ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has seen the addition of 218,894 new investors in its investor base during January–October 2026, growing 47.3 percent from 463,071 investors at the beginning of the year to 681,965 at the end of October, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said on Wednesday.

The surge in investor participation comes after Pakistan’s equity market rallied to record highs in 2025 and early 2026, supported by easing inflation, lowering interest rates, and improving macroeconomic indicators as the country’s economy stabilized under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.

The benchmark KSE-100 index repeatedly hit all-time highs during this period, with analysts attributing the gains to stronger corporate earnings, expectations of economic recovery and growing participation from both retail and institutional investors.

During October 2026 alone, 26,843 new accounts were opened, which included 26,801 individual accounts and 42 corporate accounts. The net increase in the investor base during the month was 25,747, according to the SECP.

“Young people accounted for most new individual accounts at PSX. Investors aged 18–30 opened 14,634 accounts, representing 54.6 percent of the monthly individual total. Those aged 31–45 opened 9,290 accounts, accounting for 34.7 percent. Together, the two age groups opened 23,924 accounts, or 89.3 percent of new individual accounts,” the SECP said.

“Men opened 22,878 accounts, representing 85.4 percent of new individual accounts, while women opened 3,923 accounts, accounting for 14.6 percent.”

Punjab recorded the largest number of new accounts at 14,891, followed by Sindh with 7,643. Together, the two provinces accounted for 83.9 percent of all accounts opened during October.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 1,894 new accounts and Islamabad 1,419. Another 370 accounts were opened from Balochistan, 340 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 150 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 136 from abroad.

The expansion in participation follows a 43.5 percent rise in the benchmark KSE-100 Index during Fiscal Year 2025–26 that ended in June. The SECP approved 14 initial public offerings during the same fiscal year.

Pakistan Mercantile Exchange also recorded 1,077 new accounts in October, bringing its total number of investors to 61,915.

The SECP said it was conducting a nationwide awareness campaign to support its target of expanding Pakistan’s stock-market investor base to 2.5 million.

“Simplifying access to investment and protecting investors’ rights were priorities for the regulator,” SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said, adding that transparency and effective supervision would help strengthen investor confidence.