News & market updates

Union Assurance PLC (UAL.N0000) won three awards at the 6th Emerging Asia Insurance Conclave and Awards 2025, including Joint Winner — Best Life Insurance Company of the Year, Best Strategies for Insurance Coverage, and recognition for Women in Insurance Leadership.

John Keells Stock Brokers (part of John Keells group) has partnered with XpressJobs on the #SHEinvests initiative to deliver one-hour financial literacy sessions to XpressJobs clients' female employees throughout March 2026, covering money management and basic investing.

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.

Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams has appointed Kamal Munasinghe as General Manager effective 15 February 2026. He will continue as Senior Vice President – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and brings over 30 years of international and local hospitality experience.

John Keells Hotels (KHL.N0000) appointed Kamal Munasinghe as General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, effective 15 Feb 2026. He will continue as Senior VP – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and brings over three decades of hospitality experience.

The Board of Investment will host the Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2026 on 30 March at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, focusing on green transition and sector-led investments including renewable energy, green finance, services, manufacturing, infrastructure and leisure. The EU, ADB and ESCAP are supporting the event, which includes parallel sector sessions and a closed-door EU–SL investor dialogue.

Kala Pola 2026, presented with support from John Keells Holdings (JKH), showcased a record 487 artists and attracted 13,689 visitors on 8 Feb 2026. The John Keells Foundation led sponsorship and Nations Trust Bank (NTB) was the official banking partner, digitising event transactions.

Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams (Cinnamon Life) is offering 'The Spirit of Iftar' buffet at Quizine from 17 Feb to 17 Mar priced at LKR 10,500 nett per person. A Suhoor room-service menu will also be available and no non-Muslim items will be served during dinner service.

ASPI closed down 0.01% at 23,652.51 with turnover of LKR 4.8bn and net foreign outflow of LKR 42.7m. Banks led turnover (30%), food & beverage and capital goods together contributed 31%; top negatives were RICH, CFIN, JKH, RIL and AEL, while RAL saw net foreign buying and crossings were led by COCO, COMB and DOCK.

Kandy Myst by Cinnamon (operated by John Keells Hotels PLC) celebrated its first anniversary after opening on 12 February 2025, offering 215 rooms and becoming the first hotel in Kandy to receive LEED Gold certification.

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.

John Keells CG Auto and BYD opened Sri Lanka’s largest BYD‑dedicated body shop in Seeduwa, capable of accommodating over 100 vehicles simultaneously. The facility boosts collision repair capacity and turnaround for BYD and DENZA owners and forms part of BYD’s broader after‑sales expansion.

The HSBC Ceylon Literary & Arts Festival will run 13–15 Feb 2026 at Cinnamon Lakeside with 45+ speakers and free public programming. The Art Exhibit is in association with the John Keells Foundation and Cinnamon Lakeside is the venue and hospitality partner.

Colombo market opened in red as the ASPI fell 0.20% to 23,754.26 amid foreign net selling of Rs. 1.4 billion. Top negatives were JKH, SFCL, DOCK, TKYO and CARG, while LMF led food & beverage turnover and gained 9.08%.

Ceylon Cold Stores (CCS) marked 160 years for its Elephant House brand, highlighting continued focus on innovation, sustainability and long-term growth. CCS, part of the John Keells consumer foods sector, said it will prioritise portfolio expansion, product reinvention, digitalisation and operational efficiency.

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.

Fairfax International bought 188.53 million shares in John Keells Holdings (JKH.N0000) for about Rs.4 billion, boosting its stake to 26.5% from 25.5%. The block sale totaled 194.438 million shares for Rs.4.32 billion (Rs.22.20/share for Fairfax) and follows JKH’s strong 3Q EBITDA growth of 68% to Rs.23.76 billion.

Cinnamon Hotels CEO Hishan Singhawansa said India’s rapid growth (GDP ~7.2%) and expanding middle class will boost Sri Lankan tourism, forecasting Indian outbound travellers to rise from about 20 million to 50 million in the next 5–6 years.

Ceylon Cold Stores PLC (Elephant House) celebrated 160 years in January 2026, highlighting continued focus on innovation, sustainability, portfolio expansion and digitalisation under the John Keells Group.

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.

Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams is hosting an extended Valentine's season from 1–22 February, offering multi-venue dining, music and wellness experiences including set menus, special desserts, live performances and spa packages.

IFC proposes up to $20m to support John Keells' South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) capacity expansion to fund new ship-to-shore cranes. The funding will use IFC’s MCPP with a parallel lender; IFC also announced a separate $166m SME financing package via NTB, Commercial Bank and NDB.

John Keells Holdings (JKH) is sponsoring the 33rd Kala Pola open-air art fair in Colombo on 8 February 2026. Nations Trust Bank (NTB) is named as the event's official banking partner.

John Keells Stock Brokers (JKSB) forecasts the ASPI will reach 28,000 in CY2026 (ASPI at 23,812), citing recurring earnings growth and scope for foreign inflows. JKSB also expects 4–5% GDP growth, muted inflation, potential primary fiscal surplus and increased IPO activity.

Government approved several measures to accelerate tourism, including a digital entry pass, expedited tourist visa processing, streamlined domestic air services and airport-to-destination bus links. The meeting was led by Minister Vijitha Herath and attended by stakeholders including John Keells Holdings chair Krishan Balendra.

Colombo market fell as the ASPI dropped 0.38% (91.22 pts) to 23,900.89 with turnover over Rs.6.9bn and foreign net outflow of Rs.20.9m. Top negatives included Senkadagala Finance, Ceylon Tobacco, John Keells, Carson Cumberbatch and C T Holdings while Prime Lands Residencies gained.

John Keells Properties said The Offices at Cinnamon Life in Colombo has reached full occupancy, with some floors sold to local and international corporates and supported by long-term tenants generating attractive rental yields.

The Offices at Cinnamon Life in Colombo has reached full occupancy, John Keells Properties announced, with some floors sold to local and international corporates and backed by long-term tenants delivering attractive rental yields. The mixed-use development links to hotels, retail and transport hubs.

John Keells CG Auto (part of John Keells) says BYD is now the number one brand in Sri Lanka's brand-new vehicle segment, taking ~37% of brand-new registrations and over 70% of cumulative EV registrations since imports resumed; the group is expanding showrooms and opening a major after-sales centre in Wattala.

Verteil Technologies launched in Sri Lanka and appointed Mack Air (a John Keells Group company) as its General Sales Agent to drive NDC adoption and modern airline retailing. The launch (Jan 22, 2026) aims to give local travel sellers access to Verteil’s NDC aggregator and training/support for airlines and agents.