CAL launches ‘Wealth of Experience’ insight platform to celebrate 21 years

During its 21-year-long odyssey in financial markets in Sri Lanka, CAL in a statement said it has emerged as the leading investment bank in the country. 

CAL has also expanded its footprint internationally, through its entry into Bangladesh’s capital markets, as the first joint venture company to receive trading rights on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. 

Group CEO Ajith Fernando said: “We believe we are always only two years away from irrelevance. This means we are constantly evolving to adapt to the changing environment and changing customer requirements. We are driven by relationships with our clients, the regulators, our directors, and most importantly, with our team. I want to take this opportunity to thank all who have supported us over the years and made CAL what it is today.” 

Fernando described CAL as a growth company not only in Sri Lanka but in other frontier markets as well. “Our objective is to be the leading Investment bank in frontier markets. To this end, we have already expanded into international markets, while having significant expansion plans in Sri Lanka as well, in the near future,” he added. 

Marking this significant milestone, CAL has launched its ‘Wealth of Experience’ platform, which comprises three pillars; Learn, Invest and Grow. Together, these three pillars provide a platform for CAL to engage with its clientele to share the work done by its award-winning Research and Insights team.

The ‘Learn from a Wealth of Experience’ vertical brings together CAL’s Research and Insights, providing views on economies, industries and companies. The firm’s in-house research team is a consistent winner at the annual CFA Capital Market Awards, having bagged, for 2021, a whole suite of awards including; Best Research Team, Gold Award for Best Sector Report and Silver Award for Best Company Report, among many others over the years.

In the ‘Invest in a Wealth of Experience’ vertical, CAL touts many investment opportunities for its clientele. CAL’s Stockbroking arm is one of the largest brokers of foreign institutional funds in Sri Lanka. CAL’s Wealth Management division boasts assets under management exceeding Rs. 80 billion. Their Investment-Grade Fund is the only double rated fund of its kind in Sri Lanka, enjoying A+ and A rating from ICRA and Fitch Ratings, respectively. In 2021, CAL’s Income Fund emerged as the best performing fund in Sri Lanka, with annualised returns of 7.91%. 

The ‘Grow with a Wealth of Experience’ vertical demonstrates CAL’s experience in helping businesses grow. The firm holds the No. 1 spot for post-war public equity issuances, debt issuances and mergers and acquisitions advisory services. Since 2009, CAL has helped Sri Lankan companies by advising and managing transactions worth Rs. 85 billion over the last 24 months alone. These feats have earned CAL’s Corporate Finance division a coveted place among Sri Lanka’s top 5 players in the capital markets space. 

CAL first entered the Sri Lankan market in 2000 as a licensed primary dealer, rapidly evolving into one of only five non-bank licensed primary dealers in the country. Over the past two decades, CAL has grown to become the market leader in capital markets services, offering a growing list of solutions including Wealth Management, Equity and Debt Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory, Stockbroking Fixed Income trading and Private Equity. It has been lauded with ‘Best Investment Banking Company in Sri Lanka’, among other accolades.