“Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.”

-Donald Trump

“Finsight 3.0” is a project organized by the Finance Committee of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura, to raise local community awareness on Personal Wealth Management topics such as investment strategies in share market investments, investment management, important aspects of digital marketing, encouraging personal savings, and poverty eradication.

Good investment and societal saving habits in general are important factors in increasing a country’s demand and economic growth, and it is a new way of eradicating poverty from one individual to the entire population of a country. You will need a thorough understanding of the relevant topics to do so. Before making any investment decision, it is critical to conduct the necessary research, study, and analysis. The lack of financial literacy in most countries, as well as the increasing complexity of investment and saving options, have emphasized the importance of making informed investment decisions.

Sri Lankans began to experience power outages and shortages of necessities in early 2022. Inflation has reached 50% per year. Last year, nationwide protests erupted in response to rising prices, shortages of essential goods, and crippling international debts, prompting the president to flee the country. Though the International Monetary Fund lent Sri Lanka $3 billion (£2.4 billion) to help it deal with the worst economic crisis in its independent history, Sri Lanka is yet to recover from its sad position.

Saving and investing our earnings is a hot topic right now, owing primarily to the current economic situation. People have been interested in effective investment methods and how to maximize their returns. One significant disadvantage they face is a lack of knowledge about investment methods. The Finance Committee, the club’s main body in charge of managing and making long-term financial decisions, decided to organize the project Finsight 3.0 to raise awareness about investing and financing.

The project’s first phase was held on November 12th at the MAYO Hall in the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Personal Wealth Management was the subject of a seminar and a panel discussion. Mr. Niroshan Samarakoon, the Manager of Merchant Investment PLC, and Mr. Nadun Wickramasinghe, the Head of Finance at Abans PLC, joined us to enhance our delegates’ knowledge.

Phase 02 of the project was held on January 30, 2023, via Zoom meetings in the form of an online webinar, with Mr. Chirantha Ranasinghe, Best Young Entrepreneur – 2021, Best Employability Skills Achiever of Faculty of Engineering – 2022, and a delegate crowd of more than 50 people in attendance. We were able to introduce the concepts of entrepreneurship and how to create a solid business development plan through this.

The project Finsight was in the overall context a huge success. We, the organizing committee, can proudly declare that our project “Finsight 3.0” was definitely an eye-opening, and joyful experience, and take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed in numerous ways to complete this project successfully.

Written by: Rtr. Imesha Udawatta

Graphic design by: Rtr. Prashan Indusara