News & market updates

AmCham Sri Lanka will convene its CEO Forum 2026 on 25 Feb 2026 in Colombo to drive actionable policy and private-sector coordination for the country’s economic recovery; Hatton National Bank is the Title Partner, signalling private-sector confidence.

Hatton National Bank (HNB) signed an MOU with David Pieris Renewable Energy to offer solar financing, with domestic loans of LKR 500,000–7,000,000 and C&I project financing, tenors up to seven years and competitive rates to support household and business solar adoption.

AmCham Sri Lanka will host its CEO Forum 2026 on 25 February 2026 in Colombo, with Hatton National Bank PLC as Title Partner. The forum will gather 250+ C-level leaders, policymakers and development partners to discuss economic recovery, reform, climate risks, SMEs, global growth and public–private partnerships.

HNB PLC has become the Official Banking Partner of the 147th Royal–Thomian cricket match and will deploy digital and cashless banking solutions at the event. The three-day encounter runs March 12–14 at SSC, with the one-day Mustangs Trophy on March 28.

Hatton National Bank PLC will appoint Suresh Kumar Shah as Chairperson effective 1 April 2026, succeeding Nihal Jayawardene after the AGM on 31 March 2026. Shah is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director at HNB and holds board roles at Ceylon Tobacco, Carson Cumberbatch and Bukit Darah, and previously led Ceylon Beverage and Lion Brewery.

Ceylon Land & Equity PLC proposed a 2-for-1 rights issue to raise Rs.4.3 billion at Rs.7 per share (record date 5 Mar 2026). Proceeds will repay Rs.1.7b of short-term borrowings (including Rs.750m to HNB), fund Rs.1.75b into Galle Face Icon project and Rs.702m into Cargo Boat.

ASPI rose 0.80% (190.27 pts) to 23,900.11 and the S&P SL20 gained 1.38% to 6,710.33, led by strength in large-cap banking stocks. Market turnover was over Rs.5.6bn, foreign investors were net sellers of Rs.167.6m, with HNB, SAMP, COMB, DOCK and NDB among top positive contributors.

HNB General Insurance won 'Best Customer Oriented Company' (General Insurance, Sri Lanka) at the 6th Emerging Asia Insurance Awards in Bangkok, assessed by PwC and an international jury. The recognition highlights the firm's customer focus and follows a recent Fitch upgrade to A(lka).

HNB PLC obtained ISO 22301:2019 certification for its Business Continuity Management System after an independent Bureau Veritas audit, covering enterprise-wide operations (risk management, IT and customer services) across its national network to strengthen operational resilience.

ASPI rose 0.24% to 23,709.84 with turnover above Rs.8.5bn and foreign investors net sold Rs.986.2m. Top positive contributors were HNB, RICH, CTEA, COMB and AEL; TKYO led materials-sector turnover (Rs.2.05bn) and JINS recorded a 7.8% price gain.

HNB MD/CEO Damith Pallewatte highlights HNB’s Sarusara agripreneur programme (15,000 participants to date, 30,000 target) and a 2026–2030 strategic plan. He warns of banking-sector challenges (liquidity, asset quality, digital risk) and urges ecosystem-building across exports, agriculture, tourism and digital services.

Home Lands launched four new resort apartment projects totaling 1,000 units in Greater Colombo. Five partner banks (Commercial Bank, HNB, Sampath, NDB and DFCC) are supporting the Home Lands Wealth Builder payment plan, offering flexible financing including up to 100% funding.

The Colombo market ended marginally higher — ASPI +0.02% to 23,655.68 — on turnover of Rs.3.35 billion with foreign net outflows of Rs.64 million. Top positive contributors included NHL, CFIN, CARG, JKH and LLUB, while Samson International, UB Finance and Sierra Cables led turnover.

The Association of Alternate Financial Institutions appointed its new 2026/27 board, with Siddeeque Akbar as President. AAFI's membership includes Commercial Bank, L B Finance, NDB, Seylan Bank and Hatton National Bank.

