The Embassy of Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, in collaboration with Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt. Ltd., hosted Globalisation and the Sri Lankan Opportunity – From Recovery to Relevance: Sri Lanka’s Moment in the Evolving Global and Regional Economy, an invitation-only diplomatic and investment engagement at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre.

The forum brought together approximately 200 senior leaders from across UAE corporates and business chambers alongside Sri Lanka’s most senior diplomatic and investment representatives – among them senior executives from Sobha Realty, Binghatti, Oracle, Emirates Airlines, First Abu Dhabi Bank, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, IFS, Danube and Samana Developers – reflecting the depth of interest from the UAE’s leading industries in Sri Lanka’s evolving economic proposition.

Opening the forum, H.E. Prof. Arusha Cooray, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates, set the tone for a morning of substantive dialogue, speaking to the depth and durability of the UAE–Sri Lanka partnership, one built on decades of trade, people, and shared economic ambition, and affirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to taking that relationship into a new chapter defined by what Sri Lanka can offer UAE businesses seeking to grow their presence across South Asia.

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Ghanim Al Falasi, CEO of Falak Tayyeb Platinum and Senior Vice President/Director General’s Office for of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), who drew on over a decade of senior leadership experience in the UAE’s innovation and technology ecosystem to frame the question of what South Asia’s emerging platforms offer to forward-looking UAE businesses. He noted that while Dubai provides global access to capital and logistics, Colombo offers strategic access to South Asia, and that together the two cities can function as complementary platforms serving different but mutually reinforcing roles in the regional economy.

H.E. Hanif Yusoof, Presidential Special Envoy for Foreign Investment of Sri Lanka, delivered strategic perspectives on Sri Lanka’s investment vision, underscoring the President and Government’s commitment to Port City Colombo as the flagship vehicle for the country’s long-term economic transformation. Yusoof positioned Sri Lanka firmly as a transformation story rather than a recovery story, emphasising that Sri Lanka today offers UAE businesses something rare in South Asia – a jurisdiction that combines regional proximity with genuine institutional credibility, anchored in a platform that is operational, investable, and ready. He invited UAE businesses to see Port City Colombo and Sri Lanka as a gateway to South Asia in the same way that Dubai serves as a gateway to the Middle East and North Africa, enabling businesses already established in the Gulf to expand their regional footprint without starting from scratch.

Mr. Harsha Amarasekera PC, Chairman of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, provided a detailed overview of Port City Colombo’s current commercial momentum, the strong investment interest that has crystallised in the last 12-18 months resulting in significant visible progress. The Chairman emphasised that the project is designed as a complementary, supportive, and collaborative platform – one that offers UAE companies a footprint from which to expand into South Asia, rather than a competing proposition to the Gulf’s established business ecosystem.

Mr. Revan Wickramasuriya, Director General of the Commission, elaborated on the governance architecture underpinning Port City Colombo, highlighting the investor protection mechanisms, long-term tax incentives, and rules-based regulatory environment that distinguish the SEZ, noting that the framework was designed from inception to meet the expectations of internationally mobile capital.

The centrepiece of the forum was a moderated panel discussion that drew all these threads together, exploring the global reconfiguration of business operating models, the deepening relationship between the Gulf and South Asia, and Sri Lanka’s specific role within that emerging picture. Moderated by Kris Wadia, the panel featured experts in their respective industries – Aaron Russell-Davison, Skandan ‘Ramesh’ Mahalingam, Bapsy Dastur and Thulci Aluwihare – whose combined perspectives across international capital markets, legal and governance advisory, UAE business development, and real estate produced a substantive and wide-ranging conversation that resonated strongly with the audience.

With the aim of deepening investment ties in the Gulf region, the forum also marked the ceremonial onboarding of Mr. MujtabaShaikhani, Founder and Principal of MH Investments and Managing Director of Gulf O Flex, as a Strategic Partner and Director for GCC and Pakistan of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. With operations spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka, and recognised on the HVAC Power 30 list and as CEO of the Year by CBN Middle East.

