News & market updates

HNB group PAT rose 42.5% to Rs.23.16bn in 1H 2025, with bank PAT up 37.9% to Rs.21.19bn. Group assets topped Rs.2.5tn, loans and deposits grew strongly, Net Stage 3 improved to 1.59%, and capital and liquidity ratios stayed well above regulatory minima.

Sanasa General Insurance completed migration of its on-premise core insurance application and related integrations to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure with DMS Software Technologies and held a go-live ceremony in Colombo.

Sri Lanka sold all 103.5 billion rupees of treasury bills at Wednesday’s auction, including 56.7 billion of 12-month bills; 12-month yield unchanged at 8.03%, while 3-month (7.60%) and 6-month (7.9%) yields fell 1 basis point.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL will host Sri Lanka's first National AI Expo & Conference on Sept 29–30, 2025 to drive AI adoption across industries, supporting a digital economy growth target from US$3.5bn (2025) to US$15bn by 2030 with AI contributing 10–12%.

Sri Lanka's rupee weakened to 300.95/301.05 to the US dollar on Tuesday from 300.85/301.00, while government bond yields were broadly steady with key maturities quoted roughly between 8.05% and 10.75%.

Dividend · Rs 4.50 · XD Aug 21, 2025

Dividend of LKR 4.5/share; XD 2025-08-21; record 2025-08-21; payable 2025-09-10; FY 2025

Sri Lanka has reached agreement with over 98% of external creditors and fully implemented more than 90% of its public external debt restructuring as of July 2025. Authorities say the deals meet IMF debt-sustainability targets, aiming to cut debt-to-GDP below 95% by 2032 and cap FX debt service at 4.5% of GDP.

CSE director Ray Abeywardena said Sri Lanka's exchange rate stability is providing investor confidence and predictability. He credited prudent policy, improved external sector performance and steady foreign investment and tourism receipts for the stability.

Sanasa General Insurance completed migration of its on-premise core insurance application and related integration services to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) with partner DMS Software Technologies, marking a go-live as part of its digital transformation.

Ishara Nanayakkara, chairman of LOLC Holdings, has overtaken Dhammika Perera as Sri Lanka's richest person in 2025 with an estimated net worth of $1.6bn, Gulf News reports. LOLC is a diversified financial services and investment conglomerate with operations in microfinance and insurance.

HNB Assurance (HNB Life) signed an MOU with the State Mortgage and Investment Bank to implement Decreasing Term Assurance bancassurance through SMIB’s island-wide branch network, expanding HNB Assurance’s distribution reach.

LOLC Holdings' Ishara Nanayakkara was named Sri Lanka's richest person by Gulf-News with an estimated net worth of $1.6bn. The report noted LOLC is a diversified financial services and investment conglomerate with operations including microfinance and insurance.

Sri Lanka Insurance Life opened two new Agency Business Development Centers in Sewanapitiya and Girandurukotte on 1 August 2025, expanding its presence in the North Central province to improve customer reach and service delivery.

Companies (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2025 was enacted, creating a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) register with public electronic access to owners' full names, previous names, nationalities, residence, business addresses and extent of ownership. Transparency International Sri Lanka welcomed amendments and urged effective implementation to curb corruption, money‑laundering and tax evasion.

Ceylinco Life was ranked Sri Lanka’s most valuable insurance brand in Brand Finance’s 2025 'Sri Lanka 100', with a brand value of Rs 6.45 billion and a AAA- brand rating. The company moved up five places overall and its brand value rose 84.3% from 2023.

Union Assurance (UAL.N0000) has launched an industry-first Adviser Welfare Scheme offering advisers and their families critical-illness cover, bereavement support, family welfare assistance, scholarships for children and property-damage protection.

Sri Lanka sold Rs82 billion of Treasury bills with yields mostly flat: 3-month yield 7.61% (down 1 bp), 6-month 7.91% (unchanged) and 12-month 8.03% (unchanged); total bids Rs167.48 billion and settlement on Aug 11.

Sri Lanka's ASPI rose 0.44% (86.80 pts) to 19,804.80 as buying returned after a two-day slide. Buying interest supported John Keells (flat), CIC (up to 142.50), Singer (up to 67.90) and gains in Melstacorp, Carson Cumberbatch, Co-operative Insurance and PGP Glass; turnover rose to 4.4 billion rupees.

Fairfirst Insurance held its 560th road-safety session in Matara on 26 June 2025, training over 1,300 students as part of a programme active since 2012 that has reached more than 300,000 students and certified over 38,000 as traffic wardens.

BConnected and Solutions Ground held an employer engagement day in Colombo where 71 corporate representatives from over 30 organisations interviewed 29 pre-screened candidates with disabilities to promote disability-inclusive hiring.

AIA Sri Lanka won Gold in the 'Best Social Media Campaign: Facebook' category at the Hashtag Asia Awards 2025 for its AIA Suwa Walan breast cancer awareness campaign, up from Silver last year. The campaign used a clay-pot metaphor, digital engagement on Facebook and partnerships with the Sri Lanka Cancer Society.

Professor Aminda Perera assumed duties as Chairman of SANASA Life Insurance PLC on 17 July. He is a finance academic with senior management and insurance-sector experience.

US reduced reciprocal tariffs for Sri Lanka to 20%, triggering a secondary government bond rally and lowering yields across maturities. Foreign holdings in rupee treasuries rose to Rs. 99.45bn and the rupee closed around Rs. 301.20.

Brand Finance published Sri Lanka's 100 Most Valuable Brands for 2025, ranking Bank of Ceylon top with a brand value of Rs.57,411m; Commercial Bank, Dialog and People’s Bank follow the top positions. The list covers firms across banking, telecoms, FMCG, healthcare, hospitality and other sectors.

ASPI rose to a record 19,914 (+1.38%, +272 pts) as investor confidence from a favourable US tariff ruling and strong interim results lifted the market. Banking and materials led turnover, with HNB, JKH, COMB, DFCC, NDB, PABC, DIPD, PKME, CBNK and COOP among the top contributors.

People's Insurance PLC opened a new stand-alone branch in Nugegoda on 28 July 2025 at No. 555, High Level Road. The company said the branch is fully equipped to serve individual and corporate clients and noted its recent Fitch upgrade to A and being named Sri Lanka's Best General Insurer 2025.

Colombo market closed July with ASPI up 9% for the month (ASPI YTD +23%) and S&P SL20 up 7.7% (YTD +18.5%), with average daily turnover in July at Rs.7.16bn. Banking-led activity saw HAYL, DFCC, BIL, NDB and COCR as key contributors while foreigners were net sellers (Rs.134m).

Sri Lanka sold Rs23,005 million of Treasury bills on tap at an average rate of 7.91% (6-month at 7.91%); settlement is August 1. The debt office previously raised Rs66.12 billion of 3-, 6- and 12-month bills on July 30.

The Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka has opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to the 2016 Solvency Margin (Risk-Based Capital) rules to update capital requirements for life and general insurers; the consultation document is available on the IRCSL website.

AIA Sri Lanka was named among the Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka for 2025 for the 13th consecutive year and was the highest-ranked insurance company on the list. The company also received awards including Best Workplaces for Women, Best Workplaces for Young Talent, and the Wellbeing Champions Award.