Sri Lanka’s new budget motivates students’ investment in risky assets

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s 2027 budget has proposed to provide a share portfolio subject to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 to boost investment into risky assets of share market, the official 2027 budget document showed.

The number of persons actively trading in connection with the Colombo Stock Exchange is only around 0.7 percent of the population over 18 years of age, the document said.

The government has proposed to implement a new programme named “A Share for Everyone” under the vision “Let’s Know, Let’s Learn, Let’s Invest”.

“With the aim of actively connecting students in schools who are studying for the Advanced Level in Grade 13 and are over 18 years of age with the stock market, it is proposed to introduce the project to provide a share portfolio subject to a maximum of Rs. 10,000/-, in accordance with a formal selection procedure,” the government said.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as the finance minister also proposed to introduce a mechanism to encourage small and medium-scale enterprises to get listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange. (Colombo/November 12/2026)