News & market updates

Hayleys Leisure PLC appointed Milinda Hewagama as a Non-Executive Director. Hewagama is Group Chief Financial Officer of Hayleys PLC and a director of The Kingsbury PLC.

Dialog Enterprise (Dialog Axiata) deployed Sri Lanka's first Wi-Fi 7 network at SLIIT and The Kingsbury Hotel in partnership with Huawei, promising up to four times faster speeds and lower latency for enterprise and hospitality use.

Dialog Axiata’s Dialog Enterprise, in partnership with Huawei, has deployed Sri Lanka’s first Wi‑Fi 7 network at SLIIT and The Kingsbury Hotel. The deployment targets ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity for education and hospitality and underpins plans for broader nationwide rollout.

IMRA Awards 2025 has been postponed to 7 April 2025 due to Ramadan and will stage its gala dinner buffet at The Kingsbury Hotel, IMRA’s hospitality partner. Seventy-three applications were received and shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by judges with KPMG as knowledge partner.

The Royal Thai Embassy and the Ceylon Chamber held a business forum on 3 March at the Kingsbury Colombo with a 17-member Thai delegation to explore trade and investment opportunities in food, agriculture, health and tourism; field visits will follow to identify collaboration areas.

Sri Lanka's ASPI closed up 0.72% as renewed buying interest lifted the market, led by financials and with tourism stocks in focus; turnover was Rs 1.6 billion and there was a net foreign outflow of Rs 123 million.

Colombo Stock Exchange ended 2024 higher, with the ASPI up 0.74% at 15,944.61 and the S&P SL20 up 1.01% at 4,862.10. Turnover was Rs7.7bn, banks/diversified financials and capital goods drew the most interest, and there was a net foreign inflow of Rs129mn.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher: ASPI up 0.98% (147.79 pts) to 15,168 and S&P SL20 up 0.82% to 4,535 on turnover of 5.4 billion rupees. Top contributors included Hayleys, Central Finance, C T Holdings and Sampath Bank, with a net foreign outflow of 94 million rupees.

Bank of Ceylon partnered with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board to support the Marine Summit 'Voyage Sri Lanka 2024' held at the Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo to promote Sri Lanka's blue economy and marine/offshore services. The summit drew over 150 participants, including 30–40 international delegates.

A delegation of 20 prospective foreign investors visited Trincomalee and Hambantota Ports on 24-25 Nov to explore maritime, shipbuilding and offshore investment opportunities; the Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 Marine Conference is scheduled today at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo.

A 20-member delegation from countries including India, Saudi Arabia, France and the US visited Trincomalee and Hambantota ports on Nov 24–25 under Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 to explore marina development, shipbuilding, vessel maintenance and bunkering opportunities; the Marine Conference is set for Nov 26 at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo.

Sri Lanka hosted the 52nd Annual Session of the International Pepper Community alongside the International Spice Exhibition, highlighting the country's role in the global spice export sector. The event was held at The Kingsbury Colombo and sponsored by Commercial Bank of Ceylon and DFCC Bank.

Colombo market slipped on profit-taking: ASPI fell 0.95% (126 pts) and S&P SL20 fell 1.6% on turnover of Rs.6bn. John Keells, Hatton National and Sampath were major decliners while SERV and MARA saw investor interest; foreigners were net sellers of Rs.772.5m.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board will hold the marine summit 'Voyage Sri Lanka 2024' on 26 November 2024 at Hotel Kingsbury, Colombo; foreign companies have registered and Sri Lankan firms can register for B2B meetings at voyagesrilanka.lk.

HKTDC and Sri Lanka's Export Development Board held a Roadshow at The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo on 11 Oct 2024 to boost exports to Hong Kong; around 80 Sri Lankan firms from apparel, tea, food, electronics and ICT sectors attended.

Voyage Sri Lanka 2024, a marine and offshore services conference, will be held on 26 November 2024 at Hotel Kingsbury Colombo and registration is open. The event will spotlight the blue economy and lists partners/sponsors including Colombo Dockyard and Hayleys Advantis.

The Trade Finance Association of Bankers will hold a Quiz and Social event on Saturday 7 September at The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo. The evening will feature a quiz prioritising trade finance rules, followed by networking, entertainment and raffle draws.

Haycarb PLC’s Deputy MD Brahman Balaratnarajah was re-elected IASL Chairman for 2024/25 at the Industrial Association of Sri Lanka's 33rd AGM on Aug 9, 2024. The AGM highlighted the industrial sector's role and named an Executive Committee including PGP Glass, Lion Brewery, Richard Pieris, Ex-Pack, Swadeshi and Ceylon Tobacco.