The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has approved Systems Limited’s acquisition of SAA Services (Pvt) Ltd from British American Tobacco International Holdings (UK) Ltd.
The deal was assessed under Phase I of CCP’s merger review framework, as mandated by the Competition Act, 2010.
Under the transaction, Systems Limited, a major Pakistani firm in software, BPO, and cloud services, will take full ownership of the captive service provider.
SAA Services currently serves only BAT group companies and handles internal functions like HR, finance, procurement, and digital tech; it does not serve external clients either domestically or abroad.
After review, CCP concluded that there are no competition concerns. Because SAA Services operates exclusively within the BAT ecosystem and has no overlap with Systems in the domestic BPO sector, the deal does not consolidate market power or reduce competition.
The regulator said the acquisition could yield strategic and economic benefits. Systems will gain access to global best practices and leverage them to improve its service offerings in Pakistan.
The move also aligns with national goals such as job creation, technology transfer, and digital transformation.
CCP approved the transaction under Section 31(1)(d)(i) of the Competition Act, ruling that it would not create a dominant position in the relevant market.
This acquisition comes amid growing momentum in Pakistan’s IT and BPO industry. The IT sector saw exports grow 23.7 % in FY25, reaching US$2.825 billion, marking it one of the fastest-growing segments in the economy.