Dhaka:The capital hosted a high-level national conference where Tanvir Shahriar Ghani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Investment and Capital Market, stressed the importance of trust as the foundation of capital markets. He emphasized that consistent financial standards and professional integrity are vital to gaining investor confidence and attracting sustainable global capital.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Ghani addressed the conference as the Chief Guest, noting that while financial practices such as reporting, accounting, auditing, corporate governance, and risk management may seem technical, they fundamentally rely on trust. He warned that a breach of this trust could lead to financial losses for investors and a loss of confidence in the entire capital market.
The conference, titled 'Building Investor Confidence: The Role of Professional Bodies in Audit, Reporting, Governance and Risk Management,' was organized by five major accounting and secretarial bodies—ICAB, ICMAB, ICSB, IIAB, and ACCA—at the CA Bhaban in Kawran Bazar. The event marked the 10th Annual World Investor Week 2026, led globally by IOSCO from October 5 to 11.
Ghani pointed out that Bangladesh has the necessary institutional framework in place, but the main challenge remains in execution. He highlighted the need for consistent and effective implementation of global standards, urging for self-discipline, accountability, and ethical conduct to strengthen professional integrity.
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Masud Khan, speaking as the Special Guest, highlighted the need for reasonable audit fees to ensure quality. He announced plans for BSEC to establish proper audit fee benchmarks and implement stringent regulations for high-quality audits in compliance with the IFAC Code of Ethics.
ICMAB Council Member Arif Khan FCMA addressed the prolonged drought of initial public offerings (IPOs) since March 2024 in a keynote paper. He identified low valuations, sluggish approval procedures, and policy uncertainty as major barriers and called for market-driven pricing, predictable regulations, and faster clearances to rejuvenate IPO activity in Bangladesh.
ICAB Vice President Asifur Rahman FCA discussed investor resilience, emphasizing ICAB's Document Verification System (DVS) and strategic partnerships with the Financial Reporting Council, National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Bank, and RJSC to eliminate fake financial statements.
The event was chaired and moderated by ICAB President Sabbir Ahmed FCA and featured ICMAB President Kausar Alam FCMA, ACCA Country Manager Prawma Khan FCCA, IIAB President M. Nurul Alam FCS, and ICSB President Mohammad Shahajahan FCS as panelists.