Terming trust as the true foundation of capital markets, Tanvir Shahriar Ghani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Investment and Capital Market, on Monday emphasized that consistent implementation of financial standards and uncompromised professional integrity are essential to win investor confidence and attract sustainable global capital.
“Financial reporting, accounting, auditing, corporate governance, and risk management may appear technical, but their true foundation is trust,” Ghani said while addressing as the Chief Guest at a high-level national conference in the capital.
“Investors rely on the integrity and accuracy of financial information when making decisions. If that trust is broken, investors lose money, and confidence in the entire capital market suffers,” he warned.
The conference, titled “Building Investor Confidence: The Role of Professional Bodies in Audit, Reporting, Governance and Risk Management,” was organized jointly by five major accounting and secretarial bodies—ICAB, ICMAB, ICSB, IIAB, and ACCA—at the CA Bhaban in Kawran Bazar to mark the 10th Annual World Investor Week (WIW) 2026, spearheaded globally by IOSCO from October 5 to 11.
Ghani noted that while Bangladesh possesses the requisite institutional framework, the main hurdle lies in execution. “The challenge is not merely adopting global standards, but implementing them consistently and effectively. We must ensure comparable companies are assessed under comparable standards and strengthen professional integrity through self-discipline, accountability, and ethical conduct.”
Speaking as the Special Guest, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Masud Khan underlined the need to establish reasonable audit fees to ensure quality. He announced that once BSEC establishes proper audit fee benchmarks, it will roll out stringent regulations to enforce high-quality audits compliant with the IFAC Code of Ethics.
Highlighting the prolonged drought of initial public offerings (IPOs) since March 2024, ICMAB Council Member Arif Khan FCMA presented a keynote paper titled
“Rebuilding Corporate Confidence in Getting Listed,” citing low valuations, sluggish approval procedures, and policy uncertainty as major barriers. Drawing lessons from India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, he called for market-driven pricing, predictable regulations, and faster clearance to revitalize IPO activity in Bangladesh.
ICAB Vice President Asifur Rahman FCA presented another paper on investor resilience, emphasizing ICAB's Document Verification System (DVS) and strategic ties with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh Bank, and RJSC to eliminate fake financial statements.
Chaired and moderated by ICAB President Sabbir Ahmed FCA, the event also featured ICMAB President Kausar Alam FCMA, ACCA Country Manager Prawma Khan FCCA, IIAB President M. Nurul Alam FCS, and ICSB President Mohammad Shahajahan FCS as panelists.