ISLAMABAD: Pakistan holds 17th position among 101 economies in the Business Entry category of the World Bank Group's B-READY 2025 Report, with a score of 86.64. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) approved a fresh set of regulatory reforms on Monday to build on that position and close remaining gaps against leading international practice.

Business Entry measures how easily an entrepreneur can formally register and launch a company. Pakistan's 86.64 score places it ahead of most regional peers in this specific category a rare instance of the country outperforming expectations in a global regulatory benchmark.

Pakistan Business Entry Ranking Reaches 17th

B-READY replaced the World Bank's discontinued Doing Business rankings and evaluates 10 topics across three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The 2025 edition covers 101 economies.

Pakistan's strong Business Entry score does not extend across the rest of the assessment. World Bank data puts Pakistan's International Trade score at 43.04, Dispute Resolution at 39.69, Market Competition at 49.47, and Business Insolvency at 52.40 all well below the Business Entry figure.

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Company registration in Pakistan has become comparatively efficient. What follows registration taxation, trade documentation, utility connections, financing, and dispute resolution remains far more difficult. SECP's Monday announcement targets some of that gap.

Four SECP Reforms, One Target

The Commission approved automated sharing of updated company information with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through API integration, coordinated with the Board of Investment. Businesses currently submit near-identical information to both bodies separately; the reform removes that duplication.

SECP will also publish information on environmental approvals and operating permits through its website, once relevant authorities compile the data. Businesses currently chase these approvals across separate, disconnected offices with no central reference point.

A third measure pushes information on publicly funded SME and women-entrepreneur support programmes onto SECP's digital platforms. Several such programmes exist already; awareness among eligible businesses does not match their availability.

The fourth reform requires SECP to publish gender-disaggregated data on newly incorporated companies covering women shareholders, directors, chief executives, and ultimate beneficial owners. Few Pakistani regulators publish ownership data broken down this way.

Reforms Map Directly to Scoring Criteria

Each of the four measures corresponds to a specific B-READY scoring criterion. SECP's statement frames the reforms explicitly as tools to gain additional B-READY points and support a stronger ranking in the next assessment cycle.

No timeline accompanied Monday's approval. SECP did not specify when the FBR API integration goes live, when the environmental-permit database becomes searchable, or which authorities must first compile the underlying data.

The B-READY framework now factors directly into how multilateral lenders and foreign investors price country risk. A stronger Business Entry score gives Pakistan a rare selling point; the weaker scores in trade, insolvency, and dispute resolution remain the harder problem SECP has yet to address.