We found 11 online brokers that are appropriate for Trading Sri Lanka.
You can choose to trade in the Forex market, stock market, and bond market in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan stock exchange is one of the newest in Asia, but it has a long history. It was established in 1982 and is considered one of the best-organized bourses in South Asia. Traders can buy and sell shares, currencies, bonds, and derivatives on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).
The CSE offers both electronic trading systems as well as a voice trading system that allows you to place orders via telephone. The main currency pairs traded on this bourse are USD/LKR, EUR/LKR & GBP/LKR. The trading hours at CSE are from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for both cash as well as derivative markets.
Sri Lankan financial markets are the most active in South Asia, with a share of over 80% of total trade.
The stock market capitalisation is USD 8 billion (as of May 2014) and carries an average daily turnover of USD25 million. The Central Bank estimates that there are over 500 000 individual investors, while the number of listed companies increased from 68 in 1994 to 110 as at the end of 2012. With a GDP growth rate of 5% per annum since 1994, equity markets have been one of the fastest-growing sectors.
In addition, Sri Lanka has had one of the highest growth rates amongst South Asian countries in foreign direct investment inflows: up to USD 9 billion for 2013 (a record high), including about 6 billion USD in FDI equity investments. The DSE index has more than tripled since 2000 and its P/E ratio was 26 times in May 2014 compared to 10 times for India and 7 times for Bangladesh.
You cannot trade shares on the Colombo Stock Exchange without first entering the CSE. You will most likely require the assistance of a stockbroker.
This is why these businesses are known as stockbrokers. They serve as a middleman between you and the Colombo Stock Exchange.
There are many well-regulated international trading platforms and brokers that offer the buying and selling of many financial instruments to Sri Lankan residents. Sri Lankans can choose to trade US stocks, the UK and European stocks, Forex, cryptocurrencies, commodities like silver, gold, and oil, CFDs, ETFs, and much more.
Yes, it is legal and not prohibited by any law or regulation.
Most brokers available to traders in Sri Lanka have no minimum investment but some Sri Lanka brokers have minimum deposits of 201.50000 LKR ($100). A small number of brokers might have lower or higher minimum requirements, depending on the features the Sri Lanka brokers offer.
While online brokers in Sri Lanka do make stock investments and trading a lot easier, you still need to be careful before going any further. Before getting into the stock markets, you must:
In case you have not yet developed a proper plan, you may research the Sri Lankan stock market on your own or opt for a Sri Lankan broker that will offer you its research department. Developing a proper trading strategy can help you make informed decisions about your trading.
After you have come up with your trading or investment plan, you can either test it in a virtual account or manually. Brokers often offer such accounts to traders for them to demo their offered trading programs. A trial run on your established plan will help fool-proof it for you to confidently execute it later.
When investing in stocks as well as other trading instruments overseas, always consider the exchange rate risks involved. Choosing to deal in assets not designated in your local currency means that you may have to resort to converting the currency obtained from your investments into your locally used currency, i.e., the LKR. The LKR trades at around 181.50 rupees per US dollar.
Ideally, your investment goal must involve funds from a vast range of sectors and industries. Your overall plan must involve choosing a strategy considering stock performance. Opting for the securities to deal in calls for a considerable amount of market analysis, experience, and research.
A majority of stockbrokers in Sri Lanka let traders set up a CDS account without requiring minimum investment. Some brokers, however, require a minimum investment amount that usually ranges from 50K LKR to 1 million LKR. At the end of the day, it is up to the trader how much they are willing to invest.
A majority of Sri Lankan stockbrokers have full-fledged research teams. These teams research and analyse stocks and a majority of them offer recommendations. If you are a newbie trader, it would help to read through such reports to understand how things work. Note that some firms choose to share such reports with traders, while some do not.
After opening a CDS trading account, traders can deal in shares in two ways:
After registering with a broker, you may be assigned a stock advisor to assist you. Whenever you want to trade shares, they can execute them on your behalf.
You can also trade stocks via an online platform. Nearly all Sri Lankan brokers provide online trading platforms for traders to execute trades themselves.
