CSE and USAID conduct Issuer Forum in Kandy providing insights on capital-raising opportunities for SMEs

Panel discussion

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) conducted an Issuer Forum titled “Tfí úHdmdrfha bosß .ukg kj  m%rfúYhla” (A new approach for the future of your business), in association with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), on 29 November in Kandy.

The objective of the forum was to provide an insight for small and medium enterprises to discover capital-raising opportunities available at the CSE via listing on the Empower and Dirisavi Boards of the Exchange. Thus, the program was mostly oriented towards companies in agribusinesses, livestock, energy generation, and tourism-related businesses.  

The forum drew interest from many entrepreneurs in the area. The delegation included Chrissworld PLC CEO Suraj Suraweera, Atarah Capital Ltd. Managing Director Rohan Senewiratne, USAID Palladium Deputy Activity Team Lead Delrene Seneviratne, USAID Palladium Director Financial Facilitation Jude Fernando, and representing CSE, CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike, SVP–Commercial Punyamali Saparamadu, USAID staff Senior Assistant Manager–Listing Kassapa Weerasekara, Kandy branch Manager Dananjaya Abeysiriwardana and CSE staff members.  

Delivering the opening remarks, CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike said, “Having sustainable capital flows and financial freedom is important in reaching greater heights for a business which can be achieved through capital market instruments.”

Expressing his experience with listing, Chrissworld PLC CEO Suraj Suraweera stated, “Listing has led Chrissworld to obtain recognition and attract quality talent; the value addition from the listing has far outweighed the costs, and it has unlocked our true potential.”

Conducting a session on “Benefits and Misconceptions of Listing at CSE,” Atarah Capital Ltd. Managing Director Rohan Seneviratne stated, “One of the most important aspects of listings is price discovery to reveal a company’s true value, and the key pre-requisite for this will be the mindset change to comply with higher standards.”

An insightful panel discussion was also held on the subject of “Journey towards listing and life after listing” towards the end of the forum, with the participation of Delrene Seneviratne, Rohan Senewiratne, Suraj Suraweera, Kassapa Weerasekara, and Punyamali Saparamadu as the moderator.