Dhaka: The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has approved a draft regulation that allows qualifying companies to get listed on stock exchanges directly, bypassing the traditional Initial Public Offering (IPO) process by offloading a portion of existing shareholders’ holdings.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the decision was made during the 1,027th commission meeting held on Tuesday at the BSEC office, chaired by Chairman Masud Khan. The new draft, titled ‘Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (Direct Listing of Securities by Stock Exchange) Rules, 2026’, permits companies to list by offloading between 10 to 20 percent of shares held by existing shareholders, instead of raising fresh capital through an IPO.
Eligible companies for this direct listing route include those wholly or majority-owned by the government, entities where the government holds at least 10 percent of paid-up capital directly or indirectly, companies majority-owned by foreign shareholders, as well as BTRC-approved telecom and ICT service or infrastructure companies with a minimum paid-up capital of Tk 300 crore. Additionally, scheduled banks, financial institutions, and insurance companies with a minimum of three years of commercial operation, along with companies having an annual turnover or total assets of at least Tk 500 crore, are eligible.
Further, companies seeking direct listing will need to meet additional conditions set by the respective stock exchange, depository, and central counterparty as prescribed by the commission. The draft rules are set to be published in newspapers and on the BSEC website soon for public feedback, as indicated by the commission in a press release.