Foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka have been briefed on the Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit (SLEIS) 2026 in an effort to draw greater international engagement with the country’s investment and business agenda, EconomyNext reported.
The briefing gave mission representatives an overview of the summit, which is organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and will be held on October 12 and 13.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra asked the missions to carry the message to their respective business communities, investment promotion agencies, investors and chambers of commerce.
Beyond stabilisation
The chamber said the programme “will look beyond the immediate concerns of economic stabilisation to issues that will shape Sri Lanka’s next phase of growth, including investment, trade, competitiveness, economic policy and the country’s position within a changing global economy.”
Ceylon Chamber chairperson Krishan Balendra said the summit would support efforts to reposition Sri Lanka as a destination with a clearer growth story and opportunities for investment, while giving international and local stakeholders a space to engage directly on the country’s economic direction.
The summit is expected to draw policymakers, business leaders, investors, economists and international stakeholders to examine Sri Lanka’s economic direction and emerging opportunities, EconomyNext reported. The briefing also highlighted SLEIS as a platform for international business engagement, with the chamber saying participants would be able to exchange perspectives, build connections and examine areas where Sri Lanka can compete more effectively in the global economy.
Context
The October dates were announced in June, when the chamber said the 26th edition would cover economic growth, competitiveness, trade, productivity, fiscal and structural reforms, sustainability and the changing global economic environment. The 2025 edition drew more than 850 participants and over 40 local and international speakers, with delegates from more than 20 countries.
The diplomatic briefing is the latest in a run of outreach work by the chamber, which has also signed memoranda of understanding with counterpart bodies in Qatar and Lebanon.
Update: August 24
Ada Derana filed its own account of the briefing on Monday, three days after EconomyNext, adding the venue and the co-host. The session was held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, and was conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism in collaboration with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Deputy Minister Hemachandra told the missions the summit comes at an important point in Sri Lanka’s economic journey, and that with greater stability now established the focus needs to shift toward positioning the country for its next phase of growth. He also stressed the importance of strengthening high-level public-private partnerships and the private sector’s role in driving sustainable growth and attracting investment.
The Foreign Ministry’s Director General of Economic Affairs (Bilateral) said closer public-private cooperation was needed to position Sri Lanka as a regional hub for trade and investment. Daily FT, which is not counted toward this article’s source rating, named the official as Manori Mallikaratchy and reported that she said structured private sector participation was essential if economic diplomacy is to translate into commercial and investment outcomes.
Chamber Secretary General and CEO Shiran Fernando briefed diplomatic representatives on the summit’s key features, its registration process and arrangements for visiting foreign delegations.
Daily FT also gave the summit’s theme — “Positioning Sri Lanka in a Changing Global Economy: Resilience, Reform, and the Future of Economic Policy” — and placed the event at the Shangri-La Colombo. Ada Derana rendered the chamber chairperson’s surname as “Baldendra”; EconomyNext and Daily FT both give Balendra, which is the form used here.
