What is Nafa? The app, the broker and where your shares are held

Nafa (نفع, Urdu for "profit") is a phone app for buying and selling shares in companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). You open an account from your phone, add money from any bank in Pakistan, and the shares you buy are held in your own name at CDC.

This guide answers the questions we hear most: what the app does, who the broker behind it is, where your shares are held, what it costs and how to open an account.

Nafa in one minute

What you can do in the app

• Buy and sell every PSX-listed company. From the KSE-100 to small caps, with live prices, fundamentals and company news for each one.
• Add and withdraw money. Deposits arrive through Raast from any bank in Pakistan. Withdrawals go back to your linked bank account.
• See what you own. Your holdings, performance, and profit and loss are inside the app, so you don't need a separate portfolio tracker.
• See the cost before you trade. Every order shows the full breakdown of commission and charges on top of the share price.
• Place an order that carries over. PSX expires unfilled orders at the end of each trading day. With a good-till-cancelled (GTC) order, Nafa re-places your order at every market open for 7 days.
• Follow company announcements. Results, dividends and other filings for the companies you hold or watch.
• Talk to a person. The in-app Help Desk answers in Urdu or English.

Who is the broker behind Nafa?

Nafa partners with Chase Securities, an SECP-licensed securities broker and a TREC (Trading Right Entitlement Certificate) holder on the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

In practice that means:

• When you open a Nafa account, you are opening (or linking) a Chase Securities account that Nafa places trades on.
• Your trades execute on the Pakistan Stock Exchange through Chase Securities.
• NCCPL, the national clearing company, clears and guarantees settlement of every trade.
• CDC, the central depository, holds your shares in your own sub-account.

So the chain behind every trade is: Nafa (the app) → Chase Securities (the broker) → PSX (the exchange) → NCCPL (clearing) and CDC (custody).

Where are your shares held?

Your shares are held in your own CDC sub-account, in your name. They are not held by Nafa, and they are not pooled with anyone else's.

That matters for one reason above all: the shares remain yours regardless of what happens to any app or broker. You can also move them to another broker through CDC, or bring shares you already own into Nafa. See how to move your shares to Nafa.

How Nafa and Ticker Analysts fit together

Both are made by the same company, PolygotLabs (Pvt) Ltd.

• Ticker Analysts is a research website for PSX: a stock screener, company financials, Shariah compliance and announcements.
• Nafa is the app where you buy, sell and hold the shares.

You don't need one to use the other. Ticker Analysts does not execute trades, and Nafa does not tell you what to buy.

What does Nafa cost?

Neither Nafa nor the broker charges an account fee or a monthly fee. You pay a commission on each trade.

On top of commission, every trade on PSX, through any broker, carries small statutory charges from the exchange (PSX), the clearing company (NCCPL), the depository (CDC) and provincial sales tax. The authorities also deduct standard account-level charges that come with every PSX brokerage account: a one-time NCCPL charge for KYC at account opening, a small CDC custody fee on holdings, and an annual account maintenance charge.

Current pricing is always shown in the app, and every order shows its full cost before you confirm it.

How do I open an account?

You apply from your phone: enter your CNIC details and the app guides you through the rest of your KYC online. Most accounts are approved within two working days.

The exact steps depend on your situation: new investor, already with another broker, already a Chase Securities client, or a non-resident Pakistani. Each path has its own guide:

• How to open a Nafa account: start here. It covers every type of investor step by step.
• Nafa account opening on the CGP portal: common problems: if your application is stuck on the CGP portal, the fix is almost certainly in here.
• How to move your shares to Nafa: if you hold shares with another broker, including what happens to your average price.
• How to find your UKN number on NCCPL: if you are asked for a UKN and don't know where to get it.

Questions people ask

Is Nafa regulated?

Nafa partners with Chase Securities, an SECP-licensed securities broker and PSX TREC holder. Trades execute on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, NCCPL clears and guarantees settlement, and CDC holds the shares in your own sub-account.

Is Nafa itself a broker?

No. Nafa is the app. Brokerage services are provided by Chase Securities, and your account is a Chase Securities account.

Can overseas Pakistanis use Nafa?

Yes. Non-resident Pakistanis can open an account, with one extra step: a tagging document is needed before the account is opened. The account opening guide covers the non-resident path.

Is there a desktop version?

Yes. The same account works on the desktop web app at terminal.nafa.com.pk.

What if my question isn't answered here?

Message the Help Desk from inside the app, or email hello@tickeranalysts.com.