News & market updates

The Cabinet approved seven new Industry Consultancy Committees covering indigenous medicine, confectionery, traditional handicrafts, chicken-related industries, ornamental fish and seaweed, creative crafts and event management to strengthen policy coordination and industry participation. Each committee will have up to 25 members from state bodies, industry and academia.

Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC led flood-response efforts in Biyagama—supporting evacuations, delivering food, clean water and supplies, and clearing debris after water levels rose to nearly 10 feet (~3 m). The company is pursuing a permanent community stronghold on higher ground to boost future flood resilience.

The Jaffna International Trade Fair will return 23–25 January 2026 at Muttraweli Ground, featuring 400+ stalls; last year the event attracted 78,452 visitors and 5,000 invited business delegates.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed 0.15% higher as the ASPI rose 32.05 points to 21,959.05, led by gains in selected banking, construction and retail stocks. Top contributors included Senkadagala Finance, Sampath Bank, Bukit Darah, Royal Ceramics and Tokyo Cement; turnover rose to Rs 4.1bn with a Rs 331mn net foreign outflow.

Genelle launched its official website and e-commerce platform, www.genelle.lk, at a ceremony in Colombo, extending its omnichannel reach beyond its physical stores. The platform, built to global digital commerce standards, aims to serve customers outside major cities and enable scalable digital engagement.

CSE ended mixed with the ASPI up 0.13% to 21,927.00 and the S&P SL20 down 0.05% to 6,011.31, on turnover of about Rs.2.56bn and foreign net selling of ~Rs.68.6m. Top positive contributors included DOCK, RICH, SAMP, JKH and CARG, while SFCL, SUN, RCL, LOLC and HHL were among decliners.

FITIS warned that up to half of laptops, desktops, monitors and accessories sold in Sri Lanka are being illegally imported or sold as used/counterfeit, often 25–30% cheaper than authorised stock, harming dealers and creating warranty, security and e‑waste risks. FITIS is coordinating brands, distributors and retailers to assess the problem and drive a coordinated industry response.

Colombo market lost Rs. 80 billion as the ASPI fell 1.13% to 21,898.20, led by extended selling in Colombo Dockyard and negative contributions from DOCK, HNB, RICH, CARG and JKH. Turnover was over Rs. 2.9 billion on nearly 81.9 million shares, with capital goods accounting for 33% of turnover.

The CSE announced S&P SL20 rebalancing effective 22 December: four stocks were added (Access Engineering, People’s Leasing, Singer Sri Lanka, Sunshine Holdings) and five were removed (Ceylon Cold Stores, Chevron Lubricants Lanka, Commercial Bank Non-Voting, LOLC Finance, Royal Ceramics).

Tiesh Sri Lanka has launched the Prism Collection, a new high-jewellery line centred on Sri Lankan sapphires and coloured gemstones, available now at its Colombo showroom. The collection emphasizes customisation and contemporary designs in yellow, rose and white gold.

Ceylon Cold Stores PLC (CCS) launched Elephant House Ice Cream in Australia on 4 December 2025 and began local manufacture in Melbourne to support wider availability. This is the first time CCS has produced the product outside Sri Lanka, in partnership with Millennium Imports, with plans to expand distribution and flavours.

The National Initiative for the Commercialisation of Research and Development (NIRDC) awarded over LKR 227 million to nine projects selected in Q1, with Bank of Ceylon providing funds under MoUs and disbursements tied to project KPIs. Projects span AI, energy supercapacitors, tea and cinnamon processing, coconut oil testing, kitul beverages, export knitting and soil microbial inputs.

Cargills Group donated Rs. 100 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka National Fund. It also provided essential food supplies and dry rations worth over Rs. 45 million to more than 20,000 families and is supporting farmers, distributors and small local businesses in recovery.

Colombo Dockyard's continued sell-off pushed the CSE ASPI down 1.13% (68.27 points) to 21,898.20, with Dockyard closing at Rs107, down Rs35.50. HNB, Cargills and John Keells also fell; market turnover was Rs2.7bn and Dockyard received Rs27.1m of net foreign inflow.

