The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the DSE Brokers Association (DBA) convened an urgent virtual meeting today to review the current state of the capital market and explore strategies to restore stability and normal trading activities. The meeting, which began at 11 am, focused on ensuring smooth trading and rebuilding investor confidence amid the ongoing market volatility.
Addressing Market Concerns
DBA President Saiful Islam emphasized the importance of the meeting in dispelling concerns and confusion among investors and other market stakeholders. He highlighted the need for coordination among the DSE, regulatory authorities, and all stakeholders to restore confidence and normalize market activities. Islam stressed that the objective should be to transform the market into a compliant, vibrant, efficient, and growing capital market rather than suppressing it.
DSE Chairman Mominul Islam discussed several initiatives taken in collaboration with the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) to strengthen the Investor Protection Fund (IPF) and safeguard investors' interests. He noted that increasing the supply of new initial public offerings (IPOs) and financial products is a priority for the DSE, as the prolonged absence of new IPOs and limited availability of fixed-income securities are significant market weaknesses.
Measures for Market Stability
To encourage new listings, the DSE has reduced the listing fee for new bonds and decided to waive 50 percent of the first-year listing fee for companies applying for IPOs or direct listing until March 2027. Regarding concerns over excessive intervention in brokerage houses, Islam clarified that the DSE board of directors does not interfere in the day-to-day activities of the Regulatory Affairs Department but provides policy-level guidance.
The DSE chairman urged member firms to resolve any shortages in client accounts, shares, or other assets promptly. He emphasized that such shortages not only affect the operations of the concerned firms but also undermine the reputation of the entire capital market ecosystem. Islam called upon all stakeholders to discharge their responsibilities effectively to make the market more disciplined, transparent, and internationally competitive.
The meeting also addressed unresolved compliance and surveillance inspections from 2025, which need to be settled by submitting reports to the BSEC. Participants stressed the need to establish clear and specific criteria for identifying abnormal transactions, considering factors such as the nature of the transaction, its impact on prices, the investor's capacity, and the instructions involved.