NDB Investment Bank (part of the NDB group) acted as exclusive financial adviser and arranger to raise $40m for Maldives Airport Company to refinance part of the capex for a new passenger terminal. Hatton National Bank (lead bank and facility agent) and Nations Trust Bank were other lead lenders in the syndicated facility.

HNB PLC has joined as the Platinum Sponsor for the Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka's 36th Anniversary Convention, reinforcing its role in supporting professional development, innovation and leadership across the banking sector.

Colombo stock market ended the week up as the ASPI rose 0.14% to 23,801.96 while year-to-date net foreign selling approached Rs. 11.8 billion. Turnover was nearly Rs. 9.1 billion, led by banks and large crossings (notably Commercial Bank) with gains in ACME, JKH, Sampath, HNB, KZOO, Colombo Dockyard and Teejay.

Rayynor Silva bought 3.5 million Hatton National Bank (HNB) shares at Rs. 422 each, investing Rs. 1.4 billion to raise his stake to 1.5% (6 million shares). He already holds stakes in Sampath, DFCC, Commercial Bank and Seylan.

Colombo Stock Exchange turnover reached Rs. 11.11 billion in the session, led by John Keells Holdings which accounted for Rs. 4.31 billion of trades. The ASPI and S&P SL20 rose, 131 stocks closed higher, with Sampath Bank, Dialog Axiata, Acme and Ceylon Land & Equity among the top positive contributors and HNB contributing Rs. 1.51 billion of turnover.

HNB PLC was named among the Top 10 Best Employers of 2025 at the inaugural EFC National Best Employer Awards. The bank cited a human capital transformation that raised staff on performance-linked metrics from 18% to 41% and highlighted wellbeing and training initiatives.

Home Lands will launch 1,000 brand-new resort-style apartments across four projects at a property investment roadshow on 8 Feb, with five banks (Commercial Bank, HNB, Sampath, NDB and DFCC) offering up to 100% financing and flexible payment plans.

HNB PLC opened three new Priority Circle lounges in Battaramulla, Dehiwala and Panadura on 28 January 2026, taking its network to 22 dedicated Priority Circle spaces. The lounges offer dedicated relationship managers, wealth-management support, annual complimentary airport lounge access, a premium credit card (lifetime fee waiver) and advisory services for HNI and corporate customers.

HNB PLC presented two winners of its credit-card campaign with fully paid trips to the 68th Grammy Awards (Los Angeles) and the Australian Open semi-finals (Melbourne); the campaign also offered cardholders discounts up to 70% across 300+ partner merchants and awarded prizes based on predefined spend thresholds in collaboration with Mastercard.

HNB PLC backed TiECON Sri Lanka 2026 as Platinum Sponsor; MD/CEO Damith Pallewatte spoke on a panel about the bank's role in helping Sri Lankan firms scale internationally, highlighting foreign-currency exposure, payment and country-risk management.

The Colombo market ended lower with the ASPI down 0.37% (88.58 pts) to 23,812.31 amid profit-taking, elevated turnover and net foreign outflows (week net outflow > Rs.2.36bn); daily turnover was about Rs.9.2bn and foreign investors were net sellers (Rs.1.7bn yesterday).

Daily FT and ICCSL host a webinar today at 4:00pm on 'Post Ditwah Recovery – How to Support SMEs', featuring HNB CEO Damith Pallewatte and Commercial Bank Head of SME Banking Mohan Fernando among speakers; the event will be broadcast live via Facebook.

NDB Bank has launched Visa's Card Present Connect (CPC) in Sri Lanka, a Cybersource-powered in-person payment acceptance solution for SMBs using Android SmartPOS. The offering supports EMV, contactless and mobile wallets and aims to lower costs, speed onboarding and simplify deployment for acquiring banks.

HNB PLC sponsored TiECON Sri Lanka 2026 as Platinum Sponsor to support Sri Lankan entrepreneurs scaling into regional and global markets. The bank highlighted its role in managing foreign-currency exposure, payments and supply-chain risk, while sessions also covered trade shifts and AI.

HNB PLC signed an MoU with Baili Investments to provide tailored home loan financing for the Silk Rajagiriya development, with the agreement valid until 31 December 2026. Construction is at the eighth floor and completion is projected for September 2028.