The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) recently reached out to entrepreneurs based in and around Kandy to discuss funding requirements, growth prospects and opportunities to fund growth through the CSE’s Empower Board. The event was part of a series of regional forums conducted on the Empower Board with the objective of creating awareness on equity-based capital raising, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises around the country.
Previously CSE and SEC have reached out to entrepreneurs based in Anuradhapura, Negombo and Kurunegala. The next event is expected to be held in Colombo during the month of July.
Speakers at the event included CSE CEO Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Vice President at NDB Investment Bank Mr. Viraj Wijesinghe. The event also facilitated a discussion between participating entrepreneurs and a panel, where the said speakers were joined by Director for External Affairs & Surveillance at SEC Mr. Tushara Jayaratne, Head of Strategy at CSE Mrs. Nilma Samarasinghe and Senior Executive – Listings at CSE Mr. Gayan Fernando.
As another key feature of the event, participants also had the opportunity to discuss their funding and other requirements with Empower Board Sponsors, which are companies with experience in Investment Banking or Corporate Finance and in handling listing applications for issuers in the past. Empower Board Sponsors have been appointed by CSE to offer pre and post listing support to companies interested in going public through the Empower Board.
Empower is the latest listing platform introduced by the CSE and follows the Main and Diri Savi Boards. The requirements and the process involved with a listing on the Empower Board have been tailored to capture the context of young and growing companies.