Regulatory reforms clear path for new listings: BSEC chairman

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Khondoker Rashed Maqsood on Sunday said recent regulatory reforms have significantly eased the entry of new companies into the capital market, particularly through initial public offerings (IPOs), marking a major step forward in market development.

He made the remarks while speaking at the fifth monthly coordination meeting with capital market stakeholders held at BSEC in Agargaon.

The chairman outlined the commission's key reform initiatives aimed at strengthening market structure and restoring investor confidence.

He said the commission completed three major regulatory reforms in 2025  the margin rules, mutual fund rules and the public offer of equity securities rules, which together constitute a substantial part of the long-awaited legal overhaul of the capital market.

Describing IPOs as the "heart of the capital market," Rashed Maqsood said the new IPO rules have removed long-standing bottlenecks and created a more efficient and transparent pathway for new listings.

The meeting was attended by Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, special assistant to the chief adviser and chairman of the committee formed to strengthen the capital market, along with BSEC commissioners and other senior market officials.

Anisuzzaman said addressing identified structural barriers must be a collective effort, stressing the need for coordinated action to resolve long-standing challenges.

He welcomed the stakeholder consultation mechanism, noting that such forums are essential for identifying problems and crafting practical solutions.

Anisuzzaman also called for swift resolution of immediate obstacles and urged stakeholders to work towards long-term goals under a clearly defined development roadmap.

The meeting discussed a wide range of reform and development initiatives, including a five-year capital market development plan, introduction of new financial products, roadshows, e-KYC-based investor onboarding and online BO account opening, establishment of a commodity exchange, increased API connectivity among market institutions, listing of state-owned and multinational companies, mergers and acquisitions, development of the mutual fund sector, institutional governance reforms, registration and operationalisation of CCBL, expansion of merchant banking activities, and nationwide investment education programmes.

Among others present were Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Chairman Mominul Islam, CCBL Chairman Major General (retd) Wahid-uz-Zaman, DSE Brokers Association (DBA) President Saiful Islam, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) Managing Director Niranjan Chandra Debnath, DSE Managing Director Nuzhat Anwar, Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) Managing Director Abdul Motaleb Chowdhury, Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) President Iftekhar Alam, and DSE Director Minhaj Mannan Emon.