Pakistan enhances stock market access: SECP raises Sahulat Account limits to Rs3m

WEB DESK: In a landmark move to democratise retail investment, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has significantly relaxed regulations for Sahulat Accounts, aiming to make stock market participation more accessible to ordinary citizens.

According to SECP, under the new framework, the investment ceiling for Sahulat Accounts has been raised to Rs3m, allowing students, housewives, and small-scale investors to build larger portfolios. Investors will also be permitted to open Sahulat Accounts with multiple brokers, although the regulator clarified that only one such account can be maintained with each brokerage house operating at the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

A key pillar of the reforms is the shift toward a fully digital account-opening process. The SECP confirmed that investors can now open Sahulat Accounts online using only a valid Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), eliminating the earlier requirement for detailed proof-of-income documentation.

The move is designed to attract a digitally savvy generation of investors who prefer managing finances through smartphones and online platforms. Reflecting the growing interest in capital markets, the regulator reported that individual sub-accounts have reached 542,000, while the combined number of investor and Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) has climbed to 144,000.

Alongside these reforms, the SECP has advised citizens to invest through the regulated Pakistan Stock Exchange rather than unregulated or offshore foreign platforms, emphasising that the streamlined Sahulat regime is intended to channel informal savings into the formal financial system and support transparent, long-term wealth creation.