DHAKA, Sept 8, 2026 (BSS) - Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and member firms of the DSE Brokers Association (DBA) today held an urgent virtual meeting to review the prevailing situation in the capital market and discuss measures to restore stability and normal trading.

The meeting began at 11am and focused on the recent market situation, ensuring smooth trading and restoring investor confidence, said a press release. DBA President Saiful Islam said the exchange of views was timely to remove concerns and confusion among investors and other market stakeholders amid the prevailing situation.

"Most brokers and market-related institutions are currently facing challenges. Therefore, the DSE, regulatory authorities and all stakeholders must work in coordination to restore confidence and normal market activities," he said.

He said the objective should not be to suppress the market, but to transform it into a compliant, vibrant, efficient and growing capital market. DSE Chairman Mominul Islam said important initiatives had been taken through discussions with the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) to strengthen the Investor Protection Fund (IPF) and safeguard investors' interests.

He said increasing the supply of new initial public offerings (IPOs) and financial products was one of the DSE's priorities, as the prolonged absence of new IPOs and limited availability of fixed-income securities remained major weaknesses of the market.

Against this backdrop, the DSE has reduced the listing fee for new bonds. It has also decided to waive 50 percent of the first-year listing fee for companies applying for IPOs or direct listing until March 2027, he said.

Regarding concerns over excessive intervention in brokerage houses, the DSE chairman said the board of directors does not interfere in the day-to-day activities of the Regulatory Affairs Department, but provides policy-level guidance.

"If there is information about any specific irregularity, an investigation or inquiry will be conducted into that particular matter," he said. He urged member firms to resolve any shortage in client (CC) accounts, shares or other assets immediately on their own initiative.

Such shortages not only affect the operations of the concerned firms but also undermine the reputation of the entire capital market ecosystem, he said. The DSE chairman called upon all stakeholders to properly discharge their respective responsibilities to make the market more disciplined, transparent and internationally competitive. "With the collective efforts of all, it is possible to take Bangladesh's capital market to a new height within the next five years," he said.

He also urged member firms to communicate their problems, concerns, suggestions and new ideas to the DSE, saying the exchange wants to make its market development initiatives and future activities more effective based on the practical experiences and opinions of its members. The meeting also discussed inspection activities related to compliance and surveillance.

It was informed that some compliance and surveillance inspections conducted in 2025 remained unresolved and needed to be settled through submission of reports to the BSEC. As part of the process of completing those inspections, the DSE recently conducted inspections at brokerage houses. Participants also stressed the need to establish clear and specific criteria for identifying abnormal transactions.

They said a high volume of share trading at a particular time should not automatically be considered an irregularity. Rather, the nature of the transaction, its impact on prices, the investor's capacity and the instructions involved should be taken into consideration when assessing a transaction.

The meeting discussed various issues concerning the current market situation, the responsibilities of the DSE and its member firms, and measures needed to maintain stability and restore investor confidence.