Friday Aug 29, 2025
Friday Aug 29, 2025
Friday, 27 June 2025 02:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
To commemorate the United Nations’ Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day today, the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (CMA Sri Lanka) will host the MSME Business Development Summit 2025 and the MSME Business Excellence Awards 2025 at the Lotus Hall, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).
The day’s events will begin with the Summit’s inaugural session from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., featuring Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe as the Chief Guest, addressing the theme ‘Business for MSMEs – Connecting the Entrepreneurs.’ The awards ceremony from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will be graced by Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Takafumi Kadono as the Chief Guest.
The events will bring together MSME clients and staff from commercial banks and finance companies, with strong participation anticipated from shareholder institutions of the newly launched National Credit Guarantee Institution (NCGI). Technical sessions will focus on key issues relevant to MSME development and financial sector engagement. Guest speakers include International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Joni Simpson and Industries Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara. Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) President Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala will deliver the welcome address and DSI Group Emeritus Chairman Dr. Kulatunga Rajapaksa will highlight the contributions of the MSME Committee.
Thereafter, the technical sessions will commence.
Technical Session 1 will include topics such as the role of the NCGI to provide loans without collateral with the support of shareholder banks by NCGI CEO Jude Fernando, export houses to promote exports of MSMEs by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Past President Athulla Edirisinghe, e-commerce and digital marketing by National Enterprise Development Agency (NEDA) Strategic Adviser, Digital and AI Advocate Sanjini Munaweera, strategic direction to support MSMEs by NEDA Chairman Lakshman Abeysekera, and sub-contracting and linking with big businesses by Pelwatte Milk Co. Chairman Ariyaseela Wickramanayake.
Technical Session 2 will be a panel discussion moderated by former Hatton National Bank AGM B. Rekogama and Commercial Bank SME Manager Malika de Silva with Commercial Bank MSME Heads to provide a discussion on MSME customer loan facilities available, rehabilitating customers, export finance, funds for expansion of business, working capital loans, entrepreneurship development, and a Q&A session for participants.
The final session will be the MSME Business Excellence Awards, which will commence from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The awards will include the Ten Best MSMEs, sector awards on Manufacturing, Agriculture and Agro-based industries, Tourism, IT, Software, BPO/M, Exports, MSMEs that are women-led, and Others. Overall award winners will receive the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards presented by Chief Guest Kadono.
Participation by all banks and finance companies with their MSME customers for the MSME Business Development Summit and, for the first time, the MSME Business Excellence Awards, with special recognition to the respective banks and finance cos. for the winners, will be a major feature of these awards.
