News & market updates

SLT‑MOBITEL Enterprise hosted SmartChat Mega – Kandy for over 200 SMEs, showcasing tailored digital and AI-driven business solutions. The event provided one-on-one consultations and guided hubs covering cloud, IoT, enterprise mobility and collaboration tools to support SME digital transformation.

People’s Bank posted a standalone profit before tax of LKR 16.6 billion for Q1-2026 and group PBT of LKR 20.0 billion, with bank assets at LKR 3.8 trillion and group assets at LKR 4.2 trillion. The bank raised a LKR 25.0 billion Tier 2 debenture, lifting CAR to 17.9%, improved Stage 3 ratio to 7.2% and Stage 3 coverage to 50.0%.

Ferrari unveiled its first fully electric car, the four-door Luce, priced at €550,000 ($640,000) with deliveries due in Q4 2026. The five-seater uses four motors for over 1,000 hp, offers 500+ km range, and is aimed at affluent buyers and expansion into markets such as China.

eMarketingEye launched Sri Lanka’s first AI Visibility Study for Hotels, analysing AI visibility for 742 hospitality brands across 18 segments on platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. The study names segment winners (e.g., Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle) and urges hotels to optimise for AI-driven discovery.

Meridian Talent, a specialist recruitment division of Meridian Creative Solutions, launched to provide human-first, alignment-focused hiring for mid-to-senior technology roles, promising curated shortlists typically within 7 days and operating on a no-placement-no-fee basis.

John Keells Hotels PLC's Kandy Myst by Cinnamon has partnered with Kapruka to list and deliver Terra Lounge signature cakes across the Kandy region via Kapruka's e-commerce platform. Delivery will initially cover Kandy, Katugastota, Kundasale, Digana, Peradeniya, Akurana and Matale.

People's Bank reported standalone Profit Before Tax of Rs. 16.6 billion for Q1 ended 31 Mar 2026 (Group PBT Rs. 20.0 billion), with total operating income up 13.2% and net interest income up 17.5%. The bank raised Rs. 25 billion via a Basel III Tier-2 debenture, lifted CAR to 17.9%, kept Rupee LCR at 260%, and improved Stage-3 ratio to 7.2%.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC is the first bank onboarded to LankaPay's new eMudhra e-Sign Remote Signature with LankaSign, launching Sri Lanka's first remote digital signature facility in the banking sector. The emSigner integration enables secure, legally recognised remote signing to speed onboarding and digital workflows across banking and other sectors.

The Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka will host the OECD–ADBI Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement Savings on 2–3 June 2026 at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, bringing global policymakers and regulators; the event will raise exposure for Sri Lanka's insurance/pension sector and showcase the hospitality/tourism industry.

MiHCM's Sri Lanka & Maldives CEO says the company is moving beyond HR software into end-to-end, AI-powered workforce transformation and has launched MiHCM Consulting to provide transformation, workforce analytics and employee-experience solutions.

Sampath Bank PLC launched integrated PayPal account linking and withdrawal via its Sampath Vishwa mobile app, allowing customers to withdraw PayPal funds directly into Sampath accounts in LKR or USD.

Sri Lanka Banks' Association says the banking sector remains stable and customer deposits are secure despite isolated fraud incidents, with losses absorbed by banks' capital buffers. The Central Bank confirms capital and liquidity are above regulatory minima and banks will bolster cybersecurity and review operations.

Dividend · Rs 2.60 · XD Jul 1, 2026

Final dividend of LKR 2.6/share; XD 2026-07-01; record 2026-07-01; payable 2026-07-20; FY 2025/2026

hSenid Business Solutions (HBS.N0000) delivered an FY2026 turnaround: revenue rose 13% to Rs.2.1bn, exit ARR reached $5.5m (up 32% YoY) and normalized EBITDA turned positive at LKR200m (10% margin), with PBT loss narrowed to Rs.8m and positive free cash flow.

Dialog Axiata (DIAL.N0000) became the Colombo Stock Exchange's largest listed company with a market cap of Rs. 367.09 billion after its share price rose 7% to Rs. 39.90 on May 25. John Keells stood at Rs. 359.36bn and Ceylon Tobacco at Rs. 341.91bn; Commercial Bank was the largest bank at Rs. 320.88bn.

