Sri Lankan capital markets firm repositions itself for global audience

• Nation Lanka Equities rebrands as ACS Capital

Principal Asanga Seneviratne

Director and CEO Hussain Gani

Director and Chief Operating Officer Ralph Wijesinghe

ACS Capital, formerly known as Nation Lanka Equities, has begun a mission to target the global audience for securities listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, starting with a rebranding.

The company under the leadership of one of the prominent business figures, Asanga Seneviratne, who served as Director on the Colombo Stock Exchange, is well known for his 19-year tenure as CEO at Asia Capital, together with his sporting contributions to the country.

Seneviratne together with ACS Capital’s Chief Operating Officer Ralph Wijesinghe, co-founded the CDAX platform, Sri Lanka’s first online trading system introduced to brokerage firms in 2003.

When asked about the rebranding, Seneviratne said that the proactive approach to change aims to catch the best times ahead, after observing the steady growth and recovery of Sri Lanka’s economy.

ACS Capital CEO Hussain Gani, who served as the Vice President of Softlogic Investments and Chief Operations Officer at Asia Securities, said: “The rebranding is a first step of many in displaying our value system, a commitment to innovation, global engagement, and aligning ourselves with the evolving requirements of our investors.”

The company’s strategist Ryan Thineth emphasised on the importance of distinguishing the company apart from its once former business ties with the Nation Lanka brand which ended in 2015.

“We considered several factors, from timing to necessity, and concluded the rebranding was essential to achieve the milestones set out in our growth strategy,” Thineth added.

ACS Capital is a member firm of the Colombo Stock Exchange, located in Colombo 7, Sri Lanka. Originating from a subsidiary of Commercial Bank,  before transferring to the Ceylinco conglomerate, and onto its present ownership with ACS Capital, the company’s licence was obtained under the first fifteen memberships issued to stockbroking firms on the Colombo Stock Exchange.