Sri Lanka's NCPI inflation fell to 2.4% in November 2025 from 2.7% in October 2025. Food inflation eased to 3.6% (from 4.1%), non-food inflation remained at 1.5%, and the NCPI index was 207.2, down 0.3 points month-on-month.

Access Engineering (AEL.N0000), Singer Sri Lanka (SINS.N0000) and Sunshine Holdings (SUN.N0000) were added to the S&P Sri Lanka 20 index effective 22 Dec 2025 (after the market close of 19 Dec 2025). The changes are from the S&P Dow Jones Indices 2025 year-end rebalance.

Spot gold climbed to a record $4,383.73/oz on Monday as investors priced in further US Fed rate cuts and sought safe-haven assets, leaving gold up 67% year-to-date aided by a softer dollar and central bank buying.

Hameedia launched a December festive campaign across its outlets featuring seasonal collections from six in-house brands, seasonal offers, a gifting corner, lucky-dip activations and a raffle with Travelco Holidays and Galle Face Hotel. The campaign also includes a Christmas market at Envoy Mansion and a CSR partnership with the My Friend Foundation.

Ceylon Cold Stores PLC (CCS) launched Elephant House Ice Cream in Australia on 4 December 2025 and began local manufacturing in Melbourne—the first time CCS has produced the brand outside Sri Lanka. The launch, held with partner Millennium Imports Pty Ltd, targets wider distribution beyond the Sri Lankan diaspora.

John Keells (Keells Supermarkets) won the Meta Reels Impact Award for an AI-generated campaign that drove a 44.72% surge in doughnut sales and lifted the Prepared Food category by 25%. The campaign, created with Enfection, won the South East Asia regional award for generative-AI reels.

Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO.N0000) expanded its genuine Swaraj spare-parts dealer network across key agricultural regions and launched the 'Swaraj Parapura' island-wide doorstep service for Swaraj tractor owners ahead of the Maha season.

Prima launched a festive product range including four Prima KottuMee Korean Ramen Cup flavours (Fiery Chicken, Fiery Cheese, Masala Chicken, Seafood), Prima Pastarita Pasta and Prima Sunrise Red Velvet Swiss Rolls, available nationwide in stores and online.

Daraz Sri Lanka will run a Jingle Sale from Dec 19–31 offering free delivery, up to 85% off and Rs. 80 million in vouchers. Customers can unlock extra savings (up to 15%) with select banks including Commercial Bank, Sampath, NDB, Nations Trust and via LOLC's KOKO BNPL (up to 12%).

Cargills Bank launched the ‘Tapit’ contactless sticker card and is offering festive discounts with 100+ merchants plus year‑round savings including discounts at Cargills Food City.

IMF and officials say Cyclone Ditwah will likely cause a temporary GDP hit in 2026, probably concentrated in one quarter, with reconstruction expected to partly offset the output loss but push short-term inflation and widen the current account. Some distilleries were reported flooded, hurting production and revenues.

Zakir Hussein Mohamedally was appointed to the boards of Cargills (Ceylon) PLC (as a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director) and C T Holdings PLC. He has over two decades' experience in audit, assurance and capital markets and is Group COO & Head of Investment Banking at CT Smith Holdings and MD of Odeon Holdings.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed lower with the ASPI down 0.64% (143.48 points) at 22,149 and turnover Rs 3.45bn; Commercial Bank, Lion Brewery, Carson Cumberbatch and Ceylon Grain Elevators led gains while Dockyard weighed on the index.

Arpico's NextGen mattress (Arpitech / Richard Pieris group) won 2nd Runner-Up for Innovative Product of the Year at the 2025 PRISL Industry Awards. The mattress features profile-cut air-cooling pocket technology and was built using German CNC foam-cutting equipment.

Aitken Spence PLC's Conventions & Exhibitions unit inaugurated the 40th Colombo Shopping Festival at BMICH, running until 21 December with over 250 local entrepreneurs participating. Commercial Bank of Ceylon is the official banking partner and ticket proceeds will support families affected by recent disasters.