The formal programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Hon. Alexi Gunasekera, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, who spoke to the significant potential he sees in UAE–Sri Lanka trade and his efforts to broaden interest across the Middle East and UAE in what Sri Lanka has to offer. He underscored that Sri Lanka had not come to Dubai to tell a story of the past, but to extend an invitation to be part of the story being written now – one in which UAE businesses and investors have a defining role to play.

Mr. Xiong Hongfeng, Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, reflected on the significance of the forum for Port City Colombo’s regional outreach. “The interest we have seen at this forum from some of the UAE’s most significant businesses and investors is a reflection of what Port City Colombo represents: not just a development in Sri Lanka, but a platform for South Asia; one that offers the regulatory clarity, physical quality, and regional connectivity that globally mobile businesses and capital have been looking for.”

The forum marks a significant step in Sri Lanka’s structured engagement with the Gulf investment community, and reinforces Port City Colombo’s positioning as the institutional platform through which South Asia’s next chapter of growth becomes accessible to UAE businesses and investors. The event was the culmination of close coordination between the Consulate General of Sri Lanka to Dubai and the Northern Emirates and Port City Colombo, with the Consulate General’s office playing an instrumental role in ensuring the successful delivery of an engagement that reflected the depth and ambition of the bilateral relationship.

For more information on investment opportunities within the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone, please visitwww.portcitycolombo.lk. For details on the regulatory framework, Single Window Investment Facilitation services, registered businesses, and application procedures, please visitwww.portcitycolombo.gov.lk.

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In a powerful showcase of Sri Lanka’s rebounding economy, Port City Colombo joined forces as Strategic Partner at the Sri Lanka Investor, Trade & Tourism Forum 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. Hosted by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia and CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd, the event spotlighted Sri Lanka as a rising investment destination with Port City Colombo at its centre.

Held at the prestigious Royal Selangor Club, the forum welcomed Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, Hon. Vijitha Herath, alongside Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry, Hon. Liew Chin Tong. High Commissioner M.I. Mohamed Rizvi, Royal Selangor dignitaries, and South East Asia Division Director General Chamari Rodrigo also graced the occasion.

Prominent chambers and councils including NCCIM, MATRADE, FMM, MSBLC, FOMSO and leading Malaysian entrepreneurs and real estate developers congregated, keen to explore Sri Lanka’s investment narrative.

A Bold Vision for Port City Colombo
The Port City team delivered a compelling presentation, unveiling the project’s visionary blueprint, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) incentives, and its ambition to be South Asia’s financial and service export gateway. The presentation underscored tax benefits, multi‑currency operations, 100% foreign ownership, and modern infrastructure positioning Port City as Sri Lanka’s answer to Dubai or Singapore.

Following the presentation, a vibrant Q&A session fostered dialogue on cross border investment facilitation and Sri Lanka Malaysia economic collaboration.

Sri Lanka: Investment Ready and Stable
Acting High Commissioner Rizvi emphasised that Malaysia’s business community is increasingly aware of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, enhanced financial stability, and investor friendly governance.

This strategic forum marked another proactive milestone in Port City Colombo’s international outreach leveraging diplomatic platforms to attract high‑value Southeast Asian FDI.

Port City Colombo
Spanning 2.69 km² of reclaimed land off Galle Face, Port City Colombo is Sri Lanka’s ambitious multi service SEZ. It is divided into five precincts Financial District, International Island, Marina, Island Living, and Central Park Living and will integrate a financial hub, luxury residences, convention centre, university campus, marina, and downtown duty free complex.

Key investor benefits include:

• Up to 25 years of tax exemptions
• 100% foreign ownership and capital profit repatriation
• Multi-currency SEZ operations with no exchange controls
• Investor visas (5–10 years) with family privileges

Currently attracting nearly US$1 billion from LOLC Holdings and CHEC for major mixed use projects.

Next Steps
Port City Colombo continues its international engagement in the Philippines, Thailand, and the UAE securing its reputation as a strategic pillar of Sri Lanka’s economic resurgence.

Interested investors can learn more via the Port City Colombo website or the Colombo Port City Economic Commission portal.

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