Positive Investor Interest at SEC and CSE Colombo Investor Forums

Wednesday, 15 July 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

English Colombo Investor Forum panel discussion undertaken by (from left): CSE Executive Vice President – Marketing Niroshan Wijesundere, SEC Acting Director General Tushara Jayaratne, Unit Trust Association Vice President, First Capital Asset Management Director and CEO Kavin Karunamoorthy, HNB Stockbrokers Manager – Research Cheran de la Harpe, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Senior Economist Chathura Kulawardena, and Moderator and CSE Manager – Events Nishantha Batagalle

Members of the audience in the Q&A segment

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in collaboration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) hosted the first of a new series of country-wide investor forums on the iconic CSE trading floor on 25 June and 9 July in Sinhala and English respectively.

The investor forums collectively attracted over 180 participants, with many first-time investors taking the opportunity to speak to members of the SEC, CSE, Unit Trust Associations and Stockbrokers from 5 p.m. onwards.

The forums opened with presentations from senior economists of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, including Lasantha Wijerathne and Chathura Kulawardena, who provided a high-level overview of the country's macroeconomic landscape. The session also featured presentations by members of leading stockbroking firms, including NDB Securities Ltd., Senior Research Analyst Tharaka Peiris and HNB Stockbrokers Ltd., Manager – Research Cheran de la Harpe who provided participants with an overview of the capital market. In addition, representatives from the unit trust industry, including the Lynear Wealth Management CEO and Head of Equity and Unit Trust Association Secretary Asanka Herath and Senfin Asset Management Ltd., Chief Investment Officer Surath Perera introduced participants to investing in unit trusts.

The presentations were followed by an interactive panel discussion featuring the speakers as well as Unit Trust Association Vice President, First Capital Asset Management Ltd., Director and CEO Kavin Karunamoorthy, SEC Acting Director General Tushara Jayaratne and CSE Executive Vice President – Marketing Niroshan Wijesundere.

Following the panel discussions attendees enjoyed the opportunity to meet with stockbrokers and unit trust associations to open new investment accounts. All new investors who opened an account on the days of the forum were entitled to receive an investment coupon.

The forum was conducted amidst a remarkable six-year growth in the capital market which saw the All-Share Price Index (ASPI) rise from 4,846 points in May 2020 to 22,310.80 points by the end of May 2026. This represents a growth of 360% and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 28.98% - with capital gains remaining tax-free prospective investors can be notified of through the CSE website and mobile app.