In order to create financial awareness, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) conducted full-day awareness seminars in collaboration with KPMG TaseerHadi& Co. Chartered Accountants in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. Around 300 participants attended the sessions facilitated by 15 leading practitioners and subject specialists from various segments of the industry. The objective of these seminars was to bring a higher level of awareness among the country’s professional and academic circuit about the areas being regulated by the SECP and the product suite available to investors for making legitimate and safer investment decisions. The SECP considers these professionals as a door opener to a wider population of their client entities and wants to spread the financial awareness through these professionals to the large segments of the society.

The sessions outlined the SECP’s role as the apex regulatory authority of the non-banking finance company and its investor education’s campaign Jamapunji for creating financial awareness among the masses. The participants were informed about the Jamapunji web portal, the SECP’s value added SMS services and service desk facility. The broad-spectrum campaign educates the different segments of the society by conducting seminars, broadcasting public services messages radio and media campaigns etc. The speakers steered interactive sessions on financial planning, capital markets, mutual funds and voluntary pension system insurance and company incorporation. The session incorporated the policies and procedures of utilizing the products and highlighted the benefits and risks involved for the investors when opting for investment options. The attendees actively inquired about various aspects related to investments, better financial planning, and company incorporation. The SECP’s awareness material was also distributed among the participants for their continuing assistance. The audience commended the SECP’s ongoing efforts of building awareness for the students and professionals both. The SECP showed gratitude to the audience for their welcoming response with a promise that such collaborative efforts will continue to take place in future.