Corporate Governance and Stock Liquidity: Evidence from Listed Companies in Sri Lanka

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and stock liquidity in listed companies in Sri Lanka. Design/Methodology/Approach: Corporate governance was evaluated using an index constructed of the board of directors, audit committee, remuneration committee, nomination committee, related party transaction review committee, frequency of meetings, and gender diversity. Stock liquidity was measured using the Amihud illiquidity ratio. A Quantitative research study was performed based on the data collected from 100 Sri Lankan listed companies excluding companies in the Banking, Finance, and Insurance sectors due to its inherent nature of being highly regulated. Findings: It was found that the mean (median) values of corporate governance of Sri Lanka are 0.706 (0.714) and the mean (median) values of stock illiquidity are 0.839 (0.379). The results of the correlation and regression analysis revealed that a weak association between corporate governance and stock liquidity relationship. Therefore, this study concludes that corporate governance has no significant impact on stock liquidity. Nonetheless, this study analyzed a limited sample of 100 companies, focusing primarily on board and its committee-related corporate governance attributes. Originality: This study provided new insights into relationship between corporate governance and stock liquidity which has a practical significance for managers, shareholders, investors, traders, financial analysts, and policy makers in Sri Lanka. It introduces a novel corporate governance index tailored specifically to Sri Lankan companies highlighting its potential improve the stock liquidity at both the company and market levels which will ultimately lead the country towards economic growth.