News & market updates

Sri Lanka's High Commission in the UK held a roundtable on 3 July with the SLUKCC and UK officials to strengthen bilateral economic ties and promote Sri Lanka EXPO 2027 in Colombo. Discussions covered macroeconomic reforms, trade and tourism, the UK's DCTS, education partnerships, technology investment and a planned Business Forum in September.

The fourth annual Zero Chance art and essay competition, organized by the Australian Government and Sri Lanka's Ministry of Education, honored 164 top-three winners from 2,265 entries at a July 11, 2026 ceremony to highlight the dangers of illegal maritime migration. An additional 55 students received certificates and select winners will be awarded scholarships.

Janathakshan, funded by The Coca‑Cola Foundation, concluded the SWYFT project (Aug 2024–May 2026), establishing five MCPCs, launching Sri Lanka's first hydro-powered MCPC with Thalawakelle Plantation (Hayleys Group), and distributing eight electric three-wheelers and 15 e-bikes.

Yashoravi Bakmiwewa was appointed as the 14th Director General of the Employers' Federation of Ceylon, the first female DG of the EFC and the first woman to head an Employers' Business Member Organisation in South Asia. She succeeds Vajira Ellepola and has over 16 years' service at the EFC with legal and labour-relations credentials.

Mastercard is the Title Partner for the Data Privacy and Protection Summit 2026, scheduled for 23 July at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. With PDPA enforcement imminent, the summit will focus on data governance, AI-related risks and compliance issues relevant to hotel operators and other businesses.

LOLC Finance (LOFC) launched 'Al-Falaah Tawarruq for Personal Finance', billed as Sri Lanka and South Asia's first structured Tawarruq-based Islamic liquidity solution; Islamic finance now accounts for 15% of LOFC's loan book and serves 15% of its customer base.

Alliance Finance broadened its Green Bond Framework to allow up to 30% of proceeds to refinance eligible rooftop solar projects, with a two-year look-back period; Deloitte confirmed alignment with ICMA Green Bond Principles and the amendments received external assurance.

Signature opened its 11th showroom in Gampaha at 128/1 Colombo Road, expanding its retail footprint in Sri Lanka. The store offers menswear, womenswear, kidswear, accessories and leather goods, and Signature supports wholesale through 300+ dealers and a mobile ordering app.

LOLC Al-Falaah launched Sri Lanka's first structured Tawarruq-based personal finance liquidity solution, providing a Sharia-compliant asset-backed mechanism for customers to access liquidity. The product aims to expand Islamic finance options and financial inclusion under the LOLC group.

Pan Asia Banking Corporation (PABC.N0000) launched its first Mastercard Debit Card, a Mastercard World Debit offering enhanced security, global acceptance and value-added benefits for everyday and international payments.

AIA Insurance Lanka held its annual Sales Convention 2026, recognising top Wealth Planners, Managers and Distribution Leaders — Best Wealth Planner 2025: Sanjeewani Somarathna; Best Wealth Planners' Manager 2025: Ravi Kumar Perera.

SLT‑MOBITEL has partnered with ride‑hailing platform HelaGo to launch three exclusive driver mobile packages; the top monthly plan costs Rs.596 and includes 750 minutes, 750 SMS, 5GB anytime data plus 15GB dedicated app data for HelaGo, WhatsApp and Google Maps.

LOLC General Insurance PLC launched V Help, an enhanced motor insurance service offering eligible policyholders remote technical guidance and roadside assistance. The service connects customers to the Motor Engineering Unit and authorised roadside providers for advice, minor repairs and assistance.

ITC Ratnadipa launches Rūhāniyat, an Indian heritage pop-up dining experience in Colombo running from 10 July to 16 August, offering a curated à la carte lunch (12:00–15:00) and dinner (18:30–23:00) menu of regional Indian dishes.

