Big draw for SL Investment Summit in Singapore tomorrow

The first-ever Sri Lanka Investment Summit in Singapore tomorrow organised by the influential FinanceAsia magazine has triggered unprecedented interest from overseas companies, entrepreneurs and fund managers keen to explore new opportunities in the country.

Organisers said nearly 400 have registered for the full-day Sri Lanka Investment Summit on 15 March at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore.

“We have 370 participants registered from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China and the Middle East among others,” a spokesman for organisers told the Daily FT, which is the media partner for the Sri Lanka Investment Summit in Singapore. Among them are those seeking direct and portfolio investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.

The summit is billed as Sri Lanka Inc’s biggest and latest concerted effort to woo Asian investors operating out of Singapore.

FinanceAsia said this summit was part of its Frontier Markets Investment series, covering opportunities for Asian investors to explore new opportunities in new countries.

It said high profile speakers would cover topical issues to help participants better understand the opportunities that Sri Lanka had to offer. “With trade in the Asian region looking to expand across all sectors, this exclusive summit will help investors understand the Sri Lankan markets, from the tourism industry through to the business services sector,” FinanceAsia said.

Some of the top Ministers to be featured in the Investment Summit titled ‘Uncovering Opportunities in Asia’s Rising Gem’ are Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake who will deliver the main keynote, Deputy Public Enterprise Reform Minister Eran Wickramaratne and Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva. Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Singapore Nimal Weeraratne will also address the summit.

Additionally Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and Board of Investment Director General Duminda Ariyasinghe will make keynote presentations too. Mahendran’s will be on ‘Monetary Policy for Tomorrow’s Sri Lanka’ and BOI’s Ariyasinghe will be on ‘Sri Lanka on the Rise: Partnerships for Investment Opportunities’.

Deputy Minister Wickramaratne will figure in a panel discussion titled ‘Private Investment in Infrastructure and Public Enterprises’ in Sri Lanka whilst Deputy Minister de Silva will be in the panel discussion centred on ‘Sri Lanka Today’.

The Standard Chartered Bank is the International Lead Sponsor of the Summit. Co-sponsors are Asia Securities and Perpetual Treasuries. Strategic Partner is the Colombo Stock Exchange. Supporting organisations include the American Chamber of Commerce, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce SL, Oxford Business Group and the Singapore Sri Lanka Business Association. The Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore is supporting the event as well. Official Airline Partner is SriLankan Airlines.

Shangri-La Group Vice Chairman Madhu Rao and world’s biggest solid tyre supplier Camso Loadstar Ltd. Chairman Pierre Pringiers will share at the Summit their lessons learned in investing and operating in Sri Lanka.

A key highlight of the summit will be a CEO Insights panel discussion featuring Sunshine Holdings Group MD Vish Govindasamy, Singer Sri Lanka Group CEO Asoka Pieris, Ceylon Biscuits Group MD Sheamali Wickremasinghe and DFCC Bank’s CEO Arjun Fernando. In this session moderated by Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka CEO Jim McCabe, top CEOs will discuss how leading corporations are mapping their way to growth and navigating through domestic risks to strategically plan for long-term sustainable returns.

The panel on ‘Sri Lanka Today’ will feature Sri Lanka Representative at DEG Geeth Balasuriya, Stax Inc Director Dr. Kumudu Gunasekera and DFCC Bank CEO Arjun Fernando. This session will be moderated by Ceylon Chamber Chief Economist Anushka Wijesinha.

The session focusing on investment opportunities in Sri Lanka will feature Jetwing Chairman Hiran Cooray, Maharaja Group Executive Director Nimal Cooke, UDA Director General Nayana Mawilmada and International Enterprise Singapore South Asia Group Director Benjamin Yap. It will be moderated by Daily FT Editor Nisthar Cassim.

The session on ‘Private Investment in Infrastructure and Public Enterprises’ moderated by TW Corp Chairman Thilan Wijesinghe will feature UDA Director General Mawilmada, IFC Head of PPP Isabel Chatterton, Colombo Port City Head of Sales and Marketing Liang Thow Ming, Colombo International Container Terminals GM Commercial and Marketing Tissa Wickramasinghe and Asanga Gunawansa, Attorney-at-Law, Colombo Law Alliance.

The summit will also have separate sessions focusing on equity and debt market investment opportunities. CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilake will make a presentation on the Colombo stock market and panel on equity investments moderated by Credit Suisse Head of Frontier Market Research Chate Benchavitvilai will feature 

Asia Securities Chairman Dumith Fernando, Lynear Wealth Management Managing Director Dr. Naveen Gunawardane and Julius Baer & Co Ltd. Head of Research Asia Mark Mathews.

Panel on Debt Capital Markets moderated by Lanka Business Online Chairman Ranjan Hullugalle will feature 

Religare Capital Markets (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Director – Research Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, Bartleet Religare Securities Ltd. Managing Director R. Muralidaran and Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. CEO/Head of Group Treasury Kasun Palisena.

Standard Chartered Bank said the event would build on the successes of previous such investment forums organised by FinanceAsia for other countries and was expected to attract business to Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka is advantageously positioned right now for business enterprise with an investment-friendly Government, excellent growth potential, and a growing appetite for inbound business projects. This summit will provide an ideal milieu for showcasing and learning how Sri Lanka is positioning itself as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. We are confident that the summit will help potential investors leverage the growing links between Asia and Sri Lanka. We are proud to be associated with such a forum that could only further the national image and economic agenda,” Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO Jim McCabe said.

Launched in 1996, FinanceAsia quickly developed into Asia’s leading financial publishing company, covering capital markets and industry trends. Regular features include the key capital markets transactions in Deal of the Month and Primary Markets, insightful Q&As such as Investor Dialogue and CFO Solution, and breaking stories in the News and People Moves. It also publishes special country reports, product specific features and a series of supplements on topics including trade finance, private banking, corporate treasury, electronic trading and foreign exchange. Print edition of FinanceAsia is published 10 times a year.

More details of the summit are available on the web at www.SriLankaInvestmentSummit.com.