The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) successfully hosted a series of high-level meetings of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), bringing together leading securities regulators and enforcement officials from around the world to discuss emerging regulatory challenges, strengthen international cooperation, and enhance collective efforts to combat cross-border securities market misconduct.

The meetings, held at the Hilton Colombo from 13 to 16 October 2026, included sessions of the IOSCO Enforcement and Cooperation Committee and its Screening Group (Committee 4/SG), as well as meetings of the Monitoring Group and the Steering Committee. The event attracted approximately 50 senior representatives from securities regulators and exchanges across several jurisdictions, including Australia, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, India, Germany, Belgium, Singapore, China and Spain, reflecting the global significance of the discussions and the growing importance of international regulatory collaboration.

Welcoming delegates to Sri Lanka, Senior Professor D.B.P.H. Dissabandara, Chairman of the SEC, emphasized the critical role of international cooperation in safeguarding market integrity and investor confidence in an increasingly interconnected financial landscape.

“No regulator can effectively address cross-border misconduct in isolation. The speed with which information, transactions and illicit activities can move across borders requires an equally coordinated and timely regulatory response. Strong international cooperation, effective information sharing and mutual trust among regulators are essential to maintaining fair, transparent and resilient capital markets,” he stated.

The discussions focused on a range of enforcement and cooperation matters, including mechanisms for enhancing cross-border information exchange, strengthening investigative collaboration among regulators, addressing increasingly sophisticated forms of securities fraud and market abuse, and promoting the effective implementation of international standards and best practices. Participants also exchanged experiences and insights on emerging enforcement challenges arising from technological developments, digitalization of financial services, and increasingly interconnected global markets.

IOSCO is recognized as the leading international body that brings together the world's securities regulators and serves as the global standard setter for securities regulation. Through its policy work and cooperative initiatives, IOSCO plays a central role in promoting investor protection, ensuring that markets are fair, efficient and transparent, reducing systemic risk, and strengthening confidence in capital markets worldwide.

Sri Lanka has maintained a strong and active relationship with IOSCO for more than three decades. The SEC became an Ordinary Member of IOSCO in 1993 and has been a signatory to the IOSCO Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) since 2004. The MMoU is the internationally recognised benchmark for cooperation and information sharing among securities regulators and serves as a critical tool in facilitating cross-border investigations and enforcement actions.

Over the years, the SEC has actively contributed to IOSCO's policy development and regulatory initiatives through participation in several of its committees and regional forums. These include the Growth and Emerging Markets Committee (GEMC), which is the largest committee within IOSCO and represents emerging capital markets globally; the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee (APRC); the Committee on Retail Investors (Committee 8); and the Enforcement and Cooperation Committee and its Screening Group (Committee 4/SG).

The SEC has been a member of the Enforcement and Cooperation Committee since 2015, reflecting Sri Lanka's commitment to upholding international standards of enforcement and regulatory cooperation. The Committee currently comprises 35 member jurisdictions and is chaired by Mr. Éric Jacob, Executive Director, Enforcement of the Autorité des marchés financiers, Québec, Canada, while Ms. Raffaella Pantano, Advisor at the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), Italy, serves as Vice-Chair.

Committee 4 is one of IOSCO's most significant operational committees and is responsible for promoting and facilitating international cooperation in enforcement matters. The Committee works to improve regulators' ability to prevent, detect and investigate violations of securities laws and regulations and to strengthen the implementation of the IOSCO MMoU framework. Its work is particularly important at a time when securities misconduct frequently involves multiple jurisdictions and increasingly sophisticated methods.

Hosting these important IOSCO meetings in Colombo highlights the growing role of Sri Lanka within the international securities regulatory community and demonstrates the confidence placed in the SEC's regulatory framework and its contribution to IOSCO's objectives. The event provided a valuable platform for regulators to strengthen professional relationships, exchange knowledge and coordinate responses to shared enforcement challenges in the global marketplace.

The successful conclusion of the meetings further reinforces the SEC's commitment to strengthening regulatory capacity, supporting international standards, fostering effective cross-border cooperation, and contributing to global efforts aimed at protecting investors and preserving the integrity and stability of financial markets.

Through its continued engagement with IOSCO and its various committees, the SEC remains committed to promoting a fair, transparent and resilient capital market in Sri Lanka while actively contributing to the advancement of international securities regulation and enforcement cooperation.