Investment banking companies in Bangladesh are of two types: open-ended and closed-ended. The open-ended ones, generally referred to as mutual funds, repurchase shares in any quantity as and when holders offer them for sales. Thus, the amount of shares of the open-ended investment companies in market changes continually in response to public demand. Closed-ended investment companies sell only a specific number of ownership shares. An investor wanting to acquire shares of a closed-ended investment company must find another investor who wishes to sell. Investment companies do not take part in the transaction. In addition to selling equity shares, closed-ended companies issue a variety of debt and equity securities including preferred stock, regular and convertible bonds, and stock warrants for raising funds.
Investment banks act as intermediaries between issuers and investors. The issuer sells securities to investment bankers who in turn sell the securities to investors. The investment banks own the securities until they are resold. For firms seeking to raise long-term funds, investment banks provide assistance through a number of functions including underwriting, marketing of securities, corporate finance, sale and brokerage, asset management and research. In underwriting, investment banks can protect themselves by forming a syndicate, which allows them to diversify the risk. One investment bank acts as the managing underwriter that oversees the underwriting activities of all members of the syndicate. In the process of marketing, securities are typically sold through a selling group consisting of the sales division of the underwriting syndicate and selected retail brokerage houses. Another significant development in investment banking is the 'unsyndicated stock offering', in which, the corporation distributes the entire stock issue directly to institutional investors