From Colombo with Opportunity: “Invest Sri Lanka” Captivates Sydney, Melbourne

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), in collaboration with Port City Colombo and the Consul General of Sri Lanka for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, successfully hosted the “Invest Sri Lanka” Investor Forums in Melbourne on 18 and 19 August 2026 at Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields and Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley, respectively. Each forum attracted over 200 participants, comprising members of the Sri Lankan diaspora and potential investors interested in exploring investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.  HNB Group served as the Platinum Partner, while the Australia Sri Lanka Business Council, Nalanda College Old Boys’ Association Australia, eLanka (Pty Ltd) and the CA Sri Lanka Australia Chapter supported the forum as Supporting Partners.

The first investor forum of the series in Australia was successfully held on August 17, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park.

With a significant and growing Sri Lankan diaspora, Australia remains an important market for strengthening economic and investment ties with Sri Lanka. With a large proportion of the Sri Lankan community in Victoria based in Melbourne, the city provided an important platform for engaging with the diaspora and encouraging greater participation in Sri Lanka’s economic growth through investment in the capital market.

Against this backdrop, the Melbourne forums sought to strengthen the Sri Lankan diaspora’s confidence in Sri Lanka as an investment destination, showcase opportunities within the country’s capital market and encourage greater participation by the Sri Lankan community in Australia. The forums provided a platform for direct engagement with members of the diaspora and the wider Australian investment community, while highlighting Sri Lanka’s evolving investment landscape, economic recovery and the opportunities emerging from ongoing reforms and capital market development.

In her welcome address, Mrs. Pradeepa Saram, Consul General of Sri Lanka for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, highlighted the important role of the Sri Lankan diaspora in strengthening economic ties between Sri Lanka and Australia, while encouraging greater engagement with Sri Lanka’s economic growth through the capital market. “Sri Lanka has gone through multiple turmoils, internal and external, but it has also demonstrated resilience and is now moving into a new phase of economic recovery and growth. The return to growth is creating new possibilities, and the capital market is one avenue through which those potentials can be explored. I encourage members of our diaspora to look beyond traditional forms of engagement and consider the opportunities available through the capital market.”

Highlighting the performance and continued evolution of Sri Lanka’s capital market, Mr. Ray Abeywardena, Director, CSE drew attention to the market’s strong growth, improving liquidity and expanding range of investment products. He noted, “Last year we had $4.1 billion in turnover for the year, and although this year we’ve been slightly lower than the comparative figures, we are hopeful that with the markets improving, and with the ground situation and the global situation improving, markets and liquidity will also get to where we were. Market capitalisation rose from $19.6 billion in 2024 to a high of $26.3 billion, before slightly receding to $23 billion over the last six months. We raised over $900 million last year and have raised $420 million so far this year, of which $320 million has been through debentures and bonds. Of this, $170 million has been for ESG-related sustainability, blue bonds, green bonds and other new products that we are offering. This shows that our market is evolving from a single liquidity stock market to one where we now offer a range of products that investors can avail themselves of.”

Outlining the SEC’s role in supporting both investor protection and the continued development of the capital market, SEC Chairman Senior Prof. D.B.P.H. Dissabandara emphasised the importance of a strong regulatory framework and investor confidence. “As the regulator of the capital market, we have three mandates: to create the market, maintain the market and regulate the market. We are no more just a regulator; we facilitate market development. We have to have a balance between regulation and market development, and maintain professional standards which are on par with global standards, while protecting the interests of investors. We have rules, regulations and procedures, and we follow all global best practices in the Sri Lankan market at the moment. So, considering this strong regulatory environment in Sri Lanka, together with the facilitation of the SEC as the regulator of the capital market, I think we can develop this market further. So, as partners of the Sri Lankan economy, please come and invest. This is a good time and this is an opportunity you should not miss.”

Turning to Sri Lanka’s improving macroeconomic and credit fundamentals, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka highlighted the country’s progress towards a stronger sovereign credit position. “All three rating agencies have re-upgraded Sri Lanka, and we are now about to move into the next category, which is B-, similar to where we were before the crisis. My observation and expectation are that we already deserve to be upgraded, and the indicators are sufficient for us. The opportunity is now, before the full benefit of the improving fundamentals is reflected in the market.”

Emphasising the importance of trust and stability in supporting the next phase of Sri Lanka’s economic growth, Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, noted, “We are here to build trust. We are here to share the right information with you. And we are here to invite you to be part of the success story. I think the data shows that we have moved from crisis to stability and now moving into the growth phase. This is very important to understand. Without stability, it's very impossible to grow. We are in a good trajectory that will ensure that we have the ability to withstand certain shocks. With these reforms taking place, the institutional reforms taking place all over the place and digital-first strategies, we see great potential and we have great confidence in the citizens of the country and also the diaspora who has always supported our country when we were down. This is the right time to be part of this change.”

Broadening the investment case beyond Sri Lanka’s domestic market, Dr. Naveen Gunawardane, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Lynear Wealth Management highlighted the country’s potential as a gateway to the wider South Asian growth story. “A play on Sri Lanka is not really a single country play. It’s very much a play on South Asia, and it’s a way for you to get India exposure at a low valuation level. It’s a way for you to get Pakistan and Bangladesh exposure without the political dynamics of those countries, within a very stable macro environment. So we think Sri Lanka, over the next couple of years, the macro is going to be very stable. We expect the government to continue to maintain this discipline.”

Outlining some of the sectors presenting opportunities for investors, Mr. Damith Pallewatte , Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer HNB PLC said , “We believe any additional equity infusion investments that are coming in as capital for the businesses can, you know, double the growth momentum that we have set for the economy in terms of maybe small to medium industries and emerging corporates, especially if you look at some of the identified sectors, these sectors even identified in the World Bank report as the growth sectors for Sri Lankan economy. Look at the renewable energy sector and the logistics. Not only the ports, but there is significant space for the local logistics industry to improve and grow. And then the export-oriented agriculture. We have seen maybe over the last five years, the agriculture sector has moved upwards with novel technology like the drip irrigation, greenhouses, drone-initiated fertilizer plant. So much of things happening in agriculture now, we can scale it up significantly. But with the right capital, we can significantly scale up high-value tourism. Likewise, there are enough opportunities to invest in or support existing tourism ventures, especially in adventure-related and wellness-related tourism, as well as education. So, these are the things that we see as potential opportunities for you to safely and confidently support via investments in Sri Lanka.”

The forum concluded with an engaging panel discussion featuring the speakers, Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena, Director General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, and Mr. Thulci Aluwihare, Deputy Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, and moderated by Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Chief Executive Officer of the CSE.

The discussion provided an opportunity for participants to engage directly with the speakers on Sri Lanka’s economic outlook, capital market developments, investment opportunities and the country’s positioning within the wider South Asian growth story.

Photo - From the left Dr. Naveen Gunawardane, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Lynear Wealth Management (Pvt) Ltd, Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena, Director General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, Senior Prof. D.B.P.H. Dissabandara, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of Sri Lanka, Mr. Damith Pallewatte, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of the Hatton National Bank PLC, Mr. Ray Abeywardena, Director of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Mr. Thulci Aluwihare, Deputy Managing Director at CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd and the Moderator Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Chief Executive Officer, Colombo Stock Exchange.