News & market updates

The Ceylon Chamber coordinated Cyclone Ditwah relief with member companies including Aitken Spence, Central Finance, Union Assurance, Union Bank, Eastern Merchants and Wealthtrust, mobilising over 190 volunteer hours and handling 40,000+ emergency assistance requests to support the DMC’s emergency operations.

The luxury cruise Mein Schiff 06 called at Colombo carrying over 2,000 international passengers (2,300 on board) with more than 1,600 taking excursions; local operations were managed by Aitken Spence Travels, underscoring tourism recovery and port capacity.

Aitken Spence's local operator handled the luxury cruise Mein Schiff 06 arrival in Colombo with over 2,000 passengers onboard and more than 1,600 guests taking excursions. The visit mobilized 72 coaches and 30 vans and is being cited as a sign of tourism recovery.

Cabinet approved the 'Rebuilding Sri Lanka' Fund to finance recovery from Cyclone Ditwah and appointed a management committee chaired by Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando that includes private-sector representatives from Hayleys, John Keells, Aitken Spence and LOLC.

Government will establish a post-disaster rebuilding fund managed by a joint public–private committee to finance reconstruction of highways, irrigation, houses and plantations; the World Bank's GRADE damage assessment is expected in about two weeks.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed 0.22% higher after trading ceased early at 12:30pm due to cyclone Ditwah; the ASPI rose 50.73 pts to 22,712.82 with turnover Rs 1.93bn. Top contributors included John Keells, Ceylinco, Aitken Spence, Dialog Axiata and Sampath Bank.

UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka held CATALYZE 2025 on 24 November, convening business leaders including John Keells, Aitken Spence, Hemas, Hayleys, DIMO and Kelani Valley Plantations to discuss digital supply chains, gender equality, climate action, water stewardship and other sustainability priorities.

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC's Heritance Kandalama won the Silver Global Responsible Tourism Award 2025 for Climate Adaptation and Resilience. The property, the only Sri Lankan hotel awarded, holds longstanding ISO 14001 certification and maintains over 200 acres of conservation forest.

Aitken Spence PLC reported PBT of Rs. 1.6 billion for the six months to 30 Sep 2025, a 42% year-on-year increase. Group revenue was Rs. 40.7 billion, with tourism contributing 64.3% of revenue and tourism operating profit rising 86.5% year-on-year.

Aitken Spence PLC reported PBT of Rs. 1.6 billion for the six months to 30 Sep 2025, a 42% increase year‑on‑year, on revenue of Rs. 40.7 billion. Tourism accounted for 64.3% of revenue while Maritime & Freight Logistics was the largest profit contributor; group sustainability and renewable-energy initiatives were highlighted.

Several listed firms, including Hayleys (HAYL.N0000), Aitken Spence (SPEN.N0000), Ceylon Cold Stores (CCS.N0000), Alumex (ALUM.N0000), Dipped Products (DIPD.N0000) and Lion Brewery (LION.N0000), received awards or commendations at the ISMM National Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2025.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher as the ASPI rose 0.33% to 23,659.70, led by capital goods and banks with turnover of Rs1.85bn and Rs1.58bn. Top contributors included John Keells, Senkadagala Finance and Aitken Spence, and Three Acre Farms said it will merge two subsidiaries.

Aitken Spence Printing & Packaging (Pvt) Ltd (principal sponsor) won the Platinum Award at the Sri Lanka Packaging Awards 2025 with 4 Gold, 7 Silver and 8 Bronze awards. JF Packaging Ltd won the President's Award as the highest-scoring single entry.

The Sri Lanka–Korea Business Council held its 30th AGM; Shamil Mendis was elected President and the meeting emphasised deepening Korea–Sri Lanka economic cooperation and opportunities in tourism, exports, port development, manufacturing and digital/AI sectors.

The Sri Lanka–Korea Business Council held its 30th AGM where Shamil Mendis was elected president and Korea's Ambassador Miyon Lee urged deeper trade and investment ties, citing opportunities in port development, food exports, manufacturing and digital/AI. The council highlighted initiatives to boost collaboration and market access.

