Port City Colombo forum in Dubai positions Sri Lanka as South Asia’s gateway for UAE biz expansion
Newswire: The Embassy of Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 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, 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
OSL take:
As Sri Lanka continues its post-recovery economic transition, its engagement with the Gulf – particularly the UAE – is entering a more strategic and opportunity-driven phase. Recent high-level investment dialogues, including engagements in Dubai’s financial hub, reflect growing confidence among UAE corporates and investors in Sri Lanka’s reform trajectory and long-term economic potential. A key driver of this momentum is the emergence of large-scale urban and infrastructure development platforms, most notably the Colombo Port City. Positioned as a modern financial and business district, it offers UAE developers, sovereign-linked investors, and financial institutions business/investment opportunities in real estate, mixed-use developments, hospitality assets, and offshore financial services. For UAE construction and property leaders, it also presents a familiar model of integrated smart-city development with long-term returns. Beyond real estate, Sri Lanka’s logistics and maritime sectors present strong alignment with UAE expertise. With strategic access to Indian Ocean shipping routes, business/investment opportunities exist in port services, transshipment, warehousing, and regional distribution networks. This complements the UAE’s established strength in global logistics and trade facilitation. Technology and services also form an expanding frontier. Sri Lanka’s growing IT and business process outsourcing sector offers collaboration potential for UAE firms such as enterprise software providers, fintech operators, and digital infrastructure companies. At the same time, financial institutions from the UAE can play a catalytic role in mobilizing capital for infrastructure, tourism, and renewable energy projects. The participation of major UAE corporations, including leading developers, banks, airlines, and global consultants, signals a broader shift: Sri Lanka is increasingly being viewed not only as a recovering economy, but as an emerging investment node linking South Asia, the Middle East, and global markets.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260701Z_2 |