Sri Lanka Pitches Exporters to UK Buyers in London
Sri Lankan exporters and service providers gain direct access to UK buyers and investors before Expo 2027.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Economic Indicators
Sri Lanka's Export Development Board held a two-day business outreach in London on 21 and 22 October 2026, run with the Sri Lanka High Commission in the United Kingdom. The program drew around 140 participants to a Business and Investment Forum, followed by bilateral business meetings, and is meant to open export and investment opportunities for Sri Lankan firms ahead of Sri Lanka Expo 2027.
Why it matters
The outreach targets UK buyers and investors, a market that matters for exporters and service providers weighing international expansion. It arrives as Sri Lanka reports 5% growth in 2024 and 2025, a 7.8% industrial expansion in 2025, and foreign direct investment above $1 billion, up 72%.
The figures come from Sri Lankan official statistics and the program's attendance count: about 140 forum participants, 5% growth in both 2024 and 2025, a 7.8% industrial expansion, and a 2.3% of GDP budget deficit. Foreign direct investment exceeded $1 billion in 2025, a 72% increase on the prior year.
The players
Sri Lanka Export Development Board
The state agency that promotes Sri Lankan exports and runs trade-promotion programs for exporters and manufacturers abroad.
Marks & Spencer
A large UK multinational retailer with a broad product range and international sourcing operations, whose finance head sat on the panel.
Wasantha Samarasinghe
Sri Lanka's Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, who led the delegation to London.
The details
The Export Development Board paired a Business and Investment Forum and networking session on 21 October with bilateral business meetings the following day, so exporters could move from introductions to direct conversations with buyers. Running the program through the Sri Lanka High Commission in the UK gives it diplomatic backing and local access to the buyer and investor community. Sri Lanka's Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister, Wasantha Samarasinghe, led the delegation, and a panel that included Marks & Spencer Head of Finance Suraj Wijendra put a major UK retailer's view on the table.
Timeline
21 October 2026: Business and Investment Forum and networking session held in London.
22 October 2026: Bilateral business meetings held in London.
14-17 January 2027: Sri Lanka Expo 2027 scheduled to take place.
Market Landscape
The London outreach is an export-promotion effort tied to Sri Lanka's Expo calendar, positioning the country's exporters ahead of Sri Lanka Expo 2027. It sits alongside reported growth in industrial output and foreign direct investment, which together signal an economy courting outside buyers and capital.
Exporters and service providers targeting UK buyers should track whether the bilateral meetings in London convert into orders or partnerships ahead of Expo 2027. Firms weighing UK sourcing or investment should use the January 2027 expo as the next point to gather supplier and market-entry information.
The takeaway
The strategic signal is that Sri Lanka is building its export pipeline into the UK market while reporting stronger growth and investment. Operators with UK buyer or sourcing links should put Sri Lanka Expo 2027 on their calendar as a practical checkpoint for supplier and partner discussions.
What happens next
Sri Lanka Expo 2027 runs 14-17 January 2027, the next scheduled checkpoint for the export and investment push launched in London.
Further reading
For context on the growth and investment figures behind this push, see our coverage of Economic Indicators.
Source note: This article includes information reported by FT Sri Lanka.
