CFA Society Sri Lanka rings the Stock Market Opening Bell to mark its 20th anniversary

CFA Society Sri Lanka rang the Opening Bell to commence trading at the CSE yesterday to celebrate its 20-year anniversary. The event was followed by launch of the Commemorative Cover and Stamp, as a part of a series of initiatives conducted by the society to celebrate this significant milestone

Special market opening ceremonies are organized by the CSE as a platform for listed companies to celebrate corporate milestones and as a call to action for causes and developments that are significant to our business community, economy and society at large.

President Dinesh Warusavitharana, Vice President Aruna Perera, Director/ Secretary Rasanja Perera, Director /Treasurer Ms. Rashmi Paranavitharana, Director Travis Gomez, CEO Aruna Alwis, Director, Ms. Nadika Ranasinghe of the CFA Society and the Postmaster General of Department of Posts Ranjith Ariyaratne were present at the event.

The CSE was represented by Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Chief Regulatory Officer Renuke Wijayawardhane and Head of Marketing Niroshan Wijesundere.

CEO of the CSE, Rajeeva Bandaranaike, speaking at the ceremony, congratulated the CFA Society on the journey and applauded the initiatives taken by the CFA society for the development of the capital market over the years.

He further added “As you all know very well, there is a need for improvement in the levels of financial literacy in the country, and we believe CFA society can play a meaningful role in this regard. Given the appropriateness and relevancy of the CFA qualification to capital markets, we should be encouraging a greater presence of CFA charter holders as finalists and candidates within the capital markets industry.

Given the scope, and objectives of the CFA Institute, and the expertise within the fraternity. We believe that the engagement that the CSE has been having with the CFA has been a productive one.”

Outlining the importance of the occasion, President of CFA Society Sri Lanka, Dinesh Warusavitharana, CFA said that today’s market opening ceremony is a very significant occasion for both CFA Society Sri Lanka and the CSE as it reiterates the role of investment professionals who are champions of ethical behavior in investment markets and are a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. ‘’Our aim is to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow’’ he added. He also mentioned that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are key focus areas which can provide many benefits to investors and therefore CFA Society Sri Lanka will work very closely with the CSE to establish these emerging concepts in the local financial market.