SECP opens second sandbox

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has announced the launch of the second cohort of its regulatory sandbox to spur innovation in its regulated sectors.

The sandbox is a tailored regulatory environment that allows entities / firms to conduct limited scale live tests of innovative products, services, processes, and business models in a controlled environment.

SECP had earlier last year issued the Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines 2019.

Under second cohort, the application window would be open from April 15, 2021 till May 14, 2021 for all eligible persons including registered companies, unregistered start-ups and fintech firms.

The unregistered entities would have to get registered upon successful experiment.

The application form, eligibility criteria and related documents are provided in the Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines placed at SECP’s website.

The commission has formed a six-member committee, headed by SECP Chairman Aamir Khan to evaluate the applications.

In the second cohort, preference would be given to innovation in the areas of digital assets / security token offerings (STOs), non-bank financial companies, blockchain / distributed ledger solutions for capital markets, digital identity / AML / KYC, AI, machine learning and robotic processes automation-based solutions. Female entrepreneurs are highly encouraged to apply.

All the applications would undergo preliminary screening and detailed evaluation. Successful applicants would be allowed to test and experiment their innovative ideas and solutions for a period of six months. Upon completion of the experimentation period, the entities registered in the sandbox would submit detailed completion report to SECP, following which future course of action for the tested solutions would be determined.