Gen Z and millennials make up 85% of new PSX investors as base hits record 681,965

Gen Z and millennial investors account for about 85 percent of everyone opening a Pakistan Stock Exchange account, Federal Adviser for Economic and Financial Reforms Khurram Shehzad said on Wednesday, as the bourse's registered investor base reached a record 681,965.

October 2026 alone brought 25,747 new individual accounts, a 66 percent jump on the same month last year, according to the adviser. Overall investor participation across the national equity market is up 56 percent year on year.

The bigger number is the year: 218,894 new investors entered the PSX in the first 10 months of 2026, more than the cumulative growth of the previous four years combined. Analysts credit rising retail interest, simpler digital onboarding and an economy that has stabilised, while brokerages report sustained high daily trading volumes from active retail accounts.

Shehzad said the widening participation shows growing public confidence in economic policy, and officials are encouraging companies to issue new initial public offerings to meet the demand. Regulators, meanwhile, are keeping investor protection, cybersecurity and transparent financial reporting on the agenda as they simplify digital account opening.

For the market, the shift matters beyond the headline: young professionals and students are treating equities as a route to long-term wealth, brokerages are building out mobile trading apps and education campaigns to reach them, and financial institutions plan products aimed at first-time retail investors.