The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the country’s primary capital market, experienced its third consecutive day of decline in trading on Wednesday. During the first one and half hours of trading, the DSE recorded a drop in the prices of most listed companies, with all three major indexes seeing a downturn. In this period, share prices of 110 companies advanced, 189 declined, and 81 remained unchanged. Read more: DSE faces downturn for second consecutive day as most company shares decline According to market sources, the DSEX, the DSE’s benchmark index, fell by 14.65 points to 5,351.30. The DSES Shariah index dropped 4.80 points to 1,190.55, while the DS30, which tracks blue-chip stocks, decreased by 4.67 points to 1,959.05. By mid-morning, approximately Tk 110 crore worth of shares and units had been transacted on the DSE.

Eight more local companies have received ISO 22000 certificates from the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), paving the way for the firms to export their products to foreign markets. With the eight companies, a total of 21 local firms have so far obtained the ISO 22000 certificates with the help of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Foundation. The eight companies are Safe Trading Corporation, Pratibha Trading, Abhijit Food and Beverage Industries, Masud Agro Processing Food Products, Bani's Creation, Ayurvedic Pharmacy (Dhaka), Chhip Food BD and All-wells Marketing. Also read: Chinese Company to set up hair fashion accessories industry at BEPZA economic zone The certificates were handed over to the companies through a function on Monday, said a press release of SME Foundation. Addressing the function, Chairman of the SME Foundation Prof Masudur Rahman said now the food and agricultural processing companies can export their products of 500 million US dollars. The Foundation will help SMEs to raise the export earnings to one billion US dollars in this sector by 2030, he said. Director General of the SME Foundation Dr Mofizur Rahman said the Foundation will help eight more small and medium enterprises to obtain the ISO 22000 certificates in the current financial year. Also read: Govt urged to reject offer for Covid-19 vaccine from any tobacco company Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Hafizur Rahman and member of Food Safety Authority Rezaul Karim were present in the event. The SME Foundation has been creating awareness about Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), providing training to entrepreneurs, and extending assistance to enterprises to attain international standard certificates. In 2013, three local companies attained the ISO 22000 certificates for the first time with the help of the SME Foundation. Later, four other companies got the international standard certificates in 2015 and six ones in 2017. Read Plastic businessmen want harassment-free environment

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged insurance companies to take initiatives to increase public awareness about the benefits of having insurance policies. "There’s a lack of awareness among people about the facilities of insurance. I hope that those who are involved in the insurance sector will take initiatives so that awareness among people could be increased," she said. She said this while inaugurating the National Insurance Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC). She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. The finance ministry and the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) jointly organised the function.  Hasina said that the insurance sector has to be digitised fully and put under automation for the convenience of the policy holders. Also read: Let new generations learn about national heroes, says PM “If the paying of premium can be done digitally or through online system everyone will be interested. Technology should be incorporated in the insurance sector and there should be massive publicity about it,” she said. She said that people have to be encouraged for insurance and policy holders have to get highest priority in this sector. The PM put emphasis on building more confidence in the insurance sector. “New techniques have to be applied to make people interested regarding insurance,” she said. She mentioned that if people could get the service of insurance within their reach they would feel interested and their lives would be secured. Also read: Bangladesh keen to increase engagement with ASEAN: PM “For that insurance companies of public and private sectors have to work together,” she said. The prime minister underlined the need for appropriate settlement of insurance claims and said the people concerned have to remain alert about the false claiming of insurance money. "There were some instances of claiming excessive money against the actual losses from the insurance companies…you must remain alert regarding this," she said. She, however, called for quick settlement of the insurance claims without any hassle to the policy holders. “Policy holders' claims have to be settled quickly and easily,” she said. Talking about the development of the insurance sector, she said the government would send some people to get academic degrees from abroad in actuary. The government will pay for their studies but they have to return to the country on completion of their studies and work, she added. An actuary calculates the risk factors of clients by analysing their age, sex, occupation and heath condition and the insurance company sets premiums for customers based upon the risk factors. Describing insurance as “deposit” of the subscribers, she stressed the need for ensuring their premium in an appropriate manner using modern technology and reach the amount to them maintaining due process. The prime minister said, her government already announced steps to introduce Universal Pension Schemes for all citizens. She said that the government has been working with a farsighted plan to protect lives of the people and  improve their living standard.  Hasina recalled the involvement of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the insurance sector. She said Bangabandhu had worked in the insurance industry alongside doing politics to meet his family expenses. “During his job in Alpha Insurance company the father of the nation had formulated the historic Six Point Demands that led the country towards its independence,” she said. After independence, Bangabandhu enacted necessary laws and formed institutional bodies to make the insurance industry more vibrant, she said. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the event virtually while Secretary of Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah gave the welcome address. Chairman of the IDRA Dr. M. Mosharraf Hossain and Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) President Sheikh Kabir Hossain, also spoke on the occasion. On behalf of the PM, Secretary of Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah handed over  “Bima Padak” to five persons for their outstanding contribution to the insurance sectors and “Bangabandhu Surokhya Bima Policy” to two differently able children. Former lawmakers and insurance personalities Mokbul Hossain and Mostafizur Rahman have been awarded posthumously with lifetime achievement for their significant contribution to the development of the insurance sector.     Insurance personalities, Sheikh Kabir Hossain and Nasir Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury were awarded for their special contribution to the development of the insurance sector. Former secretary of the government Nazrul Islam Khan was also awarded for his contribution to make a documentary on insurance sector and Bangabandhu’s contribution for development of the sector. A video documentary on the insurance sector was screened at the ceremony. On 1 March, 1960, Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started working at then-Alpha Insurance Company. Therefore, the government has decided to celebrate March 1 as the National Insurance Day.