The ASPI briefly crossed an all-time high of 23,000 before dipping and closed at 22,953.49, up 0.11% (25.18 points). Turnover topped Rs.4.4bn with net foreign outflows of ~Rs.485.4m and heavy participation in counters including Aitken Spence, Colombo Dockyard, Sunshine and Commercial Bank.

CSE ASPI closed up 0.11% at 22,953.49 while the S&P SL20 dipped 0.05% to 6,249.28. Top contributors were Senkadagala Finance (up 25%), Sunshine Holdings, Colombo Dockyard, Cargills and Aitken Spence, with market turnover down to 4.4 billion rupees.

Colombo market opened higher as the ASPI rose 0.54% (+123.47 pts) to 22,928.31 with turnover over Rs.5.7bn and foreign net outflow of Rs.645.4m. Aitken Spence and Sierra Cables led capital-goods turnover; PKME, JKH, COMB, SFCL and BUKI were key positives while SPEN eased and SIRA was flat.

Colombo bourse closed lower as the ASPI fell 0.15% to 22,804.84 amid foreign net selling of Rs.893 million and turnover of about Rs.5.6bn; the S&P SL20 rose 0.18%. Capital goods and materials led activity with notable stock moves including Aitken Spence (-Rs.1), Hayleys (-Rs.0.75) and John Keells (+Rs.0.40).

Aitken Spence PLC won four awards at the 15th Top50 Professional and Career Women Global Awards 2025, including 'Trailblazing Corporate Leader' for Chairperson Stasshani Jayawardena. Two employees received Career Excellence awards and Aitken Spence Logistics was named 'Best Corporate for Women Leadership'.

Sri Lanka held a "Business & Tourism Opportunities in Sri Lanka" forum in Brussels on 13 October 2025 to promote trade, investment and tourism, highlighting opportunities in tourism, pharmaceuticals, F&B, ICT, renewable energy and exports such as tea and coconut products.

The Sri Lanka–Maldives Business Council led a Sri Lankan delegation (over 48 companies) to the Hotel Asia Exhibition & International Culinary Challenge in Maldives (20–22 Oct 2025), with Aitken Spence supporting logistics and travel for the mission.

Vidullanka submitted the lowest bid of 3.77 US cents/kWh for the Ceylon Electricity Board's 2×50 MW Mullikulam wind tender; Windforce bid 3.96, Hayleys 4.17, ACL 4.33 and Aitken Spence 4.805. Bids are below the prior 4.65 cents award and reflect efforts to cut generation costs amid a weak rupee.

Aitken Spence's Western Power incinerated two seized cigarette consignments (1,680 kg and 7,260 kg), destroying an estimated LKR 1.126 billion of illicit goods and generating over 3,584 kWh of electricity which was supplied to the national grid.

Sri Lanka Tourism showcased at Luxperience 2025 in Sydney, recording more than 1,000 B2B meetings and featuring 14 Sri Lankan travel and hospitality brands, strengthening demand from the Australian luxury travel market.

The Sri Lanka–Greater Mekong Business Council held its 14th AGM and elected Nimal Ratnayake (Lanka Hospitals) as President for 2025–2026; committee seats went to firms including Aitken Spence Travels and Hayleys Advantis as the council promotes trade, tourism and sectoral collaboration (textiles, tea, IT, healthcare).

The EPF recorded an unrealized profit of Rs.73.97 billion on its Colombo Stock Exchange holdings as of June 30, 2025, with its Rs.85.88 billion invested across 64 listed companies rising to a market value of Rs.159.85 billion.

Thailand's counselor highlighted the Sri Lanka–Thailand FTA as a milestone, citing opportunities in food, agriculture, tourism, healthcare and IT. The Sri Lanka–Greater Mekong Business Council held its 14th AGM and elected Nimal Ratnayake as President for 2025–2026.

Aitken Spence PLC has partnered with the Sri Lanka Air Force on the “Clean Today – Green Tomorrow” environmental programme, hosting SLAF visits to its hotels and plantations as part of a 5–6 month initiative to promote sustainable practices and support several UN SDGs.

Colombo Stock Exchange extended its rally into a 15th session as the ASPI rose 0.31% (68.34 pts) to 22,163.23 with turnover of Rs. 7.95 billion. SAMP, BREW, MELS and SPEN were top positive contributors while foreign investors were net sellers (Rs. 223.3m outflow).