A gong ceremony was held at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to formally launch and celebrate the listing of JS Global Banking Sector Exchange Traded Fund (JSGBETF). The commencement of trading of units of JSGBETF took place on September 11, 2023. This is the first ETF to be launched by a brokerage house in Pakistan under the SECP’s Sandbox Guidelines, 2019, and the eighth ETF to be listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange.
JS Global Banking Sector ETF is a sector specific ETF which will track a total-return, equally weighted index, JS Global Banking Sector Index (JSGBKTI). JSGBKTI will be replicating stock selection criteria of PSX’s Banking Tradable Index (BKTI). JSGBETF is a sector specific ETF that tracks a basket of stocks within the banking sector. It currently consists of eight (8) banking stocks that represent approximately 70 percent of the listed banking sector or approximately 80 percent on free float market cap.
Present at the gong ceremony were the Chief Guest, Chairman SECP, Mr. Akif Saeed; CEO JS Bank Limited, Mr. Basir Shamsie; CEO JS Global Capital Limited, Mr. Imtiaz Gadar, and senior management of the SECP, JS Bank, and JS Global. The guests were welcomed by the MD & CEO PSX, Mr Farrukh H. Khan; Board member(s) PSX, and senior management of PSX. The gong was struck to mark the launch of JSGBETF and to open the trading day by the Chief Guest, Chairman SECP; CEO JS Bank Ltd., and CEO JS Global Capital Ltd., amidst the presence of the Board member(s) PSX, MD & CEO PSX, and senior management of the three guest organisations (SECP, JS Bank & JS Global).
The Chief Guest, Mr. Akif Saeed, Chairman SECP, while speaking at the event, stressed upon the importance of capital formation through quality listings at PSX. He also added that liquidity in the market needs to be improved and more public involvement can be ensured through increase in free float of companies. The Chairman informed the participants about SECP’s Regulatory Sandbox program which is now open throughout the year for submission of innovative ideas. He also expressed confidence that launch of Centralized Gateway Portal in the upcoming week will broaden investor base by providing access to mutual funds, stocks and insurance products through a single platform.
The MD & CEO of PSX, Mr. Farrukh Khan, welcomed the guests and stated, “First of all, I would like to congratulate SECP for promoting new initiatives under Sandbox Regulations. We are very excited and pleased to list the first ETF at PSX which is launched by a brokerage house in Pakistan. This ETF which focuses on sector specific basket of banking stocks increases the range of options available for investors to choose from when investing in ETFs at PSX. It provides an easy and low cost instrument for investors to gain exposure to the banking sector in Pakistan.
I congratulate JS Global on this new and innovative addition to its portfolio of offerings and products. This was a much needed addition to the variety and number of ETFs available on the local market. Globally, there are more than 8700 ETFs listed worldwide with Assets Under Management of almost US$ 10 trillion”.
The CEO of JS Bank Limited, Mr. Basir Shamsie, said, “This is a great milestone for JS Global, and JS Group as a whole. I would like to congratulate JS Global for their perseverance and commitment without which this feat would not have been possible.” The CEO of JS Global Capital Limited, Mr. Imtiaz Gadar, added,”We have marked a great day for JS Global and I thank all market participants, regulators and JS Group for all their support. The JSGBETF is the first ETF launched by a brokerage house in Pakistan and is the first sector specific ETF in Pakistan with a basket of eight stocks from the banking sector. This will be based on a total return index with equal weight constituents.”
