Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Chairman Mominul Islam on Tuesday said Bangladesh's capital market could reach new heights within the next five years if all stakeholders fulfil their respective responsibilities with sincerity, as the bourse held an emergency virtual meeting with DSE Brokers Association (DBA) members to review the market's current situation and ease ongoing volatility.
The meeting discussed the market's recent condition and measures needed to ensure normal and stable trading, with participants exchanging views on the DSE's and member firms' roles in maintaining stability.
Opening the discussion, DBA President Saiful Islam said such an exchange of views was timely, as concerns and confusion have built up among investors and market stakeholders over the current situation.
He said most brokers and market-related institutions are currently facing challenges, and called for coordinated efforts among the DSE, regulators and all stakeholders to preserve market confidence and normal operations.
The goal, Saiful added, is not to suppress the market but to transform it into a compliant, vibrant, efficient and growing capital market.
DSE Chairman Mominul Islam said important steps have been taken regarding the Investor Protection Fund (IPF) following discussions with the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) to safeguard investors' interests.
Calling the expansion of new IPOs and financial products a key DSE priority, he said the prolonged absence of new IPOs and limited presence of fixed income securities are among the market's major weaknesses.
To address this, the listing fee for new bonds has been reduced, and the DSE has decided to waive 50 percent of the first-year listing fee for companies applying for IPOs or direct listing until March 2027.
On concerns over excessive interference in brokerage houses, the DSE chairman said the board does not interfere in the day-to-day activities of the Regulatory Affairs Department but provides policy-level guidance. “Investigations or inquiries will be conducted only when specific information about irregularities is received.”
He urged member firms to promptly resolve, on their own initiative, any shortfalls in CC accounts, shares or other assets, noting that such shortfalls damage not only the institution's operations but also the reputation of the entire market ecosystem.
"To make the market more disciplined, transparent and internationally standard, all parties must properly fulfil their respective responsibilities. Through collective effort, it is possible to take Bangladesh's capital market to a new height within the next five years," the DSE chairman said.
He urged member firms to bring their problems, concerns, suggestions and new ideas to the DSE, saying the bourse wants to steer market development and future activities more effectively based on members' real experiences and opinions.
Speakers also noted that some compliance and surveillance-related inspections from 2025 remained unresolved and needed to be settled through report submissions to the BSEC, adding that recent inspections at brokerage houses were part of the continuation of that process.
They stressed the need to set clear and specific criteria for identifying abnormal transactions, saying high-volume share trading during a particular period should not automatically be treated as irregular.
Instead, the speakers said, such matters should be assessed by considering the nature of the transaction, price impact, investor capacity and instructions involved.
END/UNB/MM/AM