A market brief each morning, plus company filings and news from across Sri Lanka's stock market. Filter by company, sector and theme, and use sentiment badges to quickly identify Positive or Negative news.
AIIB Treasurer Domenico Nardelli told the Reserve Management Conference in Colombo that central banks should hold larger liquidity buffers and diversify by asset type and jurisdiction because shocks now arrive faster and more often. He noted the US dollar still held a 57% share of official reserves, highlighted large swings in Treasury yields and gold, and said AIIB uses in-house AI tools to speed portfolio analysis.
Secondary bond market was subdued ahead of today's Treasury Bond auctions offering Rs.150 billion across three maturities (Rs.70bn 01-Aug-2030 at 10%; Rs.50bn 15-Oct-2034 at 11.70%; Rs.30bn 01-Jul-2037 at 10.75%). Net liquidity surplus stood at Rs.116.19bn and USD/LKR closed around Rs.328.55.
Global bond yields spiked and equities fell after Brent crude jumped to $109.97/bbl, pushing the 10-year US Treasury yield to about 4.97% and prompting markets to price in further central bank tightening amid higher inflation risks.
CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe urged global reserve managers to prioritise liquidity and build foreign-exchange buffers amid geopolitical fragmentation, warning that inadequate reserves constrain imports, debt servicing and policy response. He advocated broader risk-based adequacy metrics, cautioned against uncalculated diversification and noted renewed central-bank interest in gold.
Sri Lanka's rupee closed at 328.45/60 to the US dollar on Thursday, marginally firmer than 328.60/80 the previous day; government bond yields rose on several tenors (e.g. the 15.09.2027 tenor to about 9.75-9.95%).
3A Ventures' Cyrus Daruwala told the CIO Confluence 2026 that Sri Lanka is overbanked and should brace for consolidation, urging banks to fix legacy core systems, payments and data monetisation. He warned against AI hype, saying AI spending in Sri Lanka is mainly justifiable for efficiency, not transformative growth.
Colombo's ASPI fell 0.35% (76.23 pts) to 21,466 as Middle East tensions and rising global oil prices weighed on sentiment; the S&P SL20 slid 0.34% to 6,033.87. Market turnover was about Rs. 972m on 43m+ shares, with foreign investors net sellers of Rs. 71.3m; capital goods led turnover while diversified financials and banking were also active.
Sri Lanka's rupee was quoted at 328.60/70 to the US dollar in the spot market on Thursday (from 328.60/80 the previous day) while government bond yields were steady to lower (e.g. 15.03.2028 at 10.05/15% and 15.12.2032 at 11.25/35%). The dollar TT rate was 324.15/333.15.
Colombo Stock Exchange closed lower, the ASPI fell 0.44% (−93.55 points) to 21,372.45 with market turnover at LKR 1.45 billion and banks leading turnover at LKR 600.63 million. Senthilverl Holdings bought 750,000 shares of Sarvodaya Development Finance, raising its stake to 10.28% (SDF shares LKR 39.60, down 3.41%).
N-able has partnered with FIS to deploy FIS Treasury and Risk Manager, Quantum, the Global FX Portal (GFX), and Balance Sheet Manager to Sri Lankan banks, aiming to automate treasury workflows, improve liquidity and balance-sheet risk visibility, and extend digital FX to corporate clients.
Sri Lanka's Treasury bill yields fell at the 6-month (down 3 bp to 9.24%) and 12-month (down 4 bp to 9.77%) maturities while the 3-month rose 7 bp to 9.03% at Wednesday's auction; all Rs80 billion offered were sold.
Sri Lanka's rupee was quoted at 328.75/85 to the US dollar while bond yields edged up on the 2032/34 tenors and the rest of the curve remained steady. An 80,000 million-rupee Treasury bill auction was ongoing.
The government has allocated Rs.10 billion for Disaster Relief (RE-MSME) and Extended Disaster Relief loan schemes to revive MSMEs and other businesses hit by Cyclone Ditwah, implemented with 15 financial institutions. Rs.8.06 billion has already been disbursed to 3,968 enterprises; the allocation covers 2025-26.
Government bond yields rose for a second session, notably across the 2032-2033 tenors, while activity and volumes remained muted; a Rs.80bn T‑Bill auction is scheduled today and a Rs.150bn T‑Bond auction was announced for 11 September. The rupee marginally depreciated to about Rs.328.70/329.00.
Sri Lanka's rupee closed weaker at 328.70/329.00 to the US dollar, down from 328.25/30 the previous day; government bond yields were broadly steady, with some longer-dated maturities marginally higher.
