SBI Japan opens liaison office in Colombo today

SBI Holdings Inc. will strengthened its presence in the South Asian region with the opening of a liaison office in Colombo today.

The move reinforces SBI’s view that Sri Lanka is a gateway to South Asian markets. 

The SBI office is a partnership between SBI Holdings’ subsidiary, SBI Ven Holdings Ltd., Sunshine Holdings Plc and veteran investment banker Viraj Malawana of Strategic Business Innovator Ltd. 

The opening coincides with the 100-strong Japanese delegation currently visiting Sri Lanka.

The SBI Group is a key player in the Japanese securities industry and has keen interests in the financial services sector in Japan. It made its move to Sri Lanka to entice Japanese investors to enter Sri Lanka and will provide such investors with a one-stop advisory covering the entire gamut of the investment process. 



Ranging from corporate advisory to administration and operational facets of business in Sri Lanka, the company is well equipped to advise any investor on all areas of investment opportunities and process in Sri Lanka. With SBI’s presence in Sri Lanka, Japanese investors will feel secure in bringing their investments to the country. 

Backed by one of Sri Lanka’s premier listed conglomerates, Sunshine Holdings Plc, with interests in Healthcare, FMCG and Strategic Investments and Malawana, who is experienced in securing Japanese investments to Sri Lanka, Strategic Business Innovator Ltd. is poised to lure high net worth investors to the island. 

Under the stewardship of Shiran Dias, a Harvard graduate and Japanese expert who currently serves the parent company as Head of their Global Advisory Department, the company will possess unparalleled leverage to the Japanese market. Dias has held senior positions at UBS, Barclays, JP Morgan and Jefferies in a 25-year career in investment banking. 

The company has an eminent Board consisting of Sunshine Holdings Group Director Vish Govindasamy and Viraj Malawana both of whom hold several directorships in listed and unlisted companies, along with Shiran Dias and Makoto Miyazaki of SBI Group Japan.