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 Inf...

A meeting of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) headed by the Chairman, Commissioner and other senior officials of SECP was held with the Board of Directors, Management and senior members of the Karachi Stock Exchange. The meeting discussed important capital market development matters and measures for enhancing activity at the Exchange by supporting retail participation. The apex and front line regulators reviewed various international best practices for the overall growth of the market and deliberated upon areas of investor protection, expansion of market outreach, new product development in equity, debt and derivative segments, activation of leverage products for improved liquidity, effective risk management and market monitoring and surveillance etc. While highlighting recent reforms in the market including revamping of capital gain tax regime, introduction of revised Code of Corporate Governance and demutualization of stock exchanges, the SECP Ch...

In a move to facilitate market participants and in the interest of the capital market, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has accorded its approval to revised eligibility criteria for securities in the Margin Financing (MF) Market. Under the revised eligibility criteria, which forms part of the Regulations of the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL), 147 securities stand eligible for financing purposes in the MF Market. The NCCPL will notify the list of eligible securities while giving the required notice to the market. The revision in the said criteria and increase in the number of securities has been approved taking into account that the MF is a counter-party risk-based product, which does not entail any centralized risk management system and that the brokers perform risk assessment for their clients. The said revision has been approved based on the discussions with the Karachi Stock Exchange and senior market participants. The said move is ...

The Board of Directors of Karachi Stock Exchange, in its meeting held on May 31, 2011, focused extensively on resolving difficulties for investors on the one hand and strengthening the Exchange’s risk management aspects to provide confidence to market participants. Besides this, in order to enhance product attractiveness, several initiatives under development were discussed, including Option trading. The Board also emphasized on informational security and level playing field for all investors. In addition, following market related decisions were taken: 1. Approval was accorded to TOR of following Committees: i. Development & Trading Affairs Committee ii. Voluntary Delisting Committee 2. Approval of following regulatory amendments, subject to approval of SECP: i. Regulations Governing Risk Management to allow placing of circuit breakers on 1st Trading Day of unpaid Right Allotment Letter and newly listed securities on Ready Market. ii. Regulations for Short Selling to allow short s...

ISLAMABAD, December13: In line with its efforts to promote greater reliability, efficiency and transparency in the capital market operations, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved the project of ‘Automation of Securities Settlement’, at the Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited (CDC), which will be effective on December 20. The project has been finalised in collaboration with the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) and the three Stock Exchanges. The CDC will automate the mechanism for settlement of book-entry securities at the CDC through straight-through processing solution while eliminating the need for any manual intervention. The said mechanism will allow securities to be automatically transferred from the respective sellers’ account to the respective buyers’ account instead of being routed through the member’s main account. The new system while establishing a link between the National Clearing and Settlement System and ...

The newly reconstituted board of National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) has unanimously elected Khalid Ahmed Sherwani as the company’s chairman in its board meeting held on Thursday. Sherwani has served on the Board of Karachi Stock Exchange and has diversified management experience of 39 years in banking sector, including seven years as president of Allied Bank Limited, according to a press statement. The newly reconstituted NCCPL Board comprises Khalid Ahmed Sherwani (Chairman), Muhammad Lukman (Chief Executive Officer), Muhammad Yasin Lakhani, Zafar S Moti, Osman Asghar Khan, Adnan Afridi, Mian Shakeel Aslam, Dr Arsalan Razaque, Nooh Adnan, Syed Muhammad Khurshid Anwer, Abdul Karim Hatim and Muhammad Aliuddin Ansari.