Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa

Top economist and senior banker, Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa assumed duty as the 5th Chairman of LankaPay on 01st June 2021 after having appointed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for a tenure of three years.

Dr. De Zilwa counts for over 20 years of experience in banking, managing Investment Banking business at a senior managerial level across all verticals. He is an expert in Treasury and Capital Markets, especially in the areas of risk management, money markets, and debt markets, in both domestic and international financial markets, alike. He was a part of the Global Advisory team for the Government of Sri Lanka’s USD initial Sovereign Bond Issuance and worked closely with the senior officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He was instrumental in drafting the derivative guidelines for the market during his tenure at HSBC.

Dr. De Zilwa was appointed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to Chairman of the Financial Systems Stability Consultative Committee which overlooks systemic and macro-prudential conditions. He was also appointed by the Governor to the Monitory Policy Consultative Committee as a board member and was also a Board Member of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). He is also an active member of the National Payment Council Chaired by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Dr. De Zilwa was also the President of the Sri Lanka Forex Association and has been instrumental in setting up of the ACI Market Ethics Committee, Education Committee, and a Regulatory Framework, inspiring and leading the Association to new heights. Under his leadership, Dr. De Zilwa was able to gain Sri Lanka Forex the full membership of ACI International and make the Association internationally reputed. He was appointed Secretary for the ACI Model Code Committee by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and was responsible for Sri Lanka’s First Interest Rate Option and Currency Derivative Transactions in Sri Lanka and developed the First Islamic Finance Rupee Bond i.e., Sukuk, for the country. He was recently appointed by UNDP as a consultant to the Ministry of Finance & Planning apart from being a consultant to several leading local and international organizations.

A veteran in Business Cycles and Real Economy, Dr. De Zilwa holds a Ph.D., an MA in Economics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Economics from the University of Colombo. He also holds an MA in Economics for Development from the ISS/Erasmus University, Netherlands, apart from the Postgraduate Diploma in Bank Management and Finance from the Institute of Bankers Sri Lanka. he has also been featured in many Television talk shows, delivered many Key Note speeches and continues to participate in policy discussions. Dr. De Zilwa has contributed to many newspaper articles and published papers in reputable Journals, including the anniversary edition of the Association of Professional Bankers.

 

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