ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has experienced a significant expansion in its investor base, adding approximately 219,000 new investors between January and October 2026, marking a 47.3% increase. This growth has raised the total number of investors from 463,071 at the beginning of the year to 681,965 by the end of October, with 26,843 accounts opened last month alone.

According to Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited, the surge in new accounts includes 26,801 individual accounts and 42 corporate accounts, contributing to a net increase of 25,747 investors in October. The Pakistan Mercantile Exchange also saw growth, recording 1,077 new accounts in October, bringing its total investor count to 61,915.

Young investors, particularly those aged 18-30, have been at the forefront of this increase, opening 14,634 accounts, which constitutes 54.6% of the new individual accounts for the month. Individuals aged 31-45 opened 9,290 accounts, making up 34.7% of the new accounts. Combined, these two age groups accounted for 89.3% of the new individual accounts.

Gender demographics indicate that men opened 22,878 accounts, representing 85.4% of the new individual accounts, while women opened 3,923 accounts, accounting for 14.6%. Geographically, Punjab led the way with 14,891 new accounts, followed by Sindh with 7,643, together contributing to 83.9% of the total accounts opened in October.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,894 new accounts, Islamabad 1,419, Balochistan 370, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 340, Gilgit-Baltistan 150, and 136 accounts were opened by overseas investors.

SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu emphasized the importance of simplifying investment access and protecting investors' rights as priorities for the regulatory body. He added that transparency and effective supervision are key to bolstering investor confidence. The SECP is conducting a nationwide awareness campaign aimed at expanding Pakistan's stock-market investor base to 2.5 million.

This increase in participation coincides with a 43.5% rise in the benchmark KSE-100 Index during the fiscal year 2025-26, alongside the SECP's approval of 14 initial public offerings in the same period.