Sri Lanka aims to keep attracting overseas investments by enhancing its overall infrastructure and reinforcing its democratic system, with assistance from the World Bank. Sri Lanka’s main market is the CSE (or the Colombo Stock Exchange). The exchange is found in Colombo, the country’s capital city.
All overseas investors, whether they be private or institutional, are required to open SIAs (Securities Investment Accounts) linked to a bank based in Sri Lanka. Traders must set up accounts with the CDS (the Central Depository System) and fill in a KYC form with their bank. They are also required to offer up their identification documents, such as their passports.
Such a process usually goes on for two weeks considering institutions, and two to three days for individuals, after they submit all the needed documents. Custodian financial institutions are used by overseas traders and investors so that they can set up SIA trading accounts in Sri Lanka.
The country does not enforce capital gains taxes on assets on the CSE. They instead impose a 10 percent tax on the revenue. Trade advisors, stockbrokers, and the entire Sri Lankan stock exchange are regulated by the SEC (or the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka).
The aforementioned regulatory body constitutes an automated exchange connected in real-time to the CDS. Traders can expect the change to be open for business from Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. This usually indicates that all stock certifications are saved digitally in the trader’s SIA.
After a trader opens an SIA trading account, they can choose a broker to carry out trading orders on the CSE. Since all brokers are different from each other, be diligent with your requirements when you set up a trading account.
When it comes to trading, Sri Lanka offers up appealing investment opportunities. Since it is a developing economy, investments in the country’s stocks usually involve risk as well as outcomes in the long and medium terms. Shorter-term gains are not as lucrative since investment-oriented interest in the island country has experienced a drop.
Geo-political events have had a considerable impact on the country. In that sense, investing in its stock markets may not suit every trader. Before going any further, thoroughly research and keep in mind the country’s dynamics before taking any risks. Choose a reputable broker to know more about investing in the country’s stock market.
We have conducted extensive research and analysis on over multiple data points on Sri Lanka Brokers to present you with a comprehensive guide that can help you find the most suitable Sri Lanka Brokers. Below we shortlist what we think are the best sri lanka brokers after careful consideration and evaluation. We hope this list will assist you in making an informed decision when researching Sri Lanka Brokers.
When trading in Sri Lanka you will need to chec what your options with your Sri Lanka trading broker are.
We list below the various regulated trading account types available to traders in Sri Lanka. If you are looking for a trading platform or broker in Sri Lanka that are suitable for trading in Forex, CFD's, indices, stocks, and ETFs, Cryptocurrencies (availability subject to regulation) or commodity markets; this Sri Lanka broker guide will explain the things you should check and be aware of before you invest.
You've probably noticed how Forex trading is really taking off in Sri Lanka, right? Over the past half-dozen years or so, the trading volume in Sri Lanka has been on a steady climb. It's like everyone in Sri Lanka is getting in on the action. But traders in Sri Lanka must understand the risks.
Across the world $7.5 trillion USD in volume is traded every single day. Commodities global trading volume is around $380 million USD a day. Global stock markets trading volume is around 460 million USD a day.
Modern software, more affordable mobile devices in Sri Lanka and higher internet uptake in Sri Lanka has increased competition for new trading clients among brokerages in Sri Lanka, which has opened Forex trading to a new audience.
There's this common myth floating around that diving into Forex trading in Sri Lanka is illegal, this is not the case, but Forex trading in Sri Lanka is risky. Forex trading in Sri Lanka is not a get rich quick scheme, you will be competing with people not just in Sri Lanka, but all over the world. The key, though, is to be smart about it. You have to choose a broker in Sri Lanka that's not just reputable but also strictly regulated and allowed to offer services to traders in Sri Lanka.
Trading in Forex is allowed in Sri Lanka as businesses dealing internationally must exchange currency. Forex is an integral part of import and export in Sri Lanka and investing internationally. Sri Lanka Forex trading is not banned, their are many top-notch international online brokers available to traders in Sri Lanka offering regulated trading environments.
