DBA calls for no unnecessary intervention in stock market
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
A virtual meeting was held between the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and member firms of the DSE Brokers Association of Bangladesh (DBA) to address recent instability in the stock market and ensure normal trading.
At the meeting held on Tuesday (September 8), DBA members called for an end to unnecessary and excessive monitoring of brokerage houses and urged authorities not to make unwanted interventions.
At the beginning of the meeting, DBA President Saiful Islam said such discussions are very timely to remove the concerns and confusion among investors and market stakeholders over the current situation in the stock market. Most brokerage houses and market related institutions are currently facing various challenges. In this situation, the main goal for everyone should be to move away from a policy of suppressing the market and transform it into a compliant, vibrant, efficient and growing stock market.
DSE Director Minhaj Mannan Emon spoke about the fear or “panic” created in the market following the recent sending of letters to around 100 brokers and investors and increased monitoring. Members attending the meeting agreed that sending so many letters at once within a short period was not appropriate and that such decisions should have been taken gradually.
Responding to the DBA’s demands, DSE Chairman Mominul Islam said, “The board of directors does not interfere unnecessarily in the day-to-day activities of the Regulatory Affairs Department or with brokerage houses. Rather, it provides policy guidance. The recent inspections at some brokerage houses were conducted as part of completing the unresolved inspections related to compliance and surveillance in 2025 and submitting reports to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC). Investigations or inquiries will only be conducted when specific information about irregularities is found.” However, he urged member firms to quickly resolve any shortfalls in CC accounts or shares on their own initiative.
The DSE also announced some important decisions to increase the supply of new shares and bonds in the stock market. These include reducing the listing fee for new bonds and waiving 50 percent of the first-year listing fee for companies applying for IPOs and direct listings until March 2027. Mominul Islam also said discussions are underway with the BSEC regarding an “Investor Protection Fund” to protect the interests of general investors.
The meeting called for specific and clear criteria to be set for identifying abnormal transactions. Speakers said that simply trading a large number of shares at a particular time should not be considered an irregularity. Instead, the nature of the transaction, its impact on prices and the investor’s capacity should be taken into consideration.
