investors.
Men continued to account for most new registrations, opening 22,878 accounts or 85.4% of the total. Women opened 3,923 accounts, representing the remaining 14.6%. Punjab led regional registrations with 14,891 new accounts in October. Sindh followed with 7,643 accounts. Together, the two provinces accounted for 83.9% of all new registrations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa added 1,894 accounts, while Islamabad recorded 1,419. Balochistan registered 370 new accounts, followed by Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 340. Gilgit-Baltistan added 150 accounts, while overseas investors opened 136.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX) also reported growth. It added 1,077 new accounts in October, taking its total investor base to 61,915.
SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said improving investment access and protecting investor rights remained key priorities. He also stressed the importance of transparency and effective supervision in building market confidence.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) is running a nationwide awareness campaign. The initiative supports its target of increasing the country’s stock market investor base to 2.5 million. The rise in investor participation comes after the benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 43.5% during FY2025–26. The SECP also approved 14 initial public offerings during the same fiscal year.