Once a traders profits reach a level where the income on the Forex trading can be taxed in Sri Lanka the trader should make sure all taxes owed for a financial year are paid. Just a heads up about the tax situation here in Sri Lanka. You've must file taxes in Sri Lanka even if the markets chewed you up and you spat out losses this year. Also in Sri Lanka you can't claim any trading losses against your personal income taxes, unfortunately. Don't just wing it - get yourself some solid advice from a qualified tax pro in Sri Lanka who knows the ins and outs of the tax labyrinth in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, Islamic accounts are not restricted.
Here in Sri Lanka, the crypto scene is still pretty new, and cryptocurrency in Sri Lanka is getting more and more tangled up in the local financial regulatory rule in Sri Lanka. The thing about cryptos is, they operate on this decentralized model, right? So, unlike our traditional currency markets in Sri Lanka, they're not as rattled by interest rate shifts or the political drama in Sri Lanka that's always on the news. Crypto in Sri Lanka is a different beast altogether.
You know, with the surge of younger traders in Sri Lanka, who are not only tech-savvy but also starting to speculate with decent money in Sri Lanka, there's a noticeable shift happening in Sri Lanka towards the crypto market (which is highly volitle and high risk in Sri Lanka). Cryptocurrency traders in Sri Lanka contribute to the $20 billion USD worth of Bitcoin is traded daily around the world.
In Sri Lanka commodity trading includes the trade in precious metals, energies and agricultural commodities.
Some commodities like metals are seeing exponential growth in Sri Lanka since 2002.
Fast growing countries like China and India have been growing rapidly over the last 3 decades. This has meant that countries like China and India have a vast requirement for many basic commodities and raw materials for their populations. Crops to feed people and metal to build infrastructure for example. This means countries like Sri Lanka are able to take advantage of this demand.
We list brokers that allow you to trade commodities in Sri Lanka here.
Sri Lanka brokers support Islamic accounts or swap-free accounts. Sri Lanka Islamic accounts have no rollover interest on overnight positions to comply the Muslim faith. Traders of Islamic faith are forbidden to pay interest. Brokers in Sri Lanka offer accounts that are suitable for Islamic traders. These Sri Lanka brokers complies with Sharia law.
Sri Lanka economy and population is growing. The middle class population in Sri Lanka is increasing which means a growing consumer base. Many business and financial opportunities exist in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a young population educated in technology and the internet.
Sri Lanka digitisation of financial trading has made it easier to defraud unsuspecting investors across the internet. Make sure the broker you trade with is regulated and passes the checklist in this Sri Lanka guide. Educate yourself as much as possible open a demo account if necessary be you open a live trading account.
Learn about leverage when trading. Sri Lanka Brokers offering high leverage trades in Sri Lanka can mean high profit margins. But this goes both was it can also mean huge losses. There are things like negative balance protection and stop loss accounts which some Sri Lanka brokers offer as a level of protection. you can learn more about further below on this guide.
Selecting a reliable and reputable online Sri Lanka trading brokerage involves assessing their track record, regulatory status, customer support, processing times, international presence, and language capabilities. Considering these factors, you can make an informed decision and trade Sri Lanka more confidently.
Selecting the right online Sri Lanka trading brokerage requires careful consideration of several critical factors. Here are some essential points to keep in mind:
It is not essential that your brokerage is local but they must have regulation from a Tier 1 reputable country. In fact the brokers international regulation could be more reputable than your local region.
When deciding to trade and find a suitable Sri Lanka broker if you wish your broker to be 100% local check they are governed and regulated by the below.
Our team have listed brokers that match your criteria for you below. All brokerage data has been summarised into a comparison table. Scroll down.
When choosing a broker for sri lanka trading, it's essential to compare the different options available to you. Our sri lanka brokerage comparison table below allows you to compare several important features side by side, making it easier to make an informed choice.
By comparing these essential features, you can choose a sri lanka broker that best suits your needs and preferences for sri lanka. Our sri lanka broker comparison table simplifies the process, allowing you to make a more informed decision.
Here are the top Sri Lanka Brokers (LK).
