President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inaugurated the much-anticipated Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021 a short while ago.

Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021, organized by the Board of Investment, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and the Colombo Stock Exchange will be Asia’s first and largest virtual forum to attract foreign investments.

The event will provide an overall experience and comprehensive understanding of the FDI and Capital Market opportunities in Sri Lanka.

The event intends to attract direct and portfolio investors including sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds, Development Finance Institutions, large MNCs and conglomerates, High Net Worth Individuals, and other types of investors from across the world.

Directed with this purpose, the event schedule is enriched with 60+ sessions covering two time zones and expert insight from diverse industries.

The 3-day event will feature sessions and presentations by senior government leaders, C-suite of public and private companies, global experts, investment bankers, and advisory firms.

The forum was inaugurated today (June 07) at 9.20 am in Sri Lanka time and a second session of the forum will commence at 14.30 GMT/10.00 EST to cater to audiences in Europe and the USA.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will inaugurate Day 2 of the forum while Day 3 will be inaugurated by Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms.

Minister of Justice Ali Sabry and State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Community Cleanliness Nalaka Godahewa, will also address the forum.

Also speaking at the forum will be Ambassador Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka, Woonjin Jeong, Ambassador for the Republic of Korea in Sri Lanka, Akira Sugiyama, Ambassador for Japan in Sri Lanka and Qi Zhenhong, Ambassador for China in Sri Lanka, Thorsten Bargfrede, Deputy Head of Mission, Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Martin Kelly, Chargé d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka.

The respective Country Sessions will also see addresses by Dr. Palitha Kohona, Ambassador for Sri Lanka in China, Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ambassador for Sri Lanka in the U.S., Grace Asirwatham, Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Brussels and the Mission to EU, Dr. A. Saj U. Mendis, Ambassador for Sri Lanka to the Republic of Korea, Sanjiv Gunasekara, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Japan, Saroja Sirisena. High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the UK and Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Acting High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in New Delhi, India.

Along with top policymakers, the forum will feature much sought-after international speakers coming together to share invaluable insights. Faris Hadad-Zervos- World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Dato’ Izzaddin Idris Managing Director/President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata Group Berhad, David Schwimmer- CEO, London Stock Exchange Group, Hui Kuok - Chairman and Executive, Shangri-La Asia Limited, Alfonso Garcia Mora Regional Vice President, Asia and Pacific of IFC, Prateek Roongta Partner- Managing Director and Partner- Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Darren Roos, CEO of IFS and Mattias Martinsson - Chief Investment Officer Tundra Fonder, are a few of the galaxy of international speakers lined up for the forum.