Global Expert Calls for Transformation of Sri Lankan Capitalism Through Impact Investing 📈

The first-ever Lanka Impact Investment Summit 2026 highlighted a shift toward "activating the invisible heart of the market," urging Sri Lanka to evolve its financial ecosystem beyond traditional models. • Investment Growth: Japan’s impact investment assets surged from US$ 200 Mn in 2016 to US$ 115 Bn in 2024, providing a blueprint for rapid scale-up in emerging markets. • Ecosystem Development: Success depends on coordination between government, finance, and civil society. Japan successfully unlocked US$ 1 Bn annually from dormant bank accounts for social investment via legislative reform. • Strategic Focus: The summit emphasized that impact investing is vital for addressing social challenges—such as aging populations and fiscal deficits—that government funding alone cannot solve. • Opportunities for Sri Lanka: Experts urged the local financial services sector and ICT/BPM social innovators to collaborate with the global GSG network (spanning 50+ countries) to mobilize private capital for development. • Global Alignment: Recent regulatory shifts, including those in JICA, are now enabling greater private capital mobilization, offering Sri Lanka a pathway to integrate into the global impact economy.