News & market updates

SLT-MOBITEL held 'SmartChat Mega 2026' on 19 February 2026 at the BMICH, bringing 500 SME customers together for hands-on demos of AI and digital solutions across 12 specialised hubs to support SME digital transformation.

Dialog Axiata PLC partnered with Xiaomi to introduce the Redmi Note 15 5G Series in Sri Lanka, offering the Redmi Note 15 5G and Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G through Dialog retail outlets, authorised dealers and online channels on Dialog’s 5G Ultra Network. Models feature Snapdragon processors, high-megapixel cameras and various RAM/storage options.

The Central Bank hosted AFI CEO Dr. Alfred Hannig on 19 February 2026 to review progress on Sri Lanka’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy and advance NFIS Phase II, a national financial inclusion survey and the In-Country Implementation project. Discussions covered digital payments, SME financing, consumer protection and sustainable finance to strengthen financial system resilience.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka will run a digital payments promotion in Kurunegala on 20–21 Feb 2026 to raise awareness and onboard businesses as LANKAQR merchants. Licensed banks, finance companies, mobile e-money operators and LankaPay will participate to assist public registration for mobile payments and online banking.

DealBook.lk, a joint venture between Frontier Capital Partners and Asia Capital Global Solutions, has launched as a digital marketplace to connect global capital with Sri Lanka's private-market corporate deals. The platform targets arrangers, investors and founders across infrastructure, energy, agriculture, healthcare and technology.

Colombo bourse dipped as the ASPI fell 0.21% to 23,870.07 despite net foreign inflows of Rs.37 million after 22 days of outflows. Capital goods led turnover; John Keells and Hayleys rose while Sampath, Colombo Dockyard, Dialog, DFCC and Commercial Bank were among the negative contributors.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied at a Los Angeles trial that Instagram targets children or allows users under 13, despite jurors being shown internal documents suggesting the company sought younger users; the case may set precedent for broader litigation over social media harm to youth.

Fcode Labs made a strategic investment in Germany-based coffee startup Bunamo and partnered to design and engineer a scalable, cloud-ready digital platform connecting home baristas, professional roasters and coffee brands.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Sri Lanka lacks advanced infrastructure to gain maximum benefit from AI while speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. He urged international collaboration to develop equitable, culturally respectful and accessible AI to prevent widening global gaps.

Samsung Sri Lanka announced Galaxy Unpacked 2026 will take place on Feb 25 in San Francisco to unveil the next Galaxy S series focused on enhanced, context-aware Galaxy AI that personalizes and simplifies device interactions.

Sophos has acquired UK-based Arco Cyber to add continuous security assurance and CISO-level, agentic AI governance capabilities, integrating Arco's technology and team into Sophos Central to expand its Sophos CISO Advantage offering.

Capital Alliance Holdings (represented by its SVP, Equity Capital Markets) took part in the 'Seed to Scale – Unlock Value & Potential' forum where tech companies sought capital-market opportunities to scale.

Microsoft says it is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to expand AI across the 'Global South'. The company previously announced $17.5 billion of AI investment in India last year.

Fcode Labs has made a strategic investment in Bunamo, a Germany-based coffee startup, and partnered to design and engineer a scalable, cloud-ready digital platform to support content-driven interactions and future expansion.

Government issued new Strategic Development Projects regulations granting tiered corporate tax holidays (generally 5–10 years) with investment thresholds starting at >$50m and import-duty/VAT/PAL/CESS exemptions during implementation. Categories cover infrastructure/tourism, manufacturing and agriculture/ICT; motor vehicles excluded.

EU leaders endorsed a 'Buy European Only' policy; Frontier Research says it does not yet directly affect Sri Lanka but could hurt export earnings if GSP+ preferences are diluted. Key vulnerable sectors noted are tea, rubber and apparel, while stricter rules could also affect IT, medical services and electronics ties.

99x won the Gold Award in the Extra-Large Category (ICT, BPO & Related Services) at the 33rd National Chamber of Exporters Awards, underscoring its export performance and global growth.

Retail IT hosted 'Retail Industry: Technology Trends 2026' in Colombo and launched Adler ERP and face-recognition-based loyalty systems in Sri Lanka. The forum featured live demos of integrated ERP, POS and kitchen display devices and highlighted partnerships with Sumathi IT and Posiflex.

ASPI rose 0.80% (190.27 pts) to 23,900.11 and the S&P SL20 gained 1.38% to 6,710.33, led by strength in large-cap banking stocks. Market turnover was over Rs.5.6bn, foreign investors were net sellers of Rs.167.6m, with HNB, SAMP, COMB, DOCK and NDB among top positive contributors.

Dubai FinTech Summit 2026 will be held 12–13 May at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai; the FinTech Association of Sri Lanka is an Association Partner and Sri Lanka will host the FinTech World Cup regional competition on 31 March 2026 at Port City Colombo, sending winners to the Dubai finale.

Kapruka Holdings (KPHL.N0000) reported a 138% YoY improvement in operating performance for the quarter ended 31 Dec 2025, with revenue up 21% and gross profit up 44%. Management said its platform strategy—Partner Central, Services Platform and Cross Border—drove asset-light marketplace growth and USD revenue.

CSE reports ASPI rose 269% from 6,129.21 in 2020 to 22,624.31 at end‑2025 (24.32% CAGR), with record ASPI, S&P SL20 and market cap above LKR 8.46bn in Jan 2026. The exchange cites 25 new 2025 listings, multiple new bond instruments (Blue, Green, Sharia, High Yield Social Sustainability, Orange) and plans to use infrastructure/municipal bonds to fund cyclone recovery and long‑term projects.

Binance held its #BinanceHODLove community event in Sri Lanka on 13–14 Feb 2026 at One Galle Face Mall to promote crypto education, responsible investing and security, featuring interactive activities, giveaways and information on Binance Academy.

The SEC and Colombo Stock Exchange held a 'Seed to Scale' forum to encourage tech firms to use the capital market for growth; Capital Alliance Holdings (CALH.N0000) delivered a presentation on pathways to listing and capital raising.

The Board of Investment will host the Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2026 on 30 March at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, focusing on green transition and sector-led investments including renewable energy, green finance, services, manufacturing, infrastructure and leisure. The EU, ADB and ESCAP are supporting the event, which includes parallel sector sessions and a closed-door EU–SL investor dialogue.

Government aims to provide universal high-speed broadband by 2029 and says 600–1,000 additional telecom towers will be required; 100 new towers are scheduled this year and capacity must rise about 25%. A commercial model for tower deployment will be developed with private-sector bidding.

Prof. O.G. Dayaratna-Banda warned Sri Lanka remains trapped by ideology, institutional inertia and regulatory red tape and said services account for around 57% of GDP. He flagged weak broadband, skills mismatches and fragmented regulation, and cited a 8.5% of GDP corruption cost estimate.

Waruna Sri Dhanapala was appointed Digital Economy Secretary by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He had been serving as Digital Economy Assistant Secretary since November 2024.

Waruna Sri Dhanapala has been appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake; he had served as Acting Secretary from 29 November 2024 until his formal appointment.

Dialog Axiata (DIAL.N0000) and LOLC Holdings (LOLC.N0000) were principal sponsors of the Brumbies Enclosure 15th anniversary launch on 12 February 2026 at The Steuart by Citrus.