CSE holds Investor Forum in Malaysia
CIMB and the Colombo Stock Exchange jointly concluded a Sri Lanka Corporate Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 30 November 2011, themed ‘Invest Sri Lanka: Opportunities in a New Era’. This conference aim was to provide a snapshot of what lies ahead for the Sri Lankan economy and why Sri Lanka is one of the most exciting investment destinations currently in the world.
The one day conference showcased nine Sri Lankan corporates from a range of sectors including banking and finance, tourism and leisure, construction, logistics and telecommunications, a press release stated.
“We believe that Sri Lanka is on the cusp of tremendous growth, and has the potential to provide significant returns to investors. Many of our ASEAN clients are already present there, and we would like to encourage more to look towards this dynamic nation as a positive long term investment destination,” said Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, Group Chief Executive, CIMB Group.
“CIMB wants to be part of Sri Lanka’s South Asian hub for commerce. As the first international investment bank to open a local office in Sri Lanka, we are uniquely positioned to help not just our Malaysian clients but our ASEAN clients to take advantage of the investment opportunity presented in this new and exciting emerging economy,” he continued. “The end of the conflict and the consequent improvement in the economy and corporate performance saw the All Share Price Index of the CSE achieving remarkable heights in the years 2009 and 2010, with the CSE being ranked as the second best performing market in the world in both years.
The positive market activity reflects the new trajectory that has been forged for economic growth in Sri Lanka,” said Krishan Balendra, Chairman, Colombo Stock Exchange, who spoke at the event.
“With the near and medium term outlook strong for our economy, the timing could not be better for the CSE, the Sri Lankan capital markets and for investors. We believe that this is just the beginning and we invite you to share in our progress,” Balendra concluded.
Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka was also upbeat about the future of Sri Lanka as an investment destination in his keynote address at the conference.
“Sri Lanka is on a high growth trajectory supported by sound macro-economic fundamentals. In spite of the challenges posed by global uncertainty such as the Eurozone debt crisis, we have managed to maintain high and broad based economic growth, low interest rates, a declining unemployment rate and control inflationary pressures,” the Governor said.
