B Mirror Report :  The Chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), Khondaker Rashed Maqsood, has said that recent legal reforms have made the listing of new companies in the stock market particularly the IPO (Initial Public Offering) process much easier. He made these remarks on Sunday at the BSEC building in Agargaon during the fifth monthly coordination meeting held with stock market stakeholders.

The Chairman stated that strengthening the market structure and restoring investor confidence are now the Commission’s primary goals.

At the meeting, the BSEC Chairman noted that in 2025 the Commission completed three major regulatory reforms. These include the Margin Rules, Mutual Fund Rules, and the Public Offer of Equity Securities Rules. He believes these legal changes represent a significant part of the long-awaited reforms of the capital market. Referring to IPOs as the “heart” of the stock market, he said that the new rules have eliminated long-standing bureaucratic complexities and made the listing process far more transparent and efficient.

Also present at the coordination meeting was Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser and Chairman of the Capital Market Strengthening Committee. He said that everyone must work collectively to remove structural barriers in the market. Welcoming BSEC’s initiative to hold discussions with stakeholders, he noted that such dialogues make it possible to identify real problems and develop practical solutions. He emphasized overcoming the current challenges as quickly as possible and implementing a long-term development roadmap.

The meeting included detailed discussions on a five-year capital market development plan. Key issues included the introduction of new financial products, faster investor onboarding through the use of e-KYC, online opening of BO accounts, and the establishment of a strong commodity exchange. Emphasis was also placed on listing government-owned and multinational companies, ensuring institutional good governance, and launching the operations of CCBL. The development of technology and increasing digital connectivity among market-related institutions were also discussed.

Other notable attendees at this important meeting included Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Chairman Mominul Islam, CCBL Chairman Major General (Retd.) Wahid-uz-Zaman, President of the DSE Brokers Association (DBA) Saiful Islam, and Managing Director of the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) Niranjan Chandra Debnath. Senior officials from the Merchant Bankers Association and CDBL were also present and expressed consensus on expanding investor education programs nationwide and broadening the scope of merchant banking activities.