CSE establishes framework for SOE listing, awaits govt’s plan

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has introduced a new board, called the Catalyst Board, to facilitate the listing of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), as proposed in the 2025 Budget presented by the government.

This was revealed by CSE Chairman Dilshan Wirasekara in response to a journalist’s query at the Invest Sri Lanka Media Conference held in Colombo yesterday (18).

CSE Chairman Dilshan Wirasekara stated:

“What we’ve done is establish an SOE board, called the Catalyst Board, which has a framework that allows any SOE to get listed—banks, the CPC, the CEB, or whoever. There’s a framework now enabling them to list”

Recognizing the challenges SOEs face in meeting reporting and governance standards, the CSE has provided a transition period to ease the listing process.

“We’ve actually done it in a way that allows because some of these companies don’t have the reporting standards or the governance criteria that the Colombo Stock Exchange would normally ask through the listing rules. So, we allow for a transition period that enables them to still come and list,” Wirasekara explained.

However, he emphasized that the government’s plans for SOE listings remain unclear.

“You really have to ask the government about their plans. Because we don’t know, there was an SOE committee in charge under the previous government, looking at specific institutions, but that committee is disbanded now. So, I don’t have insight into what plans the government has.”

“But we have the framework, we have the board, and it’s enabled. So, we hope that the government would make use of that.”