The 3rd Edition of the Maldivian ‘GOLD 100’ Business Awards was recently held at Paradise Island Resort, with the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Mr. Ray Abeywardena gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest of the event.
The GOLD 100 GALA is an invitation-only networking event and was attended by over 200 leading personalities representing the Maldivian business community. GOLD 100 is the first initiative of its kind in the Maldives and is a list of leading 100 business entities in the Maldives, published by Corporate Maldives at the end of every year.
The CSE Chairman speaking at the event hailed the long history of close business and economic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and stated that both countries have the potential to expand levels of cooperation, especially in the area of facilitating capital linkages between the two countries. He went on to congratulate the companies featured on the GOLD 100 and stated that a strong corporate sector in the Maldives driven by financial excellence and good governance is vital to further strengthening the Maldivian economy.
The event also saw the unveiling of CSE’s multi-currency board, which was introduced by CSE CEO Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike. The CSE CEO spoke on options available to Maldivian listed companies when considering a cross-listing on the Sri Lankan exchange and also commented on how Maldivian businesses aspiring to list on the Maldives Stock Exchange in the future, can benefit from raising capital in Colombo. The multi-currency board offers foreign companies an opportunity to access a diversified pool of investors through Sri Lanka where shares of foreign companies can be listed and traded in Sri Lanka in a foreign currency.
The Maldives Investment Opportunities Guide was also launched at the Gala. This is a collaborative effort by Corporate Maldives and Maldives Association of Finance Industry (MAFI) and will allow local businesses and investment opportunities to be listed to attract international investors to the Maldivian economy.