A market brief each morning, plus company filings and news from across Sri Lanka's stock market. Filter by company, sector and theme, and use sentiment badges to quickly identify Positive or Negative news.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake an official three-day visit to Sri Lanka from 8 to 10 September, holding consultations with Sri Lankan leadership and meeting the Indian diaspora while leading a high-level delegation under India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy.
Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe rejected claims that tax terms at the Colombo Port City SEZ were being arbitrarily changed, saying about 90 applications were held pending a legal amendment and that the revised law taxes individuals under the Inland Revenue Act; he later apologised for confusion and said clarity on foreign‑income taxation for approved persons will be provided.
The Central Bank issued Banking Act Determination No. 01 of 2026, effective 1 Sep 2026, loosening related-party lending rules: corporate guarantees may now cover 100% for guarantors rated BBB- and above, machinery mortgages allowed up to 50% of valuation, and Treasury letters accepted for loans to ministries/SOEs. Reporting is tightened to two named FinNet returns starting the quarter ending 30 Sep 2026; other collateral ratios remain unchanged.
Sri Lanka's ASPI rose 0.17% to 21,657.17 in early trading while the S&P SL20 gained 0.54% to 6,091.65 on turnover of Rs 446 million. Several firms were placed or moved to the watchlist for non-submission of FY2026 annual reports (SHL, HELA, MEL, LGL, EXT, BFN, TESS, EMER); top gainers included DIAL, HNB, COMB, AEL, ACL and top losers HAYC, DOCK, BIL, CCS.
Money market liquidity jumped to Rs. 355.30 billion, the highest in 24 weeks. Call money and repo rates averaged 8.86% and 8.92%, secondary government bond yields closed higher amid profit-taking and external headwinds, the PDMO raised the full Rs. 80 billion at the T-bill auction, and the rupee marginally depreciated to Rs. 328.22/328.30.
Colombo Stock Exchange and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange signed an MoU to strengthen capital market cooperation, covering knowledge exchange on electronic trading, surveillance, clearing and post-trade systems and exploring CSE joining ADX's Tabadul Hub to broaden cross-market access.
Sri Lanka's rupee was quoted at 328.20/40 to the US dollar in the spot market while local government bond yields were largely steady (e.g. 15.02.2028 at ~9.95-10.10%). The telegraphic transfer dollar rate was 323.80/332.80 (buy/sell) and the ASPI rose 0.28% to 21,681, with the S&P SL20 up 0.39% to 6,082.
The Colombo Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen capital market cooperation, covering knowledge exchange on electronic trading, market surveillance, clearing and post-trade infrastructure. The MoU also explores CSE joining ADX's Tabadul Hub to broaden cross-market access for investors.
Seylan Bank PLC signed an MoU with Toyota Lanka to offer dedicated leasing facilities for Toyota passenger and commercial vehicles, featuring up to 7-year repayment terms, competitive interest rates and a fast-track approval process (approvals within 24 hours).
Singer (SINS.N0000) has partnered with Mintpay to offer Pay Later (three interest-free instalments) and Pay Now with instant cashback as Mint Coins, enabling customers to split purchases (e.g. Rs.120,000 fridge into three Rs.40,000 payments) and earn rewards.
Softlogic GLOMARK's 'ගෙට Better Life' campaign won Gold and Black Dragon awards at Dragons of Sri Lanka 2026 and translated into business gains-active loyalty customers +21%, footfall +33% and most frequent shoppers +50%.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board and Global Electronics Association (IPC India) ran the first workshop on hand soldering and wire-harness techniques for VTA students on 14 Aug 2026 at K-TEC Orugodawatta, attended by about 140 participants (≈100 VTA students). The event aimed to boost skills for the electronic and electrical manufacturing sector and to update VTA curricula to IPC standards.
Eng. Nahil Wijesuriya donated the full range of modern medical equipment to establish the National Kidney Stone Referral Centre in Meerigama, which is expected to perform more than 1,000 complex kidney stone procedures annually. Treatment will be provided free through the Ministry of Health and the centre will serve urological surgeons and patients nationwide.
Padel Chief's Maxxis Ceylon Open 2026 concluded at Padel House with nine championship titles and a total prize pool of LKR 330,000; Men's Pro winners were Rajeev Rajapakse and Sankha Athukorale, and Women's Pro winners were Bianca Acquistapace and Dinali De Silva. The two-month tournament was run by Padel Chief, a Sri Lankan digital competition platform, which will stage the Grand SLAM25 on Sept 12-13.
Thyaga launched Greetly, a greeting-card product that includes a scannable Thyaga voucher which can be topped up and redeemed across Thyaga's multi-merchant network; it is available at selected retail outlets and online.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon canvassed more than 350 merchants in Jaffna and activated a cashback campaign with 40+ businesses for its Q+ payment app ahead of the Nallur Festival. The initiative, part of the CBSL's third Digital Payments Promotional Programme 2026, aims to expand LANKAQR adoption and QR payment penetration in the Northern Province.
Defy launched DEFY INT, a new through-the-line agency, and appointed Wasaam Ismail as CEO; the agency will offer integrated creative, digital, AV, live brand experiences and data-led execution with AI at its core.
The Ceylon Chamber will hold the Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026 on 12-13 Oct to examine building a shock‑resilient Sri Lankan economy and ways to strengthen macroeconomic stability, institutions and business resilience. Keynote by Lilia Aleksanyan (ADB) with a panel including Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara (CBSL) and Sabrina Esufally (Hemas); sponsors include Standard Chartered and VISA.
A CVCD conference in Colombo (Sept 4) presented the UGC-approved National AI Policy Framework and a 2026-29 implementation plan to drive responsible AI and digital transformation across state universities. Universities were asked to adopt institutional AI policies and SOPs by Dec 31, 2026; Dialog Axiata's Chief AI Officer took part in the panel.
73Avenue Realtors has opened a new headquarters at 103 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, marking a milestone as the luxury-focused firm expands services into property management, interior design and portfolio management while growing its international partnerships and client network.
Ceylinco Life won 12 awards at NAFLIA 2026, including five National Awards, dominating Advisor, Supervisor and Branch Manager categories at both Large Company and National levels. The company highlighted the results as confirmation of its sales organisation's quality.
Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka won nine awards, including two Gold Dragons, at the Dragons of Sri Lanka 2026. Golds went to Phoenix Ogilvy for the American Premium Water relaunch and to Ogilvy Digital, alongside a Silver and six Black Dragons across multiple creative and marketing categories.
Hayleys Fentons placed 2nd overall at the 26th Dragons of Sri Lanka Awards 2026, winning six awards including two Gold Dragons across marketing, communications, digital and sustainability for campaigns by Hayleys Fentons, Hayleys Solar and Hayleys Mobility.
NOLIMIT opened its 31st store at One Galle Face Mall in Colombo on 4 September 2026, a more than 12,000 sq ft outlet offering apparel, footwear, homeware and cosmetics with tech-based interiors and self-checkout as part of its continued retail expansion.