News & market updates

City of Dreams Sri Lanka will host "Signature Avurudu", a four-day Sinhala and Tamil New Year cultural celebration from 11–14 April 2026 featuring traditional performances, a Pahan Pujava lamp ceremony, and Avurudu-themed food and beverages.

Uber Eats has launched in Nuwara Eliya, enabling local restaurants to reach more customers and offering late-evening deliveries using temperature-controlled insulated bags to keep meals hot.

Asia Capital PLC has appointed Tamao Watanabe as an Independent Non-Executive Director; she is a Japanese investor active in Sri Lanka since 2016 and has helped facilitate about $10 million in foreign direct investment, with experience in real estate and tourism.

Colombo bourse opened mixed: ASPI rose 0.04% to 21,126.60 while the S&P SL20 fell 0.24%; market turnover exceeded Rs. 3bn and foreign investors were net sellers of Rs. 804.7m. Food & beverage and capital goods led turnover with heavy crossings in Melstacorp.

Malaysia Airlines is expanding its East Asia network—adding Shenzhen and Changsha, resuming Fukuoka—and will increase flight frequencies to Colombo. Ticket sales start today and the new China services (bringing the network to nine gateways) begin between July and September 2026.

John Keells Foundation and City of Dreams Sri Lanka completed auditions and selected a local cast for the West End–licensed musical La Bamba – Song of Veracruz, with performances set for 24–28 April at The Forum, City of Dreams. Tickets are available via Cinnamon Box Office with a 10% early-bird discount for Nations Trust Bank American Express and Mastercard holders.

BOI held a full-day FDI promotion session with a 15-member Malaysian delegation to showcase ready projects, land and infrastructure for immediate investment, drawing interest in ICT/data centers, solar renewable energy, manufacturing, FMCG, agri-processing and tourism.

The World Bank Group and the Government of Sri Lanka launched a five-year Country Partnership Framework mobilizing more than $1 billion in IFC investment and up to $1 billion in low-interest World Bank financing to support private-sector-led job creation and growth. The program targets easier business rules, port and energy infrastructure (70% renewables by 2030, +1 GW), tourism and agriculture support, and a first $100m REVIVE project to create about 3,000 jobs in the Northern and Eastern provi

Sri Lanka and the World Bank Group launched a five-year Country Partnership Framework mobilising over $1bn in IFC investment and up to $1bn in low-interest World Bank financing, with a first approved $100m REVIVE project for the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The plan targets easier business rules, Port of Colombo expansion, 1 GW of new clean power by 2030, tourism and agriculture job creation, and climate resilience.

Sri Lanka tourist arrivals fell 20% YoY to 183,979 in March (YTD arrivals +2.5% to 740,634). The decline was driven by Middle East war-related air travel disruptions; the Cabinet approved a free tourist visa for 39 countries to help stimulate demand.

Solo Sri Lankan was named among Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2025 winners, placing in the top 10% of listings worldwide based on traveller reviews. The recognition is expected to strengthen the company's standing in Sri Lanka's tourism industry.

LankaPay partnered with Weixin Pay to enable cross-border Weixin Pay QR acceptance at over 400,000 LANKAQR merchants in Sri Lanka, launched 24 March 2026. The integration aims to ease payments for Chinese tourists and boost digital payment adoption among local merchants, supporting tourism growth.

The IEA, IMF and World Bank have formed a coordination group to align analysis and mobilize support for countries hit by the Middle East war's energy and economic shocks, prioritizing low-income energy importers and assessing energy prices, trade flows, inflation and financing needs. The group may provide targeted policy advice, concessional financing and risk-mitigation tools.

Sampath Bank launched its SampathCards Avurudu campaign offering cardholders discounts of up to 60% at partner merchants through 30 April 2026. The promotion covers categories including retail, supermarkets, dining, travel, electronics, jewellery, wellness and hotel stays.

LVIA, a subsidiary of Nyne Hotels, is rolling out an integrated sales, reservations and e-commerce platform to help Sri Lanka's boutique hotels, villas and bungalows boost visibility and revenue while simplifying commercial operations.

Russell Peters performed to a packed audience at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Colombo, as part of his 'Relax' World Tour, delivering about an hour of comedy. The show was powered by Australian Migration Consultants (Ceilao Group) and presented by Home Lands, with Wijeya Newspapers as print partner.

John Keells Holdings completed the sale of its 98.39% stake in Kandy Walk Inn Ltd (owner of Cinnamon Citadel, Kandy) to Lavendish Leisure for about Rs. 2.78 billion on 31 March. The hotel will remain managed under the Cinnamon brand for at least 12 months and proceeds will support capital allocation to upgrade the group's hotel portfolio.

Agoda has included Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park in its list of top jungle safari destinations in Asia, highlighting the park’s high leopard density and distinctive coastal safari landscapes.

Seylan Bank PLC launched an Avurudu campaign for Seylan Credit and Debit Cards with 300+ merchant partners, offering discounts, dining offers and 0% easy payment plans up to 36 months for transactions of Rs.100,000–3,000,000 (14 Mar–15 Apr 2026).

Cabinet approved submitting draft regulations to Parliament to roll out a six-month free visa programme for passport holders of 39 countries to boost tourism. The move could forgo about $66m a year in visa revenue but is expected to spur wider spending across hotels, transport and related sectors.

Sri Lanka and Brazil agreed to elevate bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030. They also committed to finalising MoUs and technical cooperation projects in areas including dairy/livestock, sugarcane, agriculture, ports and shipping, and traditional/Ayurvedic medicine.

UAE stock markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi lost about $120 billion in market value since the start of the US–Israel war on Iran, with the DFM down ~16% and ADX down ~9%. The conflict has also hit travel and tourism, causing widespread flight cancellations that weigh on the sector.

Liberty Lands & Developments has acquired the remaining shares of Scope Cinemas, securing full ownership as part of a group restructuring; CEO Thushan Rangana Meemanage will step down effective 31 March and Naveed Cader is appointed Interim CEO.

LankaPay partnered with Weixin Pay to enable cross-border Weixin Pay QR acceptance at LANKAQR merchants, allowing Weixin Pay users to pay at over 400,000 merchants across Sri Lanka. The move is intended to improve payment convenience for inbound tourists and support local merchants and tourism-sector receipts.

CAASL says Sri Lanka has about 34,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 at CPC plus 15,000t from the refinery and 43,000t on order, providing roughly a 57-day fuel buffer; a 35,000t shipment and an additional 8,000t are arriving. Flight disruptions have eased to about 30–35% from 50–60%.

The war in the Middle East is driving higher energy prices and major supply‑chain disruptions, which are boosting inflation and tightening global financial conditions. Energy importers, food and fertilizer‑dependent agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and banks face the greatest strain.

Russell Peters performs tonight (31) at 6 p.m. at the Lumina Ballroom, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Colombo as the grand finale of his 'Relax' World Tour. The one-night show is presented by AMC with partners including Cinnamon/City of Dreams and Nations Trust Bank; tickets from Rs.25,000.

Sarath Ganegoda resigned as Chairman of SriLankan Airlines and SriLankan Catering effective 31 March 2026; director Rohan Goonetilleke also resigned. Dimal Arandara will act as Chairman until the Treasury appoints a permanent replacement.