The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) yesterday defended co-hosted roadshows saying foreign purchases of Sri Lankan equities from Singapore nearly tripled in the 12 months following the Invest Sri Lanka Forum held in the city-state last year.
The SEC said this was evidence of the value of sustained overseas investor engagement. The statement also comes hot on the heels of a roadshow in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, recently.
In a social media post titled ‘Do Invest Sri Lanka Forums Really Work?,’ the SEC said foreign purchases originating from Singapore amounted to Rs. 7.7 billion in the 12 months following the forum held on 12 August 2025, compared with Rs. 2.6 billion during the preceding 12 months.
The increase amounted to 196%, according to the regulator.
The SEC did not attribute the entire increase in purchases directly to the forum, but said investment decisions typically followed a longer process involving research, meetings with companies, risk assessments, and due diligence.
‘Investors do not attend a forum and immediately commit funds. Instead, they conduct research, meet companies, assess risks, and carry out due diligence before investing, a process that often takes six to 12 months or longer,’ the SEC said.
The regulator said foreign investors currently account for 9% of stock market turnover, compared with 6% in 2025. However, foreign participation remains considerably below the 40% level recorded before Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
The figures underline the gap the capital market still has to bridge in rebuilding overseas investor participation despite the increase recorded over the past year.
The SEC said attracting foreign investment was important to strengthening and expanding Sri Lanka’s capital market and argued that the Singapore figures demonstrated the value of maintaining engagement with international investors.
‘These results demonstrate the value of sustained engagement with international investors,’ it said.
The SEC said its mandate extends beyond regulation to capital market development, including educating overseas investors about Sri Lanka’s market and available investment opportunities.
Invest Sri Lanka Forums are conducted jointly with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and other market participants, including stockbrokers, fund managers, and listed companies.
The SEC said the forums were intended to provide international investors with information on Sri Lanka’s capital market and investment opportunities to support informed investment decisions.
‘The numbers speak for themselves. That’s our report card,’ the SEC said.