Compare sri lanka brokers for min deposits, funding, used by, benefits, account types, platforms, and support levels. When searching for a sri lanka broker, it's crucial to compare several factors to choose the right one for your sri lanka needs. Our comparison tool allows you to compare the essential features side by side.
All brokers below are sri lanka brokers. Learn more about what they offer below.
You can scroll left and right on the comparison table below to see more sri lanka brokers that accept sri lanka clients.
Broker | IC Markets | Roboforex | XTB | XM | Pepperstone | AvaTrade | FP Markets | EasyMarkets | SpreadEx | FXPro | Admiral |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rating | |||||||||||
locality | IC Markets accept Sri Lanka clients | Roboforex accept Sri Lanka clients | XTB accept Sri Lanka clients | XM accept Sri Lanka clients | Pepperstone accept Sri Lanka clients | AvaTrade accept Sri Lanka clients | FP Markets accept Sri Lanka clients | easyMarkets accept Sri Lanka clients | SpreadEx accept Sri Lanka clients | FxPro accept Sri Lanka clients | Admiral Markets accept Sri Lanka clients |
Regulation | Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA) (SD018) | RoboForex Lid is regulated by Belize FSC, License No. 000138/7, reg. number 000001272. RoboForex Ltd, which is an (A category) member of The Financial Commission, also is a participant of its Compensation Fund | FCA (Financial Conduct Authority reference 522157), CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission reference 169/12), FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority), XTB AFRICA (PTY) LTD licensed to operate in South Africa, KPWiG (Polish Securities and Exchange Commission), DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority), DIFC (Dubai International Financial Center), CNMV (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores), KNF (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego), IFSC (Belize International Financial Services Commission license number IFSC/60/413/TS/19) | Financial Services Commission (FSC) (000261/4) XM ZA (Pty) Ltd, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) (license 120/10) Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (number 443670) Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA), Pepperstone Markets Limited is incorporated in The Bahamas (number 177174 B), Licensed by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) number SIA-F217 | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd (406684), South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) Ava Capital Markets Pty Ltd (45984), Financial Services Agency (Japan FSA) Ava Trade Japan K.K. (1662), Financial Futures Association of Japan (FFAJ),, FFAJ, Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM)(190018) Ava Trade Middle East Ltd (190018), Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) AVA Trade EU Ltd, Central Bank of Ireland (C53877) AVA Trade EU Ltd, British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI) BVI (SIBA/L/13/1049), Israel Securities Association (ISA) (514666577) ATrade Ltd, Financial Regulatory Services Authority (FRSA) | CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) (371/18), ASIC AFS (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) (286354), FSP (Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa) (50926), Financial Services Authority Seychelles (FSA) (130) | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) (079/07) Easy Forex Trading Ltd, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (Easy Markets Pty Ltd 246566), British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI) EF Worldwide Ltd (SIBA/L/20/1135), Financial Sector Conduct Authority South Africa (FSA) EF Worldwide (PTY) Ltd (54018), FSC (Financial Services Commission) (SIBA/L/20/1135), FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority) (54018) | FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) (190941), Gambling Commission (Great Britain) (8835) | FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) (509956), CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) (078/07), FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority) (45052), SCB (Securities Commission of The Bahamas) (SIA-F184), FSA (Financial Services Authority of Seychelles) (SD120) | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (595450), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)(310328), FSA (Financial Services Authority of Seychelles) (SD073) |
