The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has 285 companies representing 20 GICS industry groups as at 31st March 2025, with a Market Capitalization of Rs. 5,606.37 Bn.
Public Companies incorporated under the Companies Act No.7 of 2007 or any other statutory corporation, incorporated or established under the laws of Sri Lanka or established under the laws of any other state (subject to Exchange Control approval) are eligible to seek a listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange to raise Debt or Equity. Companies desiring to be admitted to the official list of the Exchange and to secure a listing of their securities will be required to comply with the relevant provisions of the above act and the Securities & Exchange Commission Act No.36 of 1987 (as amended) and the Listing Rules of the Exchange.
The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), a premier independent provider of global indices and benchmark-related products and services, and Standard & Poor’s (S&P), an independent international financial data and investment services company and a leading provider of global equity indices. The GICS classifications aim to enhance the investment research and asset management process for financial professionals worldwide. It is the result of numerous discussions with asset owners, portfolio managers and investment analysts around the world. It was designed in response to the global financial community’s need for accurate, complete and standard industry definitions.
The GICS structure consists of 11 Sectors, 24 Industry groups, 69 Industries and 158 sub-industries. The full GICS structure can be separately provided upon request.
The GICS structure is:
Universal: the structure applies to companies globally
Accurate: the structure accurately reflects the state of industries in the equity investment universe
Flexible: the structure offers four levels of analysis, ranging from the most general sector to the most specialized sub-industry
Evolving: annual reviews are conducted by MSCI and Standard & Poor’s to ensure that the structure remains fully representative of the universe
The GICS methodology assigns each company to a sub-industry, and to a corresponding industry, industry group and sector, according to the definition of its principal business activity. Since the classification is strictly hierarchical, at each of the four levels a company can only belong to one grouping.
The classification aims to provide an accurate, complete and long-term view of global investment universe from an industrial perspective.
GICS Map Book containing the introduction, methodology and hierarchy of GICS can be downloaded from here