Govt raises Rs2.25trn through Sukuk auctions since Dec 2023

ISLAMABAD: The Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has helped the government in conducting 18 auctions and raising a gross amount of Rs 2.25 trillion by issuing Ijarah Sukuk since December 2023.

Trading volumes in secondary market have also been increasing gradually as the market participants become familiar with this system.

The initiative is the result of active collaboration of the stakeholders including Finance Ministry, Debt Management Office (DMO), SECP, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), capital market institutions (CMIs), banks, mutual funds and brokers.

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Traditionally, Government Debt Securities (GDS) were issued and traded in over-the-counter market.

In December 2023, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) decided, with the approval of the federal government, to utilize the services of capital market institutions (CMIs) for issuance, registration, trading, settlement and transfer of shariah compliant GDS.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) supported the Ministry of Finance in this decision and worked closely with the DMO and the CMIs in its implementation.

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Issuance, registration, trading, settlement and transfer of GDS through CMIs required amendments by the Federal Cabinet in Rules pertaining to GDS, amendments in Regulations by the CMIs, and development and deployment of relevant processes, procedures and software.

Extensive support was also provided by market participants including banks, mutual funds and the brokerage industry.

Various steps have been taken by CMIs with the approval of the SECP over the last few months to support the GDS market, including rationalization of brokerage commission, revaluation mechanism based on brokers quotation model, same day settlement and direct access to the secondary market trading for banks and mutual funds, among others.

These initiatives aim to enhance transparency, competition, efficiency and tax collection in the domestic debt market by ensuring confidentiality of bids, providing electronic trading platform, widening the distribution network including banks and brokers, standardizing the trading and payment systems, promoting the use of technology, creating the necessary checks and balances among the trading/payment/transfer systems, availability of all relevant information on a single platform.

The SECP remains committed to working closely with the MoF for development of the domestic debt market.

Greater transparency, wider outreach, more competition, standardised processes, and necessary checks and balances lead to higher investor confidence and market efficiency. This initiative is leading in the right direction and broadening the opportunities for investors as well as the government, and contributing to the country’s economic growth, the SECP added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025