~Marks a Global First for Sri Lanka~

DFCC Bank PLC (DFCC Bank) has completed the supplementary international listing of Sri Lanka’s first-ever Blue Bond on the NSE International Exchange (NSEIX) at GIFT City, India, becoming the first Blue Bond from Sri Lanka to be listed internationally and the first Blue Bond to be admitted on NSEIX.

The milestone represents the first Blue Bond admitted within the jurisdiction of India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), reinforcing growing cross-border capital market integration between Sri Lanka and India. It also marks the first listing to take place following the Memorandum of Understanding between the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and NSEIX, strengthening regional collaboration in sustainable finance.

While the supplementary listing enhances international visibility, the bond’s primary listing and trading remain exclusively on the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lankan Rupees. All pricing and settlement continue to take place on the CSE platform.

For Sri Lanka, the admission signals more than a listing; it demonstrates that locally issued sustainable instruments can meet the governance, disclosure, and transparency standards required by international financial centres.

Commenting on the achievement, Thimal Perera, Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank, said, “This admission reflects the maturation of Sri Lanka’s sustainable finance framework and the strength of the governance structures underpinning this instrument. By securing visibility on an international platform such as NSEIX, we are reinforcing investor confidence in Sri Lanka’s capacity to originate credible, impact-driven capital market instruments aligned with global standards. Sustainable finance must connect local priorities with international capital, and this listing advances that objective.”

Blue Bonds mobilise capital specifically for projects that protect and sustainably manage marine and water resources while strengthening climate resilience. Through this issuance, DFCC Bank directs proceeds towards initiatives including sustainable water management, wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, pollution control, coastal and marine ecosystem protection, and economic activities linked to Sri Lanka’s blue economy.

As an island nation, Sri Lanka’s economic stability is intrinsically tied to the health of its oceans and waterways. By aligning the bond’s use of proceeds with internationally recognised sustainable finance principles, DFCC Bank ensures transparency, measurable environmental outcomes, and long-term socio-economic value creation.

The international admission builds on DFCC Bank’s earlier Green Bond listings and forms part of a broader strategy to position Sri Lankan sustainable finance instruments within globally recognised ESG and impact investment markets.

With this milestone, Sri Lanka joins a growing cohort of emerging markets leveraging capital markets to finance ocean resilience and climate adaptation, demonstrating that sustainable finance innovation can originate from developing economies while meeting global expectations.