KARACHI: Pakistan’s securities regulator has approved the first initial public offering (IPO) of the current fiscal year, as authorities seek to deepen the country’s capital markets and encourage companies to raise funds through equity rather than relying on bank financing.
The approval comes after a revival in Pakistan’s IPO market during the last fiscal year, with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) approving 14 IPOs, reflecting renewed investor confidence amid improving macroeconomic stability.
The government has identified deeper capital markets as a key pillar of its economic reform agenda, aiming to provide businesses with broader financing options while expanding investment opportunities for domestic investors.
“The approval of the first IPO of FY2026-27 marks another step toward improving companies’ access to Pakistan’s capital markets through faster processing and greater digitalization,” the SECP said in a statement.
The regulator said it had approved the issuance, publication and distribution of the prospectus of Tasdeeq Information Services Ltd, a credit bureau licensed by the State Bank of Pakistan.
The company plans to offer 219 million ordinary shares through an IPO on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, with 75 percent of the shares allocated to institutional and high-net-worth investors through book building and the remaining 25 percent reserved for retail investors.
Tasdeeq provides consumer credit information to its member financial institutions, helping lenders assess borrowers’ creditworthiness.
Pakistan’s corporate sector has traditionally depended heavily on bank borrowing, while policymakers have increasingly sought to develop the stock market as an alternative source of long-term financing for businesses and infrastructure projects.
