News & market updates

AyuSriLanka.lk won three awards including the Gold, Best Mobile User Experience and Most Popular Website, while WalkersTours.lk took Silver in the Best Travel and Tourism Website category at BestWeb.LK 2025.

Nations Trust Bank PLC hosted a 'Beyond Ordinary' business forum in the Southern Region for Business and Private Banking customers to share market insights, promote tailored banking and digital solutions, and back TrailSL's Karapitiya Cancer Hospital project.

IIHS launched a 1+2 pathway with Deakin University allowing students to do one year at IIHS and then two years at Deakin to earn internationally recognised health degrees (Sport & Exercise Science, Nutrition Science, Psychological Science) and access Australian post-study work rights.

Nithyakalyani Jewellery held its 9th consecutive blood donation campaign, drawing nearly 150 attendees and recording over 100 successful donors; the event was organized with the Rotary Club and the National Blood Transfusion Centre.

Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) will host the National ICT Conference 2025 at Shangri-La Colombo on Oct 14–16, expected to attract over 1,200 participants. The event, themed 'Fostering a Human-Centric Nation – Towards Society 5.0', features seven tracks (FinTech, EduTech, TravelTech, AgriTech, eHealth, InfoSec, e-Governance), startup showcases and policy dialogues to advance Sri Lanka's digital agenda.

Jendo Innovations, a Sri Lankan biomedical startup valued at several million dollars, closed a new investment round from predominantly US investors for its AI-powered device that detects early-stage heart disease in 15 minutes; FDA approval processes are underway and a Series A is planned.

Softlogic Holdings Plc (SHL.N0000) appointed Imran Furkan as an independent non-executive director. He is CEO of Tresync and currently holds non-exec roles at Odel, Asiri Health, Maharaja Foods and Asiri Surgical Hospital.

The Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation will hold two World Alzheimer’s Month events in Colombo: a 5 km 'Run to Remember' on 13 Sept and a 'Memory Walk' on 27 Sept (entrance Rs.300), with sponsors including Janashakthi Insurance.

Allianz Insurance Lanka Ltd sponsored SoarFest ’25 at Galle Face Green on 2 August 2025 and offered one-on-one healthcare consultations to attendees to raise awareness about healthcare coverage.

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) published a study finding cigarette smuggling is widespread in Sri Lanka and is undermining government revenue and public health. The study urges stronger enforcement, digital excise tax stamps, improved border controls and incentives for public reporting.

Virtusa was named a Major Contender in Everest Group’s Life Sciences Digital Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025, an evaluation of 35 providers that highlights investments in AI, data platforms and industry-specific digital solutions for life sciences.

Yaden Laboratories, a 100% Sri Lankan pharmaceutical manufacturer, has made its first export of sterile liquid injectables (including ketamine and midazolam) to Zambia. The company says it will next export to Somalia and later to Cambodia and Azerbaijan as it seeks global expansion.

Yaden Laboratories exported its first Sri Lankan-made sterile liquid injectables (including ketamine and midazolam) to Zambia. The Katunayake-based company, operational since October 2022, plans shipments to Somalia next week and to Azerbaijan by November.

EDEX Mid-Year Expo 2025 will be held Sept 13–14 at BMICH Colombo, featuring about 50 educational institutions, 10 corporates and international exhibitors; a related CSR event will run a hearing-impairment screening for 1,000 Grade 1 students in Kekirawa on Sept 5.

Hayleys Aventura, the industrial solutions arm of Hayleys Group, launched ASCENT 2030, an ESG roadmap to embed ESG across Industry Inputs and Power & Energy, building on a 50MW renewable portfolio (127 GWh/yr) and a new 4MW solar project.

Vidyani Hettigoda, Director of the Hettigoda Group, was recognised as one of Sri Lanka's Top 100 Iconic Women 2025 at the SLBC Centenary Awards on 29 August 2025. She has led Siddhalepa's expansion into over 40 countries and received the Global CEO Top Businesswomen Award 2025 for promoting Ayurveda internationally.

David Pieris Group refurbished two villas at the Sri Lanka Army’s Abimansala Wellness Resort in Anuradhapura and ceremonially handed them over to improve accommodation for disabled war heroes.

Opinion piece urging Sri Lankan system change and more 'green papers', highlighting China's medical advances — a gene-edited pig lung transplant, a 2024 medical-device market of USD 187.9bn and BCI market growth forecasts.

Vision Care Academy, the educational arm of Vision Care, held its 2025 convocation celebrating graduates from its diploma and certificate programs in optometry, ophthalmic assistance, dispensing optics and audiometry. The TVEC-accredited academy hosted distinguished medical guests and included graduates from the Bausch & Lomb Contact Lens Mastermind Program.

Kandy Ayurvedic Pharmacy Ltd won the Ayurvedic Product Manufacturing Excellence Award at the Global Business Excellence 2025 Elite Series II. The Kandy-based company, maker of the ‘Nuwara Osu’ range, produces over 300 ayurvedic and cosmetic products and exports to multiple countries.

Vidyani Hettigoda, Director of Hettigoda Group, was recognised as one of the Sri Lankan Top 100 Iconic Women 2025 at the SLBC Centenary Awards on 29 August 2025. Under her leadership Siddhalepa has expanded to over 40 countries, growing its Ayurvedic wellbeing product range.

ADB approved a $106.9 million financing package (a $100m loan and a $6.9m grant) to strengthen Sri Lanka's secondary healthcare services. The program will support hospital development, disease surveillance and labs, and improvements to pharmaceutical supply chains including digitalisation of government procurement.

Softlogic Holdings PLC appointed Imran Furkan as an Independent Non-Executive Director effective 29 August 2025. Furkan, CEO of Tresync (Australia), has prior board roles including at Odel, Asiri Surgical Hospital and Maharaja Foods and experience across health, retail and IT.

SITREK Group marked its 48th anniversary with an awards ceremony recognizing long-service and business-unit winners across its security, courier, nursing, logistics and technology divisions.

The University of Colombo's Centre for Meditation Research and CRDI will host “Embodied Intelligence, Buddhist Meditation Practice, and AI Tech Entrepreneurship” on 10 September, with a keynote by Prof. Thrishantha Nanayakkara. The event, supported by Multiform Chemicals Ltd., links meditation research with AI-driven entrepreneurship.

Ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe was discharged from the Colombo National Hospital after a period of inpatient treatment; medical advice said he should remain at home and continue recovery under the close supervision of his family doctors.

Christell held its 3rd consecutive annual blood donation drive on 26 August 2025 at its head office, drawing a strong turnout and reported as an overwhelming success in its ongoing CSR efforts.

Hatton National Bank partnered with IHH Healthcare’s Sri Lanka office to run patient education sessions on orthopedics across Negombo, Kandy and Jaffna. The program covered trends such as robotic-assisted joint replacement, minimally invasive surgery and image-guided injections.