News & market updates

Janashakthi Limited director Manjula Mathews participated in AmCham Sri Lanka's 'Her Story, Her Voice' panel on women in family enterprises and leadership at Cinnamon Life Colombo. The event brought together senior leaders to discuss leadership, resilience, legacy and networking opportunities.

HNB General Insurance was the only general insurer named among Sri Lanka's 50 Best Workplaces™ 2026, ranking 16th in the Large Sized Workplaces category. 95% of participating HNBGI employees rated the company's workplace culture extremely highly.

Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC (PABC.N0000) won the Grand Prix and four Gold awards at the 15th ACEF Global Customer Engagement Awards 2026, recognised for digital onboarding, TV+digital campaign planning and the 'One Click Thousand Trees' sustainability initiative.

L B Finance PLC (LFIN.N0000) topped K Seeds Investments' Category 1 ranking of finance companies for Q4 FY25/26 (Jan–Mar 2026), scoring highest across ten equally weighted KPIs. The firm achieved this position despite late-quarter oil-driven fuel-price shocks and rising inflation that pressured peers' margins and loan repayment capacity.

Colombo market opened deep in the red: ASPI fell 0.44% (98.08 pts) to 22,080.65 and the S&P SL20 dropped 0.44% as foreign investors were net sellers of Rs. 315.8m. Main negatives included Ceylinco, HNB, RIL and Central Finance; utilities (led by Windforce), capital goods and banking led turnover.

UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka hosted CATALYZE 2026: Environment, a two-day forum on corporate environmental sustainability; Sampath Bank was main partner and listed firms including Dilmah, Teejay Lanka, Hayleys, Talawakelle, Commercial Bank and Kelani Valley participated as partners or patrons.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon (COMB.N0000) was named Best Bank in Sri Lanka for the 15th consecutive year at the FinanceAsia Awards 2026 and won six additional country awards. Awards included Best Bank for SMEs, Best Bank for Use of Technology, Best Islamic Finance House, Best Sustainable Bank, Best Private Bank and Best Retail Bank.

Sri Lanka's rupee closed at 334.90/335.00 to the US dollar (from 335.20/35), while government bond yields were broadly steady—shorter 2027 paper ~10.35–10.45% and longer-dated bonds around 11.2–11.6%.

Asian shares eased as investors awaited a key AI earnings season and oil slipped after OPEC+ raised output targets; softer U.S. payrolls and lower energy costs cut the chance of an imminent Fed hike. Futures imply about a 78% probability of no rate change at the July 29 meeting.

Shareholders sought Commercial High Court leave to bring a derivative suit against National Development Bank (NDB) over an alleged Rs.13.2 billion fraud, about 15.3% of its Rs.86 billion net assets. Petitioners say CEFT-related receivables rose from ~Rs.1.4bn in 2023 to Rs.12.2bn in 2025; the case resumes on 8 July.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka net purchased USD 70.8 million from the domestic FX market in June 2026 (purchased USD 96.3m, sold USD 25.8m), after a net sale of USD 211.3m in May 2026.

The CBSL returned to net FX purchases in June, buying a net $70.5m and lifting cumulative net purchases to $556.4m in 1H2026 (vs $2.0bn in 2025). Gross official reserves were provisionally estimated at $6,881m at end‑May, including proceeds from the PBOC swap.

Sri Lanka's rupee was quoted at 335.00/40 to the US dollar on Monday (from 335.20/35), while government bond yields were broadly steady with key maturities quoted around 10.95%–11.65%.

Foreign portfolio buying in Sri Lankan rupee bonds pushed yields lower on 4- and 10-year benchmarks (e.g., 15.10.30 fell to c.11.23%, 15.03.35 to c.11.70%) even as weekly T‑bill yields rose (91-day 10.23%). Money market liquidity doubled to Rs.128.47bn, foreign holdings rose to Rs.136.86bn and USD/LKR closed near 335.20/335.30.

Singer Finance (Lanka) PLC's total asset base exceeded Rs.100 billion in Q1 of the 2026/27 financial year, based on unaudited management accounts. The managing director thanked stakeholders for their continued trust and support.

Associated Motor Finance (AMF) will amalgamate with parent L B Finance (LFIN) effective 31 July; AMF shares will be suspended after market close on 27 July and AMF minority shareholders will receive Rs.55 per share. LB Finance will absorb AMF's business and cancel the shares it holds.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.38% to 22,093.51 on Monday with turnover of 1.35 billion rupees. Negative contributors included HNB (down to 396.75) and Dialog Axiata (45.50), while Lion Brewery (1,834) and Haycarb (160.50) led gains.

Daraz Sri Lanka launches its 7.7 Super Savings Sale from 6 July (8 PM) to 17 July, offering vouchers worth Rs. 50 million, free delivery and discounts up to 80%. Brand partners include Hemas, and Commercial Bank and NTB cardholders get extra discounts during Brand Rush Hour and the campaign.

Seylan Bank PLC (SEYB.N0000) has integrated all Seylan credit and debit cards with Google Pay, enabling secure, tokenised contactless Android payments supported by Visa and Mastercard.

CFA Society Sri Lanka held its Charter Awards Ceremony, celebrating 27 new CFA charterholders. Chief Guest Rachini Rajapaksa highlighted the importance of technical knowledge, ethical judgment and the growing role of AI in the finance and investment industry.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka launched the CA Leadership Academy and published four governance guides, notably Guidelines on AI for Finance Professionals and a Guideline on IT Governance for Directors, to strengthen board-level capabilities and governance standards.

Bank of Ceylon's Maldives branch celebrated its 45th anniversary and announced an upcoming Internet Banking launch; the branch channelled $126.4m in remittances to Sri Lanka in 2025.

Seylan Bank PLC has integrated all Seylan credit and debit cards with Google Pay, enabling Android users to make contactless payments supported by Visa and Mastercard and secured by tokenisation and OTP verification.

University of Kelaniya's Department of Finance rang the Colombo Stock Exchange opening bell on 24 June to mark its 15th anniversary. The department noted milestones including CFA affiliations, a new Master of Professional Finance, a Central Bank partnership on financial literacy, and short courses with KPMG and First Capital.

Central Bank extended the tenure of P. W. D. N. R. Rodrigo as Administrator of Nation Lanka Finance PLC by six months, from 4 July 2026 to 3 January 2027. Rodrigo will retain full control of NLFP's assets and operations, must submit statutory reports, and stakeholders are asked to transact only via the company's bank account and cooperate with the resolution process.

Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank of Sri Lanka (HDFC.N0000) held its 41st Annual General Meeting on June 26, 2026, at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo; the board, CEO Hemal Lokugeegana and shareholders attended.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka extended the suspension of Perpetual Treasuries Limited from acting as a primary dealer for a further six months with effect from 4.30 p.m. on 05 July 2026 to allow ongoing investigations.

Sri Lanka's Central Bank bought a net US$70.5mn in June (US$96.3mn purchases, US$25.8mn sales) as the rupee mostly stabilized. The bank has net bought US$556.4mn in H1 2026 to rebuild reserves to meet IMF targets and ahead of sovereign bond repayments from April 2028.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has extended the suspension of Perpetual Treasuries Limited from operating as a Primary Dealer for six months from 4:30 p.m. on 05 July 2026 to allow continued investigations.