SECTOR WINNER INVESTMENT BANKING

Capital Alliance (CAL) is a top tier investment bank in Sri Lanka with an extensive selection of integrated investment and capital market solutions, catering to a wide spectrum of clients including financial institutions, corporations, family businesses and high net worth individuals. CAL strives to develop a deep understanding of its clients and the markets where it operates. It believes in using technology to build more efficient capital markets, creating a better and more prosperous world. Customers encourage CAL to advance its services by providing the impetus to innovate and think differently to meet their financial needs.

Q: Many Sri Lankan corporates are expanding their business’ boundaries overseas today, so could you tell us what it takes for such companies and entities to earn respect internationally?

Udeeshan Jonas (UJ): The key to earning respect internationally when venturing overseas lies in enjoying an exemplary reputation in your home market. In the financial services industry, essential performance indicators include your transaction footprint, client base, value of cross border transactions, return on investment (ROI) and assets under management (AUM).

Adopting global standards in processes, systems and technology is also crucial. Ratings from credit agencies and a listing on your home country’s stock exchange further enhance your standing.

Additionally, your partnerships and collaborations with global financial institutions and advisory firms significantly influence how your company or business entity is perceived internationally.

CAL, being a full service investment bank with a track record of over 20 years in Sri Lanka, has the stature to venture into other frontier markets. We leverage advanced technology platforms and possess superlative research capabilities. We have already established an investment bank in Bangladesh and are actively looking to enter other frontier markets soon.

This expansion is a testament to our commitment to growth – and our ability to compete on a global scale.

Q: In what ways do technological advancements help or hurt corporates, in the context of establishing and maintaining respect?

Tharindra Kulasinghe (TK): As long as the technology is harnessed correctly, it definitely stands to benefit corporates. Having the necessary safeguards and guardrails to ensure that the undesirable actors are kept out will allow the corporates to maximise the benefits that these advancements provide.

In terms of CAL’s digital user interface, apart from providing an excellent user experience, we have endeavoured to provide a level of transparency and openness that makes us more approachable, and less intimidating – even to customers who may not be that tech savvy.

One of our main aims is to leverage our expertise to educate and empower retail investors by providing content using social media, through which they can interact with us to get information and clarify any concerns that they may have.

We use AI to provide our clients with more personalised responses to any queries they may have through our CAL GPT model.

Q: How do employees play a role in the ‘corporate respect’ equation?  

UJ: Our people represent our brand. Being in the service industry and with intellectual property as our commodity, every interaction our employees have with our clients is a reflection on our corporate identity.  As such, we place a premium on developing and taking good care of our staff.

The CAL culture is performance driven – the better one performs, the better one is rewarded. Our tagline, ‘we sell to our clients only what we sell to our family,’ is a corporate value that all our employees live by. And we believe it is this ethos that has earned us the respect and good standing we enjoy.

Q: What are the key attributes of your company’s image, in your opinion?

UJ: Firstly, there is innovation – it is our dynamism that makes us different and keeps us ahead of the curve. Secondly, it is our integrity – the level of trust that our clients have in us is beyond measure. And thirdly, it’s customer-centricity – we structure our solutions while keeping customers’ needs at the fore.

QUICK-FIRE ROUND

Three vital ingredients that earn corporate respect

Track record
Integrity
Dynamism

Three global organisations that you respect  

Microsoft
Goldman Sachs
Nvidia

With innovation and integrity working as its core operating principles, and by always and consistently prioritising its clients’ needs, Capital Alliance has become a truly inspirational model for what a Sri Lankan corporate can achieve with the right team, good leadership and far-reaching vision.

Telephone 2317777 | Email info@cal.lk | Website www.cal.lk