A Sahulat Account is a simplified brokerage account for individual investors on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Since the SECP announcement of 14 March 2026, you can hold purchase positions of up to Rs 3 million in it (the old cap was Rs 1 million), open one account per broker with as many brokers as you like, and trade only in the Ready Market. Margin trading and other leveraged products are not allowed.
One point causes regular confusion. The word Sahulat also appears in Sahulat Sarmayakari Account, a separate account used to buy mutual funds. This guide covers the PSX brokerage account first and compares the two further down. Figures were checked on 13 October 2026.
Sahulat Account rules at a glance
- Holder: a single individual. Joint accounts are not allowed (PSX).
- Limit: purchase positions up to Rs 3 million per account. You can sell securities up to their full value (PSX).
- Number of accounts: one Sahulat Account per broker, but you can open them with several licensed brokers (SECP, 14 March 2026).
- Market: the Regular Delivery Contract Market, also called the Ready Market.
- Restricted: Margin Trading System, margin financing, stock lending and borrowing, and the negotiated deals market.
- Eligibility: investors the broker rates as low risk, onboarded with simplified due diligence (SECP).
- Upgrade: you can convert it to a normal trading account at any time (PSX).
How to open a Sahulat Account
PSX describes three steps: contact a brokerage firm and ask for a Sahulat Account, fill in the simplified form and attach a copy of your CNIC, then submit it to the broker for processing. The SECP said in March 2026 that all licensed brokers offer the account and that it can also be opened online.
Broker checklists can ask for more than a CNIC copy, for example bank account details for payouts, so request the full list before you apply. Confirm too that the firm is a licensed securities broker. For how your shares are recorded once you buy, see our guide to the CDC investor account, facilitation account and broker sub-account.
What the Rs 3 million limit means in practice
Read literally, the limit caps how much you can buy, not how much you can sell. Suppose you buy shares worth Rs 2.5 million. You would have about Rs 500,000 of purchasing room left. Because sales are allowed up to full value, selling shares is the way to free up room. This is an illustration, not a quote from a rulebook.
Two details are not spelled out in the PSX page and are worth asking your broker: whether a rise in share prices uses up part of your limit, and how the limit is checked during the trading day.
Check the number you rely on. PSX’s Sahulat page has appeared in different versions, with an older one still showing Rs 1,000,000 and a daily net-trade cap of the same size. The SECP’s 14 March 2026 announcement, reported by Business Recorder and The Express Tribune, raised the limit to Rs 3 million. Ask your broker for the figure in writing.
Sahulat Account vs Sahulat Sarmayakari Account
| PSX Sahulat Account | Sahulat Sarmayakari Account | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Buying and selling listed shares in the Ready Market | Investing in mutual funds |
| Opened with | A licensed securities broker | An asset management company or a bank offering digital onboarding |
| Limit | Purchase positions up to Rs 3 million per account | Rs 3 million at any point in time and Rs 1 million per transaction, under the SECP’s consolidated onboarding framework (Business Recorder) |
| Who can open | Individuals rated low risk by the broker | Resident Pakistanis under simplified due diligence |
Fund company paperwork can lag behind regulation. An NBP Funds Sahulat Sarmayakari booklet uploaded in January 2026 still lists Rs 400,000 per transaction, Rs 800,000 per year and Rs 1 million in total, and Bank Alfalah’s page quotes Rs 400,000 and Rs 800,000. Check the current form from the fund company. If you want the fund route instead, start with how mutual funds work.
When a normal trading account makes more sense
Move up if you need products a Sahulat Account blocks, such as margin financing or negotiated deals, or if your positions will exceed the cap. PSX allows conversion at any time, so you do not have to close the account and start again. For a wider comparison of account structures, see types of investment accounts.
PSX presents the Sahulat Account as an option for local investors. Pakistanis living abroad should read how to invest in the Pakistan Stock Exchange from abroad before choosing an account type.
Next step
Ask two licensed brokers for three things in writing: the current Sahulat limit, the document checklist, and their brokerage charges. Compare the answers before you fill in any form.
This article is educational and is not personal financial advice. Share prices can fall, and you can lose part or all of the money you invest.
Sources
- Pakistan Stock Exchange: Sahulat Account
- Business Recorder, 14 March 2026: SECP increases Sahulat Account limit to Rs3 million
- The Express Tribune, 15 March 2026: SECP raises Sahulat Account limit to Rs3m
- Business Recorder: Investor onboarding, SECP introduces consolidated framework
- Bank Alfalah: Digital mutual funds
- NBP Funds: Sahulat Sarmayakari account booklet
