The 8th edition of the CSE Masterminds Quiz 2026, Sri Lanka’s largest corporate capital market quiz competition, recently concluded at the Shangri-La Hotel. Organized by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), the event saw 100 corporate teams compete for prizes worth Rs. 5 million.

Contestants put their knowledge to the test across local and global capital markets, the Sri Lankan economy and business, general knowledge, sports, entertainment and current affairs.

Reflecting on how far the competition has come, CSE CEO Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike said, “When we gathered a handful of corporate teams on the CSE’s trading floor back in 2017, few of us imagined where this journey would lead. Eight editions later, CSE Masterminds has become Sri Lanka’s premier capital market quiz and a flagship fixture on the CSE calendar.”

This year’s competition introduced increased rewards for the top three teams. ZeroBeta (Pvt) Ltd took the title as the overall winner, receiving a prize of Rs. 1.5 million along with vouchers from the Shangri-La Hotel. First runner-up HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd received Rs. 750,000, while second runner-up John Keells Stock Brokers (Pvt) Ltd received Rs. 375,000. In addition to the overall championship, participating teams competed within nine industry sectors for sector awards, sponsored by HNB Investment Bank (Pvt) Ltd. The following organisations emerged as winners in their respective categories:

1. Banking Sector: Central Bank of Sri Lanka – Team 1
2. Leasing and Finance Sector: People’s Leasing & Finance PLC
3. Stockbroking Sector: HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd
4. Fund Management Sector: NDB Wealth Management Ltd – Team 1
5. Insurance Sector: Ceylinco Life Insurance Ltd
6. Telecommunication & Technology Sector: Zero Beta Pvt Ltd
7. Service Sector: Nithya Partners – Team 2
8. Manufacturing Sector: InQube Global Pvt Ltd
9. Diversified Sector: LOLC Holdings PLC – Team 1

The excitement extended well beyond the stage, with prizes for guests and contestants alike. Audience members had the opportunity to win prizes during lively question-and-answer rounds sponsored by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Following the final round of the quiz, contestants competed in a special bonus segment sponsored by Sampath Bank PLC, Granbell Hotel Colombo and Thyaga, with winners receiving vouchers from Thyaga and Granbell Hotel Colombo. Both segments were conducted through the Layup platform by Creative E-Learning (Pvt) Ltd. The evening concluded on a high note with a raffle draw sponsored by Fits Aviation (Pvt) Ltd., which saw three lucky attendees walk away with return air tickets.

The event was supported by a distinguished group of sponsors and partners, including:

Platinum Sponsors: Hatton National Bank PLC and Bartleet Religare Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd.

Gold Sponsors: Ex-Pack Corrugated Cartons PLC, Asha Securities Ltd., and Lanka Securities (Pvt) Ltd.

Silver Sponsors: Barista Coffee Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Capital Trust Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., LOLC Holdings PLC, Arpico Ataraxia Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd., IronOne Technologies (Pvt) Ltd., and LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd.

Co-Sponsors: Access Engineering PLC, Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, CryptoGen (Pvt) Ltd., Deloitte Lanka (Private) Limited, Dialog Finance PLC, Efutures (Pvt) Ltd., People's Leasing & Finance PLC, Senfin Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd., and Softlogic Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd.

Shangri-La Colombo served as the Hospitality Partner, with Cool Tempo (Pvt) Ltd. serving as the Event Partner. O2 Digital (Pvt) Ltd. served as the Creative Partner. Fits Aviation (Pvt) Ltd. was the Official Airline Partner, while International Distillers Limited served as the Beverage Partner.

The event's Print Media Partners included Daily FT, Daily Mirror, and the Sunday Times.

All participants received goodie bags sponsored by Ceynco (Pvt) Ltd., Tetos by CBL Group, Design Square (Pvt) Ltd., Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Limited, Flora Tissues by Pee Bee Management Services (Pvt) Ltd., Peppermint Café (Pvt) Ltd., Pizza Hut Sri Lanka, Prima Group, Link Natural Products (Pvt) Ltd., Renuka Holdings PLC, Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd., and Vibe Fitness (Pvt) Ltd.

The sector winners' prizes were sponsored by HNB Investment Bank (Pvt) Ltd.

The Contestant Question Segment was sponsored by Sampath Bank PLC, Granbell Hotel Colombo, and Thyaga.

The Audience Question Segment was sponsored by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

The Guest and Contestant Question Segments were conducted via Layup by Creative E-Learning (Pvt) Ltd., the Software Provider for both segments.

The Colombo Stock Exchange looks forward to hosting the ninth edition of CSE Masterminds in 2027, welcoming a wider group of corporates to take part while continuing to promote awareness of the capital market.