Invest Sri Lanka Forum today in Melbourne

The Invest Sri Lanka forum organised by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will be held today in Melbourne in a bid to woo interest in capital markets from Australians and Sri Lankans based Down Under.

In the morning a forum at the International Chamber House Melbourne will be held for institutional investors and in the evening the event at Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley is expected to attract a large crowd from the Diaspora. This is a follow-up to a successful form held in Sydney on Monday which drew over 150 participants.

The events are part of an initiative, the first to be held in 12 years, to tap the potential to attract investors based in Australia. The exercise will be extended to New Zealand as well with an engagement at the Fickling Convention Centre in Auckland on Saturday.

The initiative is being held in association with several organisations and individuals including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra, Australia, Consul General in Sydney Lal Wickremetunga and Melbourne Prasanna Gamage, the Sri Lanka and Australia Chamber of Commerce and the Sri Lankan New Zealand Business Council.

Existing foreign investors such as Shangri-La, One Galle Face Colombo, the CHEC Port City Colombo Ltd. and Indoocean Developers Ltd/Altair are supporting the initiative while several stockbrokers and Sri Lankan companies are attending the events as well.

The Chief Guest at these events will be Niroshan Perera, the State Minister for National Policies and Economic Affairs, which functions under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Given the attractive valuations of a host of listed companies and future prospects of Sri Lanka, the fresh effort to woo investor interest from Australia and New Zealand have been welcomed by capital markets. 

The exercise also comes hot on the heels of the successful state visit to Australia and New Zealand by Lankan Premier Wickremesinghe and the celebration of 70 years of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and Australia.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Canberra, Australia S. Skandakumar, CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka, SEC Director General Vajira Wijegunerwardane, Central Bank Director of Economic Research Dr. (Mrs.) Yuthika Indraratne and Fitch Ratings Lanka MD and CEO Maninda Wickramasinghe are among the officials who will address the two events in Melbourne.

Additionally, representatives from the Colombo Port City (Platinum Sponsor), One Galle Face by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts (Platinum Sponsor) and the luxury apartment development by Altair (Corporate Sponsor) will also make presentations to trigger foreign investments in real estate and property in Sri Lanka.

The main presentations will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike and a question and answer session with the audience.