In order to provide maximum
facilitation to investors and to bring more transparency and accuracy to the
KYC (Know Your Client) process, the SECP has taken the initiative of
establishing a Centralized KYC Organization (CKO) and has designated the
National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) to function as the CKO.
The
CKO shall develop a centralized web-based system named KYC Information System
and maintain separate and exclusive database for the storage of KYC information
entered by the market intermediaries.
At
present, all entities in the capital market are performing registration/account
opening process for their clients separately, which leads to duplication of
effort and waste of resources. At the same time investors desirous of opening
accounts with different intermediaries for the purpose of
trading/investing/dealing in the capital market have to repeatedly undergo the
KYC process.
The
CKO shall develop a centralized web-based system named KYC Information System
and maintain separate and exclusive database for the storage of KYC information
entered by the market intermediaries. All authorized intermediaries will
be given access to it through a dedicated user ID and password. Afterwards an
investor who fulfills the KYC requirements through an authorized market
intermediary shall be able to open accounts with other intermediaries without
repeating the process of submitting KYC documents and the CKO shall provide the
relevant information on demand to other intermediaries.
In
the first phase the NCCPL will provide centralized KYC services to the
brokerage and mutual fund industry and in the second phase the same will be
extended to the investors of commodity market and insurance sector.
The
CKO concept was introduced in India in 2011, where it has gained widespread
appreciation and support among investors and market intermediaries. The CKO’s
launch in Pakistan will be another major step in investor facilitation and
providing the local capital market with internationally recognized support
infrastructure.
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