SECP Introduces UBO Registry for Companies

Islamabad, July 29, 2025, 08:57 PM PKT — The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has unveiled a transformative overhaul, amending the Companies Regulations, 2024, to launch a centralized Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) Registry for the corporate sector, a bold step to ensure accurate ownership data, aligning with global standards and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommendations, per official statements. Companies must submit UBO details via the SECP’s eZfile portal for each financial year ending on or after June 30, 2025, including shareholder data with regulatory returns, making it accessible to financial institutions and stakeholders to boost transparency and corporate integrity.

This initiative, forged through extensive stakeholder consultations, reflects SECP’s drive to match international best practices, aiming to strengthen investor confidence in Pakistan’s financial and regulatory systems. Web context shows global compliance trends, while posts found on X reflect optimism and caution—some praise transparency, others question implementation. Critically, the narrative of “enhanced oversight” may mask compliance challenges—web data hints at past delays, and X sentiment suggests distrust in seamless execution, pointing to potential hurdles.