Iran's securities regulator has suspended the operating licences of Ansar Bank Brokerage after the firm posted a deepening run of losses that has left its continued operation in doubt, Bourse News reported on June 9.

The Mashhad-based brokerage, registered with the Securities and Exchange Organisation in 2008 and owned by Ansar Bank since 2014, was the only one of Iran's 17 bank-affiliated brokerages to record heavy and growing losses in both its six-month and full-year financial statements for the year to March 2026.

Net profit turned from a gain of IRR1.05tn (USD580,000) in the year to March 2021 to a net loss of IRR460bn in the year to March 2026. The full-year loss widened by 76% on the prior year, while the six-month loss rose 121% year on year.

Accumulated losses reached IRR784bn by the year to March 2026, up 142% on the previous year and more than tenfold over three years.

Operating revenue fell 41% to IRR122bn in the year to March 2026 from IRR206bn a year earlier, a decline of 92% over five years. Trading commission income dropped 98% over the past year, while investment income rose by a reported 1,600% from a low base.

The nominal value of the brokerage's investments fell 25% to IRR559bn from IRR745bn a year earlier.

Staff numbers fell to 30 in the year to March 2026 from 80 in the year to March 2021, a 63% reduction. The company attributed the cuts to human-resources restructuring and changes to administrative processes, saying it had managed operations with remaining personnel after staff departures.

The brokerage manages a single market fund worth IRR1.24tn in assets under management, used for market-making. Its chief executive is Hamed Settak and the chairman of its board is Mehdi Hedayat.

The regulator has not set out what will happen to shareholders, clients or staff following the suspension.