2024-03-09 06:34:56
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), the regulatory body of the capital market, is working to teach investment to the people of the country. However, there is instability in the country’s capital market due to the global crisis. As a result, the involvement of male as well as female investors in the capital market is much lower than before. As such, the number of BO accounts of women investors in the capital market has decreased by 4 lakh 33 thousand 527 in the last eight years.
This information is known from sources of Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL), known as the repository of capital market.
Meanwhile, many women have invested in the capital market in the neighboring country of India to increase their income despite the global pandemic corona infection. In this case, the women of India have chosen mutual funds as an ideal investment field. As the participation of women investors in India has increased even in the midst of Corona, the opposite picture has been seen in the capital market of Bangladesh. Here women investors are lagging behind.
Market stakeholders say that the continuous recession in the capital market has increased the fear of women investing in this sector. As the country’s capital market is not stable, women do not want to risk investing their savings here. In addition, women have shown less interest in capital markets due to comparatively less publicity about investment education. Capital market stakeholders do not give much importance to this matter. Hence, the reluctance of women in this sector is increasing.
In order to bring women’s savings into the market as an investment, the regulatory body BSEC, Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchange (DSE-CSE), merchant banks, brokerage houses, etc., consider it necessary to give importance to all the stakeholders.
The concerned also said that besides providing various facilities, women should be given training or workshops on investment throughout the year. Besides, risk-free investment by women in the capital market through Initial Public Offering (IPO) should be promoted. At the same time, investing in bonds and mutual funds in the secondary market is relatively safe, the idea should be spread among women. This will encourage women to invest.
According to the sources published by CDBL, in 2010, the number of women employers in the capital market exceeded 8 lakh. Later after the collapse, nearly 2 lakh women investors turned away from here. As the capital market gradually returned to stability, the participation of women in the market increased slightly, but not as much as in 2010.
On December 20, 2016, there were 8 lakh 65 thousand 250 BO accounts of women investors in the capital market of the country. As of March 8, 2017, the BO account of women investors has decreased to 796,392. As of March 8, 2018, the women’s BO count has slightly decreased to 7 lakh 33 thousand 558. However, as of March 7, 2019, the number of BO accounts has slightly increased to 7 lakh 53 thousand 592. Since then, the number of female BO counts has been decreasing.
On March 8, 2020, women’s BO accounts were 6 lakh 84 thousand 918, on March 8, 2021, women’s BO accounts were 6 lakh 87 thousand 90 and on March 8, 2022, women’s BO accounts were 5 lakh 14 thousand 441. As of March 7, 2023, there were 4 lakh 56 thousand 446 female BO counts. As of March 7, 2024, the number of female BO counts stood at 4 lakh 31 thousand 723. Accordingly, the number of women investors in the country’s capital market in the last 8 years has decreased by 4 lakh 33 thousand 527 or 50.10 percent. In the last one year, the number of women and girls has decreased by 24 thousand 723 or 5.42 percent.
As of March 7 of this year, the total number of BO accounts of men and women in the capital market of the country stood at 17 lakh 68 thousand 741. Among them, the number of male BO accounts is 13 lakh 37 thousand 18 and the BO accounts of female investors are 4 lakh 31 thousand 723. According to that, the BO account of women investors is 24.41 percent. Women account for one-fourth of the total BO accounts in capital markets.
When asked about this, the Executive President of Bangladesh Institute of Capital Market (BICM) and Professor of Accounting and Information Systems Department of Dhaka University. Half of our population is women, Mohammad Tarek told RisingBD. Therefore, women should also be educated in investment education. That is why BICM is working continuously. The role of women in the family is very high. Therefore, if the mother in the family can be educated and nurtured, its effect falls on the child. Therefore, mother’s investment education is very important in order to improve the capital market in the long term. BICM is working with that goal. Meanwhile, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, BICM conducted an investment education workshop with the students of Asian University for Women (AUW). Such activities will be done by BICM throughout the year.
Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Academy for Securities Markets (BASM) Professor Taufiq Ahmed Chowdhury told RisingBD, “We are thinking about how to train and educate women about investing in the capital market. BASM has already arranged special training for women investors. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, BASM has trained women entrepreneurs and investors about the capital market at BASM’s own office on March 5 and 6.