Khosru calls for institution-driven capital market

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury called for shifting Bangladesh’s capital market toward an institutional investor-driven model, alongside full automation to make operations paperless.
Speaking as chief guest at the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh’s (ICB) golden jubilee celebration on Thursday, the finance minister said the country’s market has long been overly reliant on retail investors, unlike capital markets globally where institutional players dominate.
He highlighted that ICB was founded to build a market-based financial system and direct savings into productive investments. To fulfill that mandate today, he urged ICB to lead the shift away from retail dominance and modernise its own operations.
Amir Khosru called on the institution to move beyond traditional methods and transform into a competitive, fully market-oriented entity capable of driving broader financial sector reforms.
He also said appointments to top positions at key financial institutions, including the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), were being made without political influence as part of the government’s economic reform agenda.
In line with the government’s policy, appointments to banks and financial institutions would not be made on political considerations, he added.
On the digital transformation of the capital market, the minister said work was underway to introduce full automation and digitalisation across the market, including at the BSEC, stock exchanges, brokerage houses and ICB.
Emphasising a “no paper transaction” policy, he said the entire process, from listing applications to approvals and decision-making, should be completed online.
Referring to the prime minister’s recent breakfast meeting with top executives of 15 major global institutions on Wall Street in New York, the finance minister said international investors had expressed confidence in Bangladesh’s capital market and ongoing economic reforms.
He said efforts were underway to create an environment for attracting global capital to Bangladesh through private funds, climate finance and derivative products.
The finance minister also urged domestic institutions to move beyond their traditional dependence on commercial banks and familiarise themselves with international-standard financial practices.
He expressed hope that ICB would use its experience and undertake internal restructuring to emerge as a modern, efficient and internationally competitive institution.
ICB Managing Director Niranjan Chandra Debnath presided over the programme.
BSEC Chairman Masud Khan, Finance Division Secretary Dr Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek and ICB Chairman Prof Abu Ahmed, among others, attended the event.