Secondary government bond yields extended their uptrend across maturities (e.g. 15.10.29 at 10.45%; longer-dated issues up to ~11.90%). Money-market net liquidity surplus was Rs.93.64bn with the CB absorbing Rs.32.50bn via repo auctions; USD/LKR closed around 328.25/328.35.
Asian stocks wavered as the yen surged and Iranian threats pushed oil higher, with Brent crude at $97.04 a barrel and risk sentiment dented. The U.S. 10-year yield was 4.788% and traders priced about a 60% chance of a 25bp Fed hike at the Sept. 16 meeting.
Asia FinTech Network will stage the Sri Lanka FinTech Summit 2026 on 16-17 September 2026 to convene policymakers, the central bank, commercial banks, global investors and fintechs and to host startup showcases, technology demos and investment deal forums. The event aims to accelerate Sri Lanka's digital finance ecosystem, highlighting infrastructure such as IPP, LankaQR, digital KYC, e-signatures, open banking and CBDC exploration.
CIO Confluence 2026 will be held on 9 September at Cinnamon Life, bringing together senior technology and business leaders from Sri Lanka's banking sector to discuss 'Beyond Digital: The Intelligent Banking Era' and the move to intelligent, data-driven banking transformation.
The Colombo bourse opened marginally higher as the ASPI rose 0.01% to 21,623.66 and the S&P SL20 gained 0.13% to 6,066.55; turnover was over Rs.2.1bn and foreigners were net sellers of Rs.18.5m. Top positive contributors: HAYL, ACL, SLTL, HNB, DIAL; negatives: BREW, CARS, HAYC, JKH, CCS.
CPA Australia President Prof. Dale Pinto said Sri Lanka is one of CPA Australia's most exciting growth markets and has potential to become a regional hub for finance, shared services and professional expertise. He noted Sri Lankan membership rose from 400 to 600 in two years and highlighted partnerships with CA Sri Lanka and CMA Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's official reserve assets rose 4.6% to USD 6,905 million at end‑August 2026 (from USD 6,600m in July); foreign currency reserves climbed 5.1% to USD 6,690m and gold reserves increased 9.5% to USD 210m.
Colombo Stock Exchange closed flat; ASPI rose 0.01% to 21,623.66 and S&P SL20 was up 0.23%. Market turnover was LKR 2.133bn, led by banks (LKR 473.3m) and insurance (LKR 412.3m). Top movers: ACL, SLTL, HNB, DIAL up; HAYC, JKH, CCS down.
The Central Bank issued Banking Act Determination No. 01 of 2026, effective 1 Sep 2026, loosening related-party lending rules: corporate guarantees may now cover 100% for guarantors rated BBB- and above, machinery mortgages allowed up to 50% of valuation, and Treasury letters accepted for loans to ministries/SOEs. Reporting is tightened to two named FinNet returns starting the quarter ending 30 Sep 2026; other collateral ratios remain unchanged.
Colombo Stock Exchange and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange signed an MoU to strengthen capital market cooperation, covering knowledge exchange on electronic trading, surveillance, clearing and post-trade systems and exploring CSE joining ADX's Tabadul Hub to broaden cross-market access.
Union Bank of Colombo signed an MoU with the SLBFE to promote 'Ethera Diriya' housing loans offering up to Rs. 10 million with repayment terms up to 10 years for overseas Sri Lankan workers, aimed at helping migrants convert foreign earnings into long-term family homes.
An IMF team will visit Sri Lanka from 10-23 Sept to conduct the combined Seventh review of the Extended Fund Facility programme and the 2026 Article IV Consultation. The IMF said it revised 2026 growth to about 3% and flagged a worsened external outlook from higher fuel import costs and weaker tourism.
The SEC reported Singapore-based foreign stock purchases rose to Rs. 7.7 billion in the 12 months after its Invest Sri Lanka Forum (up 196% from Rs. 2.6 billion prior). Foreign participation in market turnover is now 9% (up from 6%), though still well below the pre-crisis 40%, and the SEC said converting outreach to trading typically takes 6-12 months.
Sri Lanka's rupee traded at 328.20/30 to the US dollar on Friday, firmer than 328.45/60 the previous day, while government bond yields edged higher (e.g. 15.10.2030 at ~10.73-10.78%). The All Share Price Index rose 0.32% to 21,462.
UNDP Sri Lanka and Visa launched a partnership to pilot financial inclusion in Hope Estate, Hewaheta, supporting 50 young agri-producers (mostly women) with financial‑literacy, digital payments training and assistance to open and use bank accounts over a seven-month programme.