PSX investor base jumps 56% to a record 681,965 as Gen Z and millennials pile in

Pakistan's stock exchange now has more investors than ever: 681,965 accounts in October, a 56% rise on a year earlier, the finance ministry said. The month alone brought 25,747 new accounts, the highest monthly increase on record.

The pace is the story. Between January and October, the Pakistan Stock Exchange added 218,894 net new investors, more than the combined additions of the previous four full years. The base had crossed 600,000 only in August, meaning roughly 80,000 accounts arrived in two months.

The finance ministry said the growth reflected a significant shift in investment participation and pointed to a deeper transformation of Pakistan's capital markets. It also said Gen Z and millennial investors accounted for 85% of the new accounts, a demographic tilt that changes who the market serves.

For a market long dominated by institutions and a small circle of wealthy individuals, a younger retail base brings liquidity and a longer runway for savings. It also raises questions the ministry did not address: how much of the new money is small-ticket, how many accounts stay active, and whether market infrastructure and investor protection can keep pace with the sign-up rate.