News & market updates

CMA Sri Lanka held the National Management Accounting Conference 2026 at Cinnamon Life in Colombo focusing on management accounting's role in navigating global uncertainty; Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya urged stronger financial governance and CMA awarded 100 scholarships to public sector officers.

Asian Paints Causeway launched Royale INFINITY, a premium interior emulsion in Sri Lanka marketed as delivering a finish that is 5x smoother with a 7-year performance warranty. The product targets luxury homeowners and includes 3,000+ shades, advanced stain/mold resistance and low-VOC certifications.

SriLankan Airlines' swimming team won the Overall Championship at the Travel Trade 2026 Swimming Competition, securing both the men's and women's trophies. The team will next compete at the Mercantile 2026 Swimming Championship in October.

JAT Holdings PLC has signed an exclusive nationwide partnership to distribute WASHLEX Japanese smart toilets across Sri Lanka's hospitality, residential and commercial sectors. Over 350 units have been installed to date and the brand is already used by several luxury hotels and property developments.

Hayleys Plantations, partnering with UNDP BIOFIN, is advancing Payment for Ecosystem Services projects at Talawakelle Tea Estates (Great Western, Wattagoda), Horana Plantations' Bambarakelly Estate and Kelani Valley's Halgolla Estate to fund watershed protection, biodiversity restoration and tourism-linked conservation.

India amended its DTAA with Sri Lanka to add a Principal Purpose Test (Protocol signed 16 Dec 2024, entered into force 19 Jun 2026; India applies amendments for fiscal years from 1 Apr 2027), and Deloitte urges Sri Lanka to modernise its treaty network. Sri Lanka has not joined the MLI, so updates would require bilateral negotiations.

Sri Lanka is establishing a WHO-supported wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) programme, including poliovirus monitoring, with a phased pilot of at least 12 months and Pandemic Fund backing through 2028. A WHO mission recommended governance, sampling, lab capacity and data-integration steps, noting MRI lab readiness and EPINET as a data foundation.

A high-level delegation from Russia's National Association of Builders (NOSTROY) visited Sri Lanka from 22–25 July 2026 to explore investment and collaboration in infrastructure, urban development and hotel/tourism projects and to discuss skilled labour mobility for construction professionals.

India and Sri Lanka's DTAA was amended to add a strengthened preamble and a Principal Purpose Test (PPT); the Protocol entered into force on 19 Jun 2026 and India will apply the changes for fiscal years starting on or after 1 Apr 2027. Deloitte says Sri Lanka should modernise its treaty network (it has not joined the MLI) and urges businesses to review cross‑border structures for genuine commercial substance.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to formulate a program to allocate underutilised State land, with project support, to Sri Lankan migrant workers returning from overseas. He also reviewed 2026 plantation projects, urged completion of 10,000 Malayagam houses, ordered land-agreement reviews and noted improved profitability at six State plantation entities.

Sri Lanka secured a reduction in the US labour-related tariff on its exports from 12.5% to 10%, preserving tariff parity with key competitors and easing competitive pressure on exporters—notably the apparel industry.

India's assistance to Sri Lanka has exceeded $7.5 billion, including more than $850 million in grants. The aid has supported projects across all 25 districts in infrastructure, housing, health, education, agriculture, renewable energy, railways and industrial development.

ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam alleges 17 hotels in Pasikudah failed to pay the statutory 1% local authority levy and has called on the Auditor General, Tourism Ministry and SLTDA to investigate and recover dues. He also raised concerns about a SLTDA official's transparency and urged legal action if violations are found.

India-led demand powered a July rebound as 138,730 tourists arrived in the first 22 days and cumulative 2026 arrivals topped 1.28 million. India was the largest source with 31,734 visitors (23%), and Indian tourists' average daily spend rose to about $154 versus the national average of $148.

Brent fell 3.6% to $97.10 and WTI fell 3.4% to $89.07 on Friday but both were set for a weekly gain (Brent ~10%, WTI ~8%) as the US‑Iran war escalated.

John Keells Group's Keells supermarkets have enabled Dialog Pay across their 150 stores nationwide, allowing customers to use scan-and-pay, link eZ Cash or bank accounts, and earn complimentary Dialog data rewards on eligible transactions.

Ceylinco Life (Ceylinco Holdings PLC) hosted 10 winning families — 40 participants — on an all-expenses-paid Malaysia tour under the 19th 'Family Savari' promotion. The itinerary included Kuala Lumpur highlights (Petronas Twin Towers, Aquaria KLCC) and Genting Highlands as part of its customer engagement rewards.

Kapruka Holdings (KPHL.N0000) has partnered with Abans Environmental Services to list multiple cleaning and pest-control services on Kapruka's platform, with several services already live and additional services planned for rollout.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa met former President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday with former prime ministers, political party representatives and civil society members to discuss concerns over judicial independence.

Media organisations including the Sri Lanka Press Institute, Newspaper Society and Editors' Guild urged the government to withdraw the proposed Chartered Institute of Media Professionals (CIMP) Bill, saying it would create a state-managed regulator and threaten media independence. They called for meaningful consultations and favoured self-regulation or alternatives such as the Sri Lanka Media Commission or support for the Sri Lanka College of Journalism.

Samsung Sri Lanka will open pre-orders soon for the new Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold8, offering the company's latest foldable smartphones through authorised stores and dealers islandwide.

The ASPI fell 1.09% (232.67 pts) over the week and the S&P SL20 declined 0.95% (57.12 pts). Declines were led by JKH, HNB, CINS, GRAN and BREW while a large negotiated crossing in UML supported market activity; weekly turnover was Rs.2.45bn and foreigners were net buyers of Rs.1.07bn.

SLCERT has launched a Malware Analysis & Threat Hunting (MATH) Lab to bolster proactive cybersecurity for more than 250 government entities. The lab will perform threat hunting, external attack-surface monitoring and share threat intelligence to improve early detection and reduce large-scale cyber incidents.

The US Trade Representative will apply a 10% tariff on imports from Sri Lanka under Section 301. The Exporters Association of Sri Lanka welcomed the rate as lower than earlier proposals, saying it preserves competitiveness—particularly for apparel—by maintaining tariff parity with regional rivals.

Sri Lanka's rupee closed at 336.20/35 to the US dollar on Friday and government bond yields edged up, with 2030–2037 maturities rising modestly to around 11.58%–12.75%.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce welcomed the reduction of the US labour-related tariff on Sri Lankan exports from 12.5% to 10%. The chamber said the cut provides relief to exporters and called for continued dialogue with the US to secure a longer-term framework to reduce uncertainty.