ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has approved the acquisition of SAA Services (Private) Limited by Systems Limited from British American Tobacco International Holdings (UK) Limited.
According to a press release issued on Thursday, the deal was carried out under a Share Purchase Agreement and reviewed under Phase-I of CCP’s merger framework in line with the Competition Act, 2010.
Systems Limited, one of Pakistan’s top technology firms in software development, BPO, and cloud services, will now take full ownership of SAA Services.
The company, currently part of the British American Tobacco Group, provides IT and IT-enabled services including HR, finance, procurement, and digital technology support. It does not serve any external customers in Pakistan or abroad.
After reviewing the case, CCP found that the acquisition does not pose any competition concerns since SAA Services’ operations are limited to the BAT Group and there is no overlap with Systems Limited’s local BPO business.
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The Commission noted that although both companies work in the IT and IT-enabled services sector, their customer bases are separate and the deal will not affect competition in the domestic market.
The acquisition is expected to create strategic and economic benefits by allowing Systems Limited to use global expertise and best practices to improve its services in Pakistan. It also supports national goals of job creation, technology transfer, and digital transformation.
CCP approved the deal under Section 31(1)(d)(i) of the Competition Act, 2010, confirming that it will not create or strengthen a dominant position in the market.
