Pakistan's benchmark index KSE-100 has soared nearly 40% so far in 2025, becoming Asia's best performing market, thanks largely to phenomenal growth of retail investors. About 36,000 new trading accounts in the South Asian country were opened in the September quarter, compared to 23,600 new registrations just three months ago, according to Topline Securities, a brokerage house in Pakistan. Broad and deep participation in capital markets is essential for economic growth and wealth distribution in any country.
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| Pakistan's KSE-100 Index Chart. Source: Bloomberg |
Increase in trading accounts is helping inflows into local equity mutual funds as well. As much as 16% of total assets managed by asset management companies is now invested in stocks at the end of September, up from 9% at the start of the year, according to data from the Mutual Funds Association of Pakistan, as recently reported by Bloomberg.
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| Pakistan Investment Accounts Growth. Source: Bloomberg |
Massive growth in retail investors is being enabled by increasing digital penetration in Pakistan. The country now boasts 152 million broadband subscribers, bringing the digital penetration to 61.1% as of October 2025, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). Pakistan ranks among the world's top 10 nations in terms of Internet and smartphone users. Most of the brokerage houses now offer online trading accounts and mobile apps for retail investors.
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| Pakistan Telecommunications Indicators. Source: PTA |
KSE-100 companies profitability has grown over 13% in 2025. Stocks in the KSE-100 index have an average dividend yield of approximately 5.81% to 5.9%, with a historical average closer to 6.11%. The current yield is considered attractive, especially when compared to its 15-year average price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 8.59x, which is a significant discount to other emerging markets which are currently trading at a P/E ratio of 15.86x.
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| Sharp Drop in Pakistan's Debt Default Risk. Source: Bloomberg |
Pakistan’s debt default risk has seen a sharp drop as the country’s economy has stabilized under an IMF program. The nation's GDP for the April-June period grew at 5.66%, higher than the 3.1% expansion predicted by economists in a Bloomberg survey. The large scale manufacturing (LSM) sector saw 4.08% growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
Pakistan is experiencing rapid growth in Fintech (financial technology) applications. The country's journey to build a digital public infrastructure (DPI) began in March 2000 with the establishment of NADRA, the National Database and Registration Authority. The Gates Foundation defines DPI as follows: "DPI is a digital network that enables countries to safely and efficiently deliver economic opportunities and social services to all residents. DPI can be compared to roads, which form a physical network that connects people and provides access to a huge range of goods and services...... strong DPI has three foundational systems—identity, payments, and data exchange—that together can make life easier in important ways".
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