Min Deposit | 200 | 10 | No minimum deposit | 5 | No minimum deposit | 100 | 100 | 25 | No minimum deposit | 100 | 1 |
Funding |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Used By | 200,000+ | 730,000+ | 1,000,000+ | 10,000,000+ | 400,000+ | 400,000+ | 200,000+ | 250,000+ | 60,000+ | 7,800,000+ | 30,000+ |
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Platforms | MT5, MT4, MetaTrader WebTrader, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), MetaTrader iPhone/iPad, MetaTrader Android Google Play, MetaTrader Mac, cTrader, cTrader Web, cTrader iPhone/iPad, cTrader iMac, cTrader Android Google Play, cTrader Automate, cTrader Copy Trading, TradingView, Virtual Private Server, Trading Servers, MT4 Advanced Trading Tools, IC Insights, Trading Central | MT4, MT5, R Mobile Trader, R StocksTrader, WebTrader, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), Windows | MT4, Mirror Trader, Web Trader, Tablet, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) | MT5, MT5 WebTrader, XM Apple App for iPhone, XM App for Android Google Play, Tablet: MT5 for iPad, MT5 for Android Google Play, XM App for iPad, XM App for iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), Mobile Apps | MT4, MT5, cTrader,WebTrader, TradingView, Windows, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) | MT4, MT5, Web Trading, AvaTrade App, AvaOptions, Mac Trading, AvaSocial, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) | MT4, MT5, TradingView, cTrader, WebTrader, Mobile Trader, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) | easyMarkets App, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), Web Platform, TradingView, MT4, MT5 | Web, Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), iPad App, iPhone App, TradingView | MT4, MT5, cTrader, FxPro WebTrader, FxPro Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play) | MT5, MT4, MetaTrader WebTrader, Admirals Mobile Apps, iOS (App Store), Android (Google Play), Admirals Platform, StereoTrader |
Support |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn More |
Sign
Up with icmarkets |
Sign
Up with roboforex |
Sign
Up with xtb |
Sign
Up with xm |
Sign
Up with pepperstone |
Sign
Up with avatrade |
Sign
Up with fpmarkets |
Sign
Up with easymarkets |
Sign
Up with spreadex |
Sign
Up with fxpro |
Sign
Up with admiralmarkets |
Risk Warning | Losses can exceed deposits | Losses can exceed deposits | 74-83% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | 75-95 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs | 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider | Losses can exceed deposits | Your capital is at risk | Losses can exceed deposits | 75.78% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and Spread Betting with this provider | Losses can exceed deposits |
Demo |
IC Markets Demo |
Roboforex Demo |
XTB Demo |
XM Demo |
Pepperstone Demo |
AvaTrade Demo |
FP Markets Demo |
easyMarkets Demo |
SpreadEx Demo |
FxPro Demo |
Admiral Markets Demo |
Excluded Countries | US, IR, CA, NZ, JP | AU, BE, BQ, BR, CA, CW, CZ, DE, ES, EE, EU, FM, FR, FI, GW, ID, IR, JP, LR, MP, NL, PF, PL, RU, SE, SJ, SS, SL, SI, TL, TR, DO, US, IT, AT, PT, BG, HR, CY, DK, FL, GR, IE, LV, LT, MT, RO, SK, CH | US, IN, PK, BD, NG , ID, BE, AU | US, CA, IL, IR | AF, AS, AQ, AM, AZ, BY, BE, BZ, BT, BA, BI, CM, CA, CF, TD, CG, CI, ER, GF, PF, GP, GU, GN, GW, GY, HT, VA, IR, IQ, JP, KZ, LB, LR, LY, ML, MQ, YT, MZ, MM, NZ, NI, KP, PS, PR, RE, KN, LC, VC, WS, SO, GS, KR, SS, SD, SR, SY, TJ, TN, TM, TC, US, VU, VG, EH, ES, YE, ZW, ET | BE, BR, KP, NZ, TR, US, CA, SG | US, JP, NZ | US, IL, BC, MB, QC, ON, AF, BY, BI, KH, KY, TD, KM, CG, CU, CD, GQ, ER, FJ, GN, GW, HT, IR, IQ, LA, LY, MZ, MM, NI, KP, PW, PA, RU, SO, SS, SD, SY, TT, TM, VU, VE, YE | US, TR | US, CA, IR | US, CA, JP, SG, MY, JM, IR, TR |
You can compare Sri Lanka Brokers ratings, min deposits what the the broker offers, funding methods, platforms, spread types, customer support options, regulation and account types side by side.
We also have an indepth Top Sri Lanka Brokers for 2025 article further below. You can see it now by clicking here
We have listed top Sri lanka brokers below.