News & market updates

CEAT Kelani Holdings honoured 76 employees at its 2026 Long Service and Best Employee Awards, including 32 staff marking 25 years of service. The company said nearly 20% of its workforce has served over 15 years and it exports about 20% of its output to 16 countries.

Sri Lanka and Thailand plan to deepen trade and investment using the Sri Lanka–Thailand FTA and enhanced B2B engagement, targeting tourism, hospitality, food processing, agriculture, logistics and other sectors to boost bilateral ties and supply‑chain links.

EDB ran a Technical Exposure and Capacity Building Programme alongside THAIFEX–ANUGA ASIA 2026 (24–31 May 2026) in Bangkok for 11 Sri Lankan export-ready food & beverage SMEs. The delegation visited packaging and processing facilities and met Thai industry bodies to gain market, packaging and marketing insights to support export expansion.

Deloitte Sri Lanka held a client session 'From Compliance to Capital' on using climate disclosure (SLFRS S1/S2) to boost resilience and access to capital, covering decarbonisation, Scope 1–3 emissions, assurance-ready data and sustainable finance.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a meeting to find swift solutions to strengthen Sri Lanka's apparel sector and boost dollar export earnings; discussed measures include plug-and-play factory infrastructure, land/legal reforms, VAT relief proposals, expanded FTAs and a National Single Window due end-July.

The EDB convened a special meeting with industry stakeholders to address a coconut coir/fibre raw-material shortage that is disrupting production, raising costs and delaying exports. Coconut coir and fibre exports reached ~USD 294m in 2025 (up 22.5% y/y); the EDB discussed short-term relief and longer-term supply-chain interventions.

Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said Sri Lanka can reach $36bn in exports under the National Export Development Plan if urgent reforms, strategic FDI and lower energy costs are delivered. The government will prioritise digitalisation, trade facilitation, supply‑chain improvements and value addition, with focus on plantations while warning of acute skills shortages.

Sri Lanka’s automobile industry held a major awards ceremony that presented 58 awards and introduced a fully digital ticketing and seating platform to manage applications, evaluations and guest management.

Sri Lanka briefed about 100 foreign mission representatives to seek support promoting the rescheduled Sri Lanka Expo 2027 (Jan 14–17, 2027) to attract international buyers, investors and business delegations.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.25% to 22,305.37 (down 55.94 pts) while the S&P SL20 dropped 0.30% to 6,196.50. Market turnover was Rs 423.9m, led by insurance at Rs 135.1m; NDB, Sampath and Lion Brewery were top gainers while Hayleys, Aitken Spence, Haycarb and LOLC led losses.

Veepee Graphics Lanka exhibited at the Sri Lanka Print and Trade Fair Exhibition 2026 (BMICH), showcasing its flexible-packaging innovations including AI-driven workflows and Extended Colour Gamut screening to regional and international clients.

Sri Lanka has issued a Gazette to systematically monitor imports, requiring detailed importer information and mandating banks to assign a separate identification number for each transaction to curb illicit foreign-exchange outflows. The move follows disclosures of scams using fake company registrations and aims to protect reserves without fully restricting trade.

Government aims to lift gem and jewellery exports from about $300m to around $1–1.2bn by boosting value‑addition and marketing and tackling smuggling. Plans include regulatory reforms, a proposed Gem and Jewellery Experience Centre and the Gem City Ratnapura Exhibition (31 Aug–2 Sep 2026) to attract international buyers.

Renuka Agri Foods PLC was among Sri Lankan companies showcasing products at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026 (26–30 May) in Bangkok as part of an EDB-organized pavilion to promote food and beverage exports.

Colombo market rose for a second session as the ASPI gained 0.22% to 22,436.14 on turnover above Rs.3.1bn, driven by elevated HNW activity with PKME, Dialog and NDB among top contributors; foreigners were net sellers of Rs.333.3m.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry and EDB held a diplomatic briefing on 12 June to promote the rescheduled Sri Lanka Expo 2027, attended by about 100 diplomatic representatives. The Expo is set for 14–17 January 2027 at BMICH, Colombo, and organisers are seeking diplomatic support to attract buyers, investors and business delegations.

Sri Lanka Print Expo 2026 opens 19 June at BMICH and runs to 21 June, showcasing printing, packaging and digital technologies and hosting the National Print Excellence Awards on 20 June; Gestetner of Ceylon is listed as a Gold Sponsor.

Sri Lanka Customs was instructed to modernise export facilitation, review the TIEP scheme and support SMEs to implement the National Export Development Plan 2026–2030 targeting USD 36 billion in export revenue by 2030. Plans include upgrading the Export Facilitation Centre, decentralising operations (Jaffna), easing e‑commerce exports and introducing digital systems.

Hela Apparel Holdings' shares were suspended from trading on the Colombo Stock Exchange effective 18 June 2026 after its auditor issued a disclaimer of opinion for the year ended 31 March 2025. The suspension will remain until the company resolves the audit issues.

India approved monthly exports of 220 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate to Sri Lanka with immediate effect, after a prior export ban. The supply should relieve local industries dependent on ammonium nitrate, including mining, quarrying and construction.

The National Chamber of Exporters warned that a Central Bank gazette requiring exporters to convert foreign-currency proceeds to rupees by the 10th of the following month was introduced without industry consultation and could disrupt cash flow and raise costs. NCE urged flexibility to allow exporters to retain FX where future needs are demonstrated.

A Peking University delegation led by Prof. Wang Weijia held high-level meetings in Colombo to explore deeper Sri Lanka–China cooperation, prioritizing trade and FDI in logistics, energy, tourism and Port City Colombo and potential areas like high‑tech manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

Deloitte Sri Lanka held a client session 'From Compliance to Capital' emphasising climate disclosure (SLFRS S1/S2), decarbonisation pathways and sustainable finance as tools to strengthen business resilience and improve access to capital across telecoms, financial services, manufacturing and agriculture.

Sri Lanka will stick to a 5% growth target despite the Central Bank's 100bp policy rate hike to 8.75% and falling consumption; Q1 GDP expanded 5.1%. The rate rise, 27% private credit growth and steep fuel price increases are cited as headwinds, while the IMF has cut its growth forecast to 3%.

National Chamber of Exporters says the Central Bank's new Gazette requiring exporters to convert foreign-currency proceeds by the 10th day of the following month was introduced without industry consultation and may disrupt cash flows, raise costs and hurt competitiveness; members seek flexibility to retain funds for verified FX needs.

UK Trade Envoy Lord Hannett will visit Colombo 17–19 June 2026 to hold talks with government ministers and business leaders to deepen UK–Sri Lanka trade and investment ties and promote use of the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme zero-tariff access for Sri Lankan exports. He will engage with exporters including the apparel sector, UK firms operating locally, and stakeholders in clean energy, retail, manufacturing and technology.

Manufacturing PMI rose to 56.6 and Services PMI to 56.9 in May, indicating expansion in both sectors. Manufacturing was driven by food & beverages and textiles, while services growth was led by financial, professional services and IT; outlook buoyed by expected tourist arrivals but risks from the Middle East conflict persist.