News & market updates

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will host a BCCS 2026 seminar on July 30 at 2pm at the Ceylon Chamber Auditorium to guide businesses on the updated ESG reporting framework and submission requirements. The session will cover stakeholder engagement, materiality, ESG strategy, targets and performance tracking.

DIMO, with the Tata Group and ChildFund, launched the 'Hope in a Backpack' programme supplying educational kits to disaster-affected schoolchildren in Sri Lanka, reaching a 27,000-student milestone across Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Kegalle.

Ceylinco Life hosted over 1,000 policyholders and family members at Pearl Bay under its 'Family Savari' loyalty promotion, providing complimentary entry, meals and transport (including accommodation for long-distance attendees).

Haycarb PLC will invest USD 18 million in a BOI-approved expansion to scale production of high-performance activated carbon for energy-storage applications (HCE 400). HCE 400, which won the Presidential Export Award, is being validated by international customers for silicon–carbon anodes and supercapacitors.

Emirates has completed retrofits on 100 aircraft (47 A380s, 53 Boeing 777s) since November 2022 as part of the largest-known airline retrofit programme. The US$5 billion initiative — now past the halfway point toward 219 aircraft — has added 3,800+ Premium Economy seats and will roll out 4K seatback screens and new Safran Z400 seats from Oct 2026.

Ritzbury Roccoa (CBL Foods International) is running a promotion until 20 Aug 2026 offering a Lionel Messi-signed 2026 Argentina jersey and a Cristiano Ronaldo-signed Portugal jersey as top prizes; entry requires purchasing a Ritzbury Roccoa chocolate and scanning the QR code. The campaign also includes 300 giveaway prizes (10 winners daily for 30 days).

Colombo Stock Exchange rose as the ASPI gained 0.39% (83.87 pts) to 21,508.86, with banks leading turnover at Rs 41.8 million. Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company proposed a first and final dividend of Rs 25 per share for the year ended March 31.

SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub (EDB with ITC and the British High Commission) launched two Sinhala and Tamil export handbooks for textiles/apparel and processed agrifood/spices to boost women entrepreneurs and SMEs' UK export readiness, noting the UK's DCTS offers duty-free access on about 92% of product lines. The handbooks are available on the EDB SheTrades portal.

Toyota Lanka held a groundbreaking ceremony for its flagship showroom in Bambalapitiya, which will feature contemporary architecture, interactive vehicle displays and test drives designed by Design Consortium.

Maga Engineering Ltd. was awarded a Rs.4.99 billion contract to construct the 2.32 km Warakapola bypass and a $7.26 million (Rs.2.4 billion) contract to expand the Bandaranaike International Airport departure terminal.

Toyota Lanka held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new flagship showroom in Bambalapitiya, designed by Design Consortium; the facility will feature interactive vehicle displays, immersive experiences and test drives.

Outgoing Swedish Ambassador Jan Thesleff said he is optimistic about Sri Lanka's recovery and rising investor confidence, noting about 80 Swedish companies operate in Sri Lanka. He highlighted opportunities in ICT, apparel exports, renewable energy, healthcare and tourism, and cited Port City progress and the need for direct flights.

LOLC Holdings PLC's fully owned subsidiary LOLC Microfinance Bank Pakistan inaugurated a new head office in Islamabad as it expands operations, managing a loan portfolio exceeding $70m, deposits over $90m and a network of 88 branches.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors will host the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July 2026 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo, bringing international and local governance leaders to discuss moving Boards from compliance to sustainable growth with a focus on AI, cybersecurity and sustainability.

Safesea Group founder Dr. S.V. Anchan and Universal Sportsbiz founder Anjana Reddy will speak at the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July 2026 at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. They will discuss board governance, resilience, innovation and use of AI in corporate strategy.

Douglas and Sons Ltd. has appointed Manjula Sirimane and Yudhishtran (Yudy) Kanagasabai as Independent Non-Executive Directors effective 2 July 2026, with Kanagasabai named Chairman of the Board Audit Committee.

Corporate Management Consultants will hold a seminar on compliance with Beneficial Ownership provisions under the Companies Act No. 12 of 2025 for Company Secretaries. Speakers include LOLC General Insurance PLC Chairman Kithsiri Gunawardene, the Central Bank FIU DG and officials from the Registrar of Companies.

Rs.120 billion Treasury Bill auction scheduled today as secondary bond market activity picked up and yields compressed; money-market rates edged down and USD/LKR closed at 336.30/336.40.

The Cabinet approved establishment of a Centralised Zero-Waste Biomass Cinnamon Processing Centre at the University of Ruhuna to be carried out in four phases over 27 months. Jointly implemented by the Science & Technology Ministry, ITI and the university, it aims to support small-scale cultivators in Matara and Galle by lowering processing costs and utilising biomass waste.

SLIIT Business School study finds many Sri Lankan shoppers still prefer cash-on-delivery due to security, privacy and payment concerns, creating a digital trust gap that may hinder e-commerce growth. The study urges stronger payment security, data protection, authentication and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

The CSE and SEC held Colombo investor forums on 25 June and 9 July that drew over 180 participants (many first-time investors) with presentations from Central Bank economists and brokers; ASPI rose from 4,846 (May 2020) to 22,310.80 (May 2026), a 360% gain.

EDB and Expertise France began cooperating on the EU-funded 'Advancing Sustainable Trade between the EU and Sri Lanka' project following a 9 July 2026 meeting to boost sustainable, climate‑resilient access for Sri Lankan exporters to EU markets. The initiative will align trade regulations, support a green transition and enhance SME competitiveness for EU market entry.

Sri Lanka's rupee closed flat at 336.00/20 to the US dollar while government bond yields rose across maturities (e.g., the 15.09.2027 bond at 10.35–10.50%). Rs.120,000 million in Treasury bills will be auctioned on July 15.

Dividend · Rs 25.00 · XD Aug 7, 2026

First And Final dividend of LKR 25/share; XD 2026-08-07; record 2026-08-10; payable 2026-08-28; FY 2025/26

Sri Lanka's Colombo Stock Exchange closed down: ASPI fell 0.50% to 21,424.71 with market turnover of Rs.1.089 billion and banks leading turnover at Rs.221.1 million. Merchant Bank (MBSL) set a rights reference price of Rs.0.30 and its stock closed down 5.31% at Rs.10.70.

Dividend · Rs 0.20 · XD Aug 10, 2026

First And Final dividend of LKR 0.2/share; XD 2026-08-10; record 2026-08-11; payable 2026-08-31; FY 31st March 2026

The Cabinet approved a financing package to launch the "Grid-Based Rooftop Solar Power and Virtual Net Metering" project, authorizing a $35.0m ADB loan, a €15.4m EU grant and a $5.5m Japanese grant. The funding is intended to modernize the grid and support small- and medium-scale renewable energy producers.

Sri Lanka's cabinet approved establishing a centralized zero-waste biomass cinnamon processing centre at the University of Ruhuna, to be implemented over four phases spanning 27 months. The state-led project aims to modernize infrastructure, cut processing costs and commercialize cinnamon biomass to help regional smallholder producers.

Sri Lanka's cabinet approved a five-year national policy (2026–2030) to prevent money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing. The policy is based on the Central Bank FIU's third National Risk Assessment aligned with FATF standards and follows recent banking cyber incidents, including a US$2.5m treasury fraud.