Laeeq Ahmad's Faysal Bank Post Just Went Viral, And For Good Reason
A few days ago, our CEO Laeeq Ahmad shared a personal investment story on LinkedIn that blew up across Pakistan's finance community. Thousands of shares, hundreds of comments, and one very simple lesson that most people overcomplicate. Here's what he posted: In 2020, he bought 15,000 shares of Faysal Bank (FABL) at Rs 21 per share. Total investment: Rs 315,000. No trading, no panic selling, no watching the screen every day. He just held. Fast forward to today, here's what that patience looks like in numbers: - Entry price: Rs 21 ā Current price: Rs 88 - Total dividends received: Rs 352,000 - Current portfolio value: Rs 1.67 million - CAGR: 32% per annum - Current dividend income: Rs 19,500 The headline of the whole story? His dividends alone, Rs 352,000, have already exceeded his original investment of Rs 315,000. He got his full capital back in cash. And he still owns all 15,000 shares. The Strategy Was Really Simple: No fancy indicators. No margin trading. No timing the market. Just three things: 1. Pick a fundamentally strong company. Faysal Bank is a major Pakistani Islamic bank with consistent earnings and a reliable dividend history. Not a speculative stock, a real business with real profits being shared with shareholders. 2. Buy during fear. 2020 was a crash year. COVID had shaken markets globally. Most people were running away from stocks. Laeeq walked in. That's where long-term wealth gets built, when others are panicking. 3. Hold. Just hold. Pakistan's economy went through multiple tough patches after 2020, inflation, currency devaluation, political uncertainty. He sat through all of it. And the compounding did its job quietly in the background. The deeper point he made in the post: once your dividends exceed your original investment, your entire relationship with the market changes. You stop fear-selling on dips. You stop obsessing over the price. Because the game has already been won. The money is now making money, and that Rs 19,500 in dividend income now covers his petrol tax. A real expense. Fully funded outside his salary.