SEC pushes for infrastructure bonds, SOE listings to fund post-Ditwah rebuild

THE capital market regulator is in discussion with the Finance Ministry on mobilising long-term funding through infrastructure bonds to support large-scale reconstruction following Cyclone Ditwah, SEC Chairman Senior Prof. Hareendra Dissabandara said yesterday.

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He said the Government's limited fiscal resources had heightened the need to leverage capital market instruments to finance infrastructure rebuilding.

"The Government has limited resources to undertake reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. I understand that restoring damaged railway tracks alone could cost around Rs. 200 billion," he told a media briefing.

Prof. Dissabandara said the SEC and the Treasury were also examining the possibility of listing well-managed State-owned enterprises (SOEs) on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) as part of broader efforts to deepen the market and expand funding channels for development.

He said the regulator was also planning to introduce digital assetbased products within the capital market framework to align with changing investor preferences, particularly among younger and more technology-oriented segments.

While digital currencies remain under the purview of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Prof. Dissabandara said the SEC was exploring the introduction of digital assets suitable for the country's regulated capital market.