The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has officially opened its Galle branch, extending its regional network to 12 locations and targeting investors and entrepreneurs across the Southern Province.
The branch was inaugurated by Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Senior Professor D.B.P.H. Dissabandara, CSE Chairman Dimuthu Abeyesekera and CSE Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike in the presence of senior public and private sector officials. A 13th branch is scheduled to open in Gampaha in May.
The new facility offers CDS account openings, access to services from eight stockbroker firms, investor education workshops and listing guidance for businesses seeking to raise capital through the exchange. CSE regional branches already operate in Matara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Negombo, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Panadura, Bandarawela and Kegalle.
CSE Chairman Abeyesekera said the Galle branch would give businesses in the district’s cinnamon- and tea-producing areas — including Thawalama, Neluwa, Elpitiya and Ambalangoda — direct access to long-term investment opportunities previously concentrated in Colombo. He noted that entrepreneurs in these regions rarely had local avenues to invest surplus capital for long-term returns.
SEC Chairman Dissabandara described the branch opening as “an important step in expanding access to capital markets”, adding that with every province now covered, the next priority was reaching underserved districts and “attracting small investors and entrepreneurs from across the country, including the most remote regions”.
The expansion continues a broader CSE push to deepen the investor base outside Colombo, where the bulk of trading activity and listed-company participation has historically been concentrated.
