A three-day fair titled Bangladesh Capital Market Expo-2019 begins in Dhaka tomorrow with a special focus on promoting the stock market and highlighting its challenges and potential.

Online financial newspaper arthosuchak.com is organising the exposition in the capital's Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy that will remain open for visitors from 10am to 8pm.

M Khairul Hossain, chairman of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, is scheduled to open the fair, officials of the organiser said in a press meet at the Economic Reporters' Forum in Dhaka yesterday.

In Bangladesh, the ratio of the stock market capitalisation to the gross domestic product stands at around 17 percent whereas it is nearly 80 percent in India and over 100 percent in Malaysia and Hong Kong, said Ziaur Rahman, editor of arthosuchak.com.

The main objective of the expo is to raise awareness among people and do branding of the stock market so that people get encouraged to invest in the market, he said.

Some 40 companies, including stock exchanges, stockbrokers, merchant banks, asset management firms, credit rating agencies, audit firms and listed companies, will participate in the show.

GPH Ispat and Crown Cement are the lead sponsors of the expo while BBS Cables, Prime Bank Investment and UCB Capital are the other sponsors.

On the sidelines of the fair, four seminars will be held on the challenges of the corporate governance code, present situation of the financial sector, challenges and potential of infrastructural sector in the capital market, and capital market for long-time finance.

Kamrun Nahar, managing editor of the news site, was also present at the press meet.