Standard Chartered Bank hosted its Annual Global Research Briefing in Sri Lanka on March 11, 2025, at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. The briefing, themed ‘Reverberations,’ brought together the Bank’s Global Research team to share insights on the economic outlook for global markets and Sri Lanka for the first half of 2025.
The high-profile event attracted numerous corporate and financial institutions clients of Standard Chartered, featuring presentations by Kaushik Rudra, Global Head of Fixed Income Research & Head of Asia Research; Saurav Anand, Economist for South Asia; and Divya Devesh, Head of ASA FX Research at Standard Chartered.
Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Economic Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the government’s perspective on economic recovery following the country’s successful debt restructuring.
The briefing addressed critical questions surrounding the potential impact of the new Trump administration’s policies on global economics, trade relations, and geopolitics. Key topics included the global growth outlook for 2025, the effect of potential U.S. tariffs on Europe and China, and the preparedness of Asian and GCC markets to handle economic shocks.
Of particular interest to the Sri Lankan audience was the analysis of the country’s economic trajectory in 2025 following its debt restructuring process, as well as the potential consequences for emerging markets facing higher interest rates and a stronger U.S. dollar.
Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO, Bingumal Thewarathanthri noted, “We are grateful to our respected research team for bringing global insights to Sri Lanka at this crucial time. As Sri Lanka navigates the economic environment of 2025, we hope to see positive economic trends echoing locally and globally. Standard Chartered remains committed to working closely with the government and other stakeholders to support Sri Lanka’s continued economic recovery and growth.”
The ‘Reverberations’ briefing reflects Standard Chartered’s commitment to providing clients with expert analysis and foresight on economic trends, helping them make informed decisions in an increasingly complex global environment.
