SEC & CSE Colombo Investor Forums receive positive investor interest

Investors opening accounts with representatives of stockbrokering firms and unit trusts at the CSE premises

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 CSE trading floor on 25th June and 9th July in Sinhala and English languages 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 5:00 pm 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 Tharaka Peiris, Senior Research Analyst at NDB Securities (Pvt) Ltd, and Cheran de la Harpe, Manager – Research at HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd, who provided participants with an overview of the capital market. 

In addition, representatives from the unit trust industry, including Asanka Herath, Secretary of the Unit Trust Association and CEO and Head of Equity at Lynear Wealth Management (Pvt) Ltd, and Surath Perera, Chief Investment Officer of Senfin Asset Management Pvt Ltd, introduced participants to investing in unit trusts.

The presentations were followed by an interactive panel discussion featuring the speakers as well as Vice President of the Unit Trust Association, Director and CEO of First Capital Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd Kavin Karunamoorthy, Acting Director General of the SEC Tushara Jayaratne and Executive Vice President – Marketing of the CSE 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 notable 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 percent and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 28.98 percent - with capital gains remaining tax-freeprospective investors can be notified of through the CSE website and mobile app.