Port City Colombo has taken Sri Lanka’s investment proposition to Maldivian business leaders and investors, highlighting its Special Economic Zone as a platform for companies seeking to expand across South Asia.
Port City Colombo presents new South Asian investment opportunities to Maldivian investors
The Port City Colombo Investor Forum was held on August 10, 2026, at Barceló Nasandhura Malé and was hosted by the High Commission of Sri Lanka in the Maldives in collaboration with CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd. The invitation-only event brought together senior Maldivian business leaders, investors and developers.
The forum forms part of Port City Colombo’s wider regional investor engagement programme and follows similar events held in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Oman earlier this year. The initiative is aimed at building awareness of Sri Lanka’s flagship investment projects among regional businesses and positioning the country as a potential base for cross-border expansion.
For Maldivian investors, the event provided an opportunity to examine the investment proposition offered by the 269-hectare master-planned city and Special Economic Zone. The discussions focused on how the development could serve as a business platform for companies looking beyond the relatively compact domestic Maldivian market.
Opening the forum, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassen, highlighted the long-standing relationship between the two countries. He pointed to their geographical proximity, cultural connections and established people-to-people ties, arguing that these existing links provide a strong foundation for deeper economic cooperation.
The forum’s message was that the relationship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives could increasingly extend beyond established areas such as tourism, trade, education and healthcare into investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and commercial partnerships.
Delivering the keynote address, Visit Maldives Corporation Chairperson and Maldives Association of Travel and Tour Operators President Abdulla Ghiyas Riyaz encouraged businesses to consider this broader economic relationship. Drawing on his own experience of the development, Riyaz described the project as more than a real estate development, positioning it instead as an emerging economic platform within the region.
He also pointed to the short travel distance between Malé and Colombo and the existing familiarity between the two countries’ banking and business communities. His observations focused on the visible progress at the development, including the connection of utilities to the main grid, occupied office space and the operation of a duty-free mall.
The comments underscored the importance of implementation in building investor confidence. For potential Maldives investors, the physical development of infrastructure and commercial facilities can provide a more tangible indication of the project’s progress than plans alone.
A detailed presentation by the Port City Colombo team formed the centrepiece of the forum. The presentation covered the broader development, land and real estate investment opportunities within the Special Economic Zone, and the business setup framework available to companies considering establishing operations there.
A major element of the proposition is the regulatory and financial framework available within the zone. As a foreign currency-designated SEZ, Port City Colombo offers 100% foreign ownership, full capital and profit repatriation, and transactions in 16 designated currencies.
The zone also operates under a single-window regulatory framework through the Colombo Port City Economic Commission established under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act No. 11 of 2021. These features are intended to simplify the process of establishing and operating businesses while providing greater flexibility for international investors.
For Maldivian businesses, the proposition could be particularly relevant for companies seeking a regional base from which to access wider South Asian markets. The ability to operate in multiple designated currencies and repatriate capital and profits can also provide greater flexibility for businesses managing international transactions.
The presence of established Sri Lankan banks in the Maldives further strengthens the potential business connection. Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Hatton National Bank already operate in the Maldivian market, providing a degree of familiarity for businesses considering commercial activity in Sri Lanka.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon has also established a branch within the Special Economic Zone itself. This gives potential Maldivian investors a direct banking channel within the development and could support day-to-day financial transactions for businesses establishing operations there.
The forum represents another step in the regional expansion of Port City Colombo’s investor outreach. By engaging directly with business communities in neighbouring markets, the project is seeking to build a pipeline of potential investors while demonstrating how its regulatory framework, infrastructure and location can support regional business activity.
For Sri Lanka, stronger investment links with the Maldives could also contribute to the broader objective of attracting foreign capital and expanding the country’s position as a South Asian business and investment hub.
The formal programme concluded with remarks by CHEC Port City Colombo Assistant Managing Director Bai Xiaping. The event highlighted the growing focus on connecting Sri Lanka’s flagship investment development with businesses in nearby markets and turning the long-standing Sri Lanka-Maldives relationship into deeper commercial engagement.