Dhaka, Jan. 8 -- Ten state-owned enterprises (SoEs) and multinational companies (MNCs) have agreed in principle to offload a portion of their shares on the stock market, following board-level approvals or renewed commitment to seeking them.

The move is part of the government's broader effort to deepen the capital market and rebuild investor confidence by bringing blue-chip companies to the bourses through direct listing.

The development emerged from a meeting between company representatives and Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday, officials said.

Officials said representatives of the SoEs at the meeting pledged to proceed with the government's plan to list leading companies on the stock exchan...