SLT Group delivered a strong Q1 2026: consolidated revenue LKR 30.8bn (+10.6% y/y) and profit after tax LKR 3.1bn (+53.3%), with operating profit LKR 5.1bn (+39.1%). The performance was driven by broadband growth and Mobitel subscriber momentum, and the group made its 5G network publicly accessible while addressing network rollout challenges.

nVentures and TiE Colombo run "Founder's Table," a mentorship programme that pairs founders with experienced business leaders; the first cohort has concluded and organisers report tangible long-term benefits in strategy, networks and clarity for participating startups.

The Sri Lankan–German Business Forum 2026 will be held in Colombo on May 27–29 to bring German public and private sector representatives together with Sri Lankan stakeholders to explore collaboration and investment, focusing on maritime, logistics and IT. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and senior German officials will attend; sessions will cover port infrastructure financing, digitalisation and boosting exports to the EU.

Dialog Axiata regained the top spot on the Colombo Stock Exchange with a market cap of Rs. 367.1 billion (4.51% of total market cap), overtaking John Keells Holdings at Rs. 359.4 billion.

Asia Asset Finance PLC is offering free PickMe rides for Fixed Deposit customers from home to the nearest branch and back across Sri Lanka. The initiative, in partnership with app-based PickMe, aims to improve customer convenience amid rising transport and fuel costs.

DB Automation, Sri Lanka's largest Zebra Technologies partner, won Zebra Technologies' Partner of the Year Award, recognising its leadership in enterprise technology, automation and digital transformation solutions.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon (COMB.N0000) was announced as the first bank onboarded to LankaPay and eMudhra's remote digital signature solution (eMudhra e-Sign with LankaSign) at a launch on 22 May 2026. The service enables secure, legally recognized remote e-signatures to speed onboarding and digital document workflows.

Sampath Bank PLC has become the first bank in Sri Lanka to integrate PayPal withdrawals and account connectivity via the Sampath Vishwa app, allowing customers to link PayPal and withdraw funds in LKR or USD. The service targets freelancers, SMEs and exporters to ease access to international payments and support foreign currency inflows.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher, with the ASPI up 1.98% to 22,364.77, as rupee stabilisation and lower interest rates boosted investor confidence. Ceylon Cold Stores and Hemas posted strong quarterly profits and John Keells declared a final dividend; Dialog, Commercial Bank and Sampath gained while hSenid and Dipped Products fell.

Sri Lanka's total exports reached US$1,380.93m in April 2026 (up 6% y/y) and US$5,784.38m in Jan–Apr 2026 (up 4.3% y/y); merchandise exports rose 9.87% in April while services exports, led by ICT/BPM and financial services, also expanded.

Sri Lanka's services exports fell 6.13% in April 2026 to $317.16m. ICT/BPM exports rose 24.89% to $146.09m and financial services grew 119.41% to $10.45m, while construction and transport/logistics exports declined sharply.

HNB General Insurance appointed Dilshan Perera as Chief Operating Officer. Perera, formerly the insurer's Chief Transformation Officer with 20+ years' experience in digital transformation and insurance, will lead operational and strategic initiatives at the HNB Life PLC subsidiary.

Hemas Holdings (HHL) reported record earnings: Group earnings of Rs.3.03Bn in Q4 (+17.6% YoY) and Rs.8.92Bn for FY26 (+10.7% YoY) on FY26 revenue of Rs.127.4Bn (+8.0%). The group is reinvesting into digital, manpower and healthcare expansion, compressing EBITDA/EBIT margins but delivering higher net profit margin and EPS.

hSenid Business Solutions (HBS.N0000) delivered an FY2026 turnaround with revenue of LKR 2.1bn (up 13% YoY), normalized EBITDA of LKR 200m (10% margin) and exit ARR of USD 5.5m (up 32% YoY). The company generated positive free cash flow, narrowed full-year PBT loss to LKR 8m, posted Q4 PBT of LKR 7m, launched Lexi Insights AI and won a national export award.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI rose 1.96% (430.21 pts) to 22,359.85 on Monday, with the S&P SL20 up 1.93%. Top contributors included Dialog Axiata, John Keells, Commercial Bank and Hemas; Ceylon Cold Stores reported Q1 profit up 75% to Rs 3.76bn and LVL Energy Fund's rights issue was oversubscribed.