News & market updates

A 17-member Thai business delegation met with the Ceylon Chamber in Colombo on 3 March to explore trade and investment opportunities in food, agriculture and health and will conduct field visits to identify collaboration areas.

The Royal Thai Embassy and the Ceylon Chamber held a business forum on 3 March at the Kingsbury Colombo with a 17-member Thai delegation to explore trade and investment opportunities in food, agriculture, health and tourism; field visits will follow to identify collaboration areas.

Vision Care was the Official Eyewear Partner at Colombo Fashion Week Summer ’25 (Mar 19–22), showcasing global eyewear brands such as Gucci, Mont Blanc and Michael Kors across designers and promoting the brands at its Colombo retail outlets.

Haleon Sri Lanka signed an MOU with the Sri Lanka Dental Association to be the official sponsor of World Oral Health Day 2025, running a month-long “#BeSensitiveToOralHealth” campaign and providing free dental screenings for about 50,000 people. The national event will be held at Galle Face, Colombo on March 20.

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC chairman and CEO Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa was awarded the Lifetime Achiever in Private Healthcare at the Medicare Health Excellence Awards 2025. The accolade highlights his leadership in adopting modern technologies, including introducing CT/MRI to Sri Lanka and launching an AI-powered Radiology Centre in 2024.

Smoking’s health harms stem mainly from toxicants produced by tobacco combustion rather than nicotine; fully replacing cigarettes with e-cigarettes or nicotine-only products reduces exposure to many carcinogens and toxicants. The piece calls for harm-reduction discussion that distinguishes nicotine from tobacco.

Medicare 2025, Sri Lanka’s international healthcare exhibition, concluded at BMICH Colombo after three days with over 150 stalls and Asiri Hospital Holdings as the main sponsor. Organised by Asia Wellness Forum with Aitken Spence Conventions & Exhibitions, gold sponsors included Nawaloka Hospitals and Melsta Hospitals and the event promoted medical tourism.

Luvanrich Herbal Pvt. Ltd. was named Best Herbal Food Supplement Company of the Year at the Pinnacle Sri Lanka Awards 2024, held by MUGP International in Colombo. Founded in 2023, the company produces Ayurvedic supplements for local and export markets and highlighted its contribution to employment.

Hemas Holdings PLC (HHL.N0000) and Hatch concluded the Slingshot 2.0 accelerator, with Wheelchair House named winner and Exam Hub runner-up from an eight-startup cohort across EdTech, HealthTech and FMCG.

Medicare 2025, Sri Lanka’s international healthcare exhibition, opened at BMICH on Feb 28 and runs to Mar 2 with over 150 stalls; organisers include Asia Wellness Forum and Aitken Spence Conventions & Exhibitions. Major local hospitals including Asiri, Nawaloka and Melsta Hospitals are participating and were recognised at the event.

Medicare 2025 opened at BMICH in Colombo with over 150 local and international exhibitors; lifetime awards were presented to Asiri Hospitals and Nawaloka Hospitals and the event is promoted as a platform to boost medical tourism and showcase healthcare innovations.

Fitch assigned Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General a 'CCC+' Insurer Financial Strength rating and an 'A+(lka)' National IFS with a Stable outlook. Fitch cited adequate capital but weak underwriting, high sovereign-related asset exposure and near-term pressure from higher health claims and directives on motor-related premiums.

Seylan Bank staff donated Rs. 7.7 million to Apeksha Hospital’s children’s ward to purchase IV Asparaginase 3750 IU (Hamsyl) and 200 IV Terumo infusion sets to aid treatment of children with leukaemia.

Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council hosted a B2B meeting with a 16-company Pakistani pharmaceutical delegation on 19 February in Colombo. Participants including the EDB, BOI and Sri Lankan corporate representatives held one-on-one talks on investment, joint ventures and collaborations in the pharmaceutical sector.

Morison, backed by Hemas Holdings PLC, launched three cardiovascular drugs — CilniMor (cilnidipine), RivoMor (rivaroxaban) and BisoMor (bisoprolol) — to be manufactured at its Homagama facility and priced below current market rates (e.g. CilniMor LKR30/45; RivoMor LKR60/90).

AuroraRCM signed an MoU with NSBM Green University to provide specialized training, internships and mentorship aimed at building Sri Lanka’s talent pipeline for AI-driven healthcare revenue cycle management and fintech services.

ADB and the University of Kelaniya ran the Sri Lanka Inter-University Make-A-Thon (22–24 Feb), bringing together ~150 participants and producing 13 groups of 3D-printed assistive-device prototypes costing under $1 each.

Sri Lanka–Pakistan Business Council hosted a B2B meeting on 19 Feb 2025 with a 16-company Pakistani pharmaceutical delegation to explore investment, joint ventures and collaborations in Sri Lanka's pharmaceutical sector.

Eric Rajapaksa Opticals opened a newly renovated branch at No. 341, Galle Road, Kollupitiya, offering eye examinations five days a week with state-of-the-art equipment.

Link Natural Products won 'Emerging Exporter of the Year 2023/24' and 'Best Exporter – Herbal & Ayurveda Products Category' at the Presidential Export Awards, highlighting its export growth, regulatory approvals and expanded global market presence.

The Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka, with Minor Hotels, organised 'Sri Lanka Ayurveda Week' in Bangkok from 10–16 Feb at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. The event showcased traditional Sri Lankan Ayurvedic treatments with consultations led by Dr. Kasun Gunawardena and marked part of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Thailand.

DIMO.N0000's DIMO Healthcare installed the Abbott WorkMate Claris 2D electrophysiology system at Durdans Hospital to enhance cardiac ablation and arrhythmia treatment. DIMO Healthcare will provide installation, staff training and ongoing after-sales support for the system.

Suwasevana Hospitals signed an MOU with the National Insurance Trust Fund to provide Agrahara Medical Insurance holders (over 1.5 million public sector employees and families) with waived admission fees, discounts and other benefits. Benefits include free OPD consultations, 10% off lab and radiology, 20% off room charges, a Rs.50,000 discount on CABG and a free ambulance within 10km.

Link Natural Products won ‘Emerging Exporter of the Year 2023/24’ and ‘Best Exporter – Herbal and Ayurveda Products’ at the Presidential Export Awards. The company exports its flagship Link Samahan to over 30 countries and operates an FDA-audit compliant manufacturing facility with an R&D centre.

Vision Care partnered as the official Eye-Care Partner of the Sri Lanka Schools Hockey Association for the National Junior Hockey Championship 2025, providing free specialized vision screenings for players and match officials. The sponsorship supports youth development and eye-health awareness in sports.

Hemas Hospitals won the Business Excellence Award at the Asian Hospital Management Awards in Bali after cutting average discharge time at its Thalawathugoda hospital from 112 minutes to 75 minutes (target 90), improving operational efficiency and patient experience.

Verified Market Research projects the global tea extract market to grow from USD 4.55 billion in 2024 to USD 8.23 billion by 2031, at a 7.67% CAGR. Growth is driven by rising demand in beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, with Asia-Pacific (including Sri Lanka) leading supply and adoption.

Dentsu Grant Group won 15 awards—the highest tally for a single agency—at the Effie Awards Sri Lanka 2024. The wins (1 Gold, 5 Silver, 7 Bronze, 2 Finalists) spanned sectors including tourism, healthcare, FMCG and construction and highlighted effective marketing and digital storytelling.

The International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS) launched a Business School to offer master's-level business administration training integrating healthcare and business, aiming to develop leadership, entrepreneurship and industry-ready professionals.