Intex and InMac will be held 5-7 August 2026 at BMICH Colombo, hosting 300+ international companies to support Sri Lanka's apparel industry's US$8 billion export target by 2030. The co-located shows will showcase materials, next-generation garment machinery and seminars on sustainability and digital/automation to modernize the supply chain.

Macbertan won two Gold Awards at the National Convention on Quality and Productivity (NCQP) 2026 for cross-functional projects that improved process capability, reduced waste, and boosted manufacturing precision and productivity.

Sri Lanka Brand Conclave 2026 will be held on 28 July at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, featuring global marketing speakers and sessions on AI, creativity and digital transformation, with marketing leaders from Singer Sri Lanka and Dialog Axiata participating.

EDB, IFC and the EU ran the 7th Provincial ExpoNavigator Program in Batticaloa on 9–10 June 2026 to boost export readiness of nearly 100 Eastern Province SMEs. The two-day event offered awareness sessions, technical consultations and a Business Clinic to identify high-potential enterprises for continued SLEEI support.

Hemas Holdings' consumer brands Baby Cheramy and Clogard were named among Sri Lanka's Favourite Product Brands in the PepperCube T25 survey (based on 12,000 annual unprompted responses for May 2025–Apr 2026).

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.27% to 21,473.27 at midday, while the S&P SL20 was down 0.04% to 6,019.55. BPPL Holdings said subsidiary Beira Brush will acquire Ravi Industries' customer base and the "Ravi" trademark for a minimum 300 million rupees payable over five years tied to revenue.

Softlogic Information Technologies (part of the Softlogic Group) is Sri Lanka's only Dell Technologies Titanium Partner, giving the group exclusive access to Dell's top-tier portfolio across data centre, cloud, cybersecurity and end-user solutions. This strengthens Softlogic Holdings PLC's IT solutions and services capabilities for local digital transformation clients.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a pre-Budget review of 2026 projects and discussed 2027 Budget proposals for the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, stressing completion of projects and development of industrial zones (Dambulla, Ingiriya, Valachchenai, Millaniya, Katunayake). He also urged consolidation of state enterprises, proposed an Entrepreneurship and Industry Transformation Authority and requested proposals for concessions to support exporters and industriali

SLIIT Business School study finds many Sri Lankan shoppers still prefer cash-on-delivery due to lack of trust in online payments; platform quality, payment authentication, privacy and reliability were identified as key drivers of consumer confidence.

Lion Rajitha Rodrigo was appointed Multiple Council Chairperson of Lions International Multiple District 306, Sri Lanka, for the 2026/2027 Lionistic year. Twelve district governors were elected and the new leadership will focus on service projects, membership growth, youth engagement and community outreach.

Prof. Samitha Hettige urges a science-led approach and notes plans to hire about 30–40 scientifically trained staff for the government analyst's department to expand and expedite operations. She also advocates stronger S&T focus for development and cites Chinese science-policy guidance on AI, life sciences and innovation.

Keells supermarkets (John Keells Group) will accept Dialog Pay at its 150 stores nationwide, enabling scan-and-pay transactions and offering complimentary Dialog data rewards on eligible payments.

John Keells CG Auto signed an MOU with Green EV to expand nationwide EV charging access, adding 125+ Green EV chargers and giving BYD/Denza customers access to Green EV's 100+ DC and 70 AC chargers including 120 kW ultra-fast units.

The Export Development Board (EDB) will collaborate with Expertise France on an EU-funded project to promote sustainable, climate-resilient and circular trade with the EU, focusing on regulatory alignment, green transition measures and SME support.

Ceylinco General Insurance's AI visibility score jumped from 28.5 to 83.6 in April, the largest one-month move in BrandRadar's March–May AI Visibility Index of 198 Sri Lankan brands across major LLMs. The study highlights rapid, platform-specific swings in AI recommendations that affect insurers and hotels.

Sri Lanka's rupee closed at 336.00/20 to the US dollar, slightly weaker versus 335.70/90 on Friday; government bond yields were broadly steady with most maturities closing flat.