The National Development Bank PLC’s Chairman Eshana De Silva was among the elite panelists at the recently held Webinar on Banking and Professional Services organized by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), in partnership with the City of London. The discussions revolved around international trade in services underpinned by functioning global markets as a route out of the current crisis especially for emerging markets.
NDB Bank was one of the first Sri Lankan finance companies to take part in this webinar. De Silva represented the Banking Sector as a panelist at the discussion among the likes of Catherine McGuinness - Chair of the Policy and Resources Committee, City of London, Cheryl Buss - Chief Executive, Absa International, David Bartlett - Director, Standard Chartered and Jim Ovia - Chairman, Zenith Bank.
De Silva discussed the importance of services trade when trade in goods dominates the discourse, the value of FTAs vs regulatory cooperation in services trade, and the future of international institutions and global cooperation. He spoke in depth on what else needs to be included in the global trade agreements to help grow the services industry in emerging markets.
He further commented on how the Commonwealth can use this post Brexit opportunity to expand trade links with the UK. With 2/3 of global GDP generated by the services industry, it has been growing in importance for emerging market economies as well. The rapid advances in technology have increased the tradability of services across borders especially for countries such as Sri Lanka.
The welcome remarks were given by Lord Marland, Chairman of the CWEIC followed by the opening remarks given by Alderman William Russell, The Rt. the Lord Mayor of London.
This webinar was a part of a leadership series launched by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) that has so far been addressed by 15 current and former Heads of State, Ministers and over 100 business leaders.
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