News & market updates
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.
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.
HayWind One (the wind arm of Hayleys Fentons) has begun turbine tower erection at the 50MW Mannar Wind Farm, with the first two 5MW turbines fully erected. The project is expected to deliver about 207 million kWh/year and targets commissioning and grid energisation by December 2026.
WindForce PLC's six project companies submitted winning bids to add a combined 28.25 MW/143.75 MWh of battery storage to existing solar plants, with WindForce's equity investment estimated at about Rs. 944 million. The formal awards, regulatory approvals and agreements are still pending.
Vidullanka PLC's project companies submitted winning bids to add 93 MWh (18.7 MW) of battery storage across four solar plants, with Vidullanka's equity share estimated at about Rs. 600 million. The awards are subject to Letters of Award, regulatory approvals and final agreements.
Colombo Stock Exchange opened higher as the ASPI rose 30.69 points to 21,068.04 (up 0.15%); market turnover was 57.56 million rupees. Vidullanka said project companies it holds equity in won bids to install 18.7 MW/93 MWh of BESS, with its estimated equity share about 600 million rupees.
Cabinet will decide today on a Rs.41 billion fuel subsidy covering the next three months to shield consumers from rising world oil prices; the allocation equals about Rs.13.7 billion a month versus about Rs.19 billion a month under the earlier subsidy as regional benchmarks climb.
Sri Lanka received 122,194 tourists from 1-23 Sept 2026, a 0.31% rise (+377) versus the same period last year, taking YTD arrivals to 1,657,316. India was the top source (31% for 1-23 Sept; 26% YTD), but YTD arrivals remain 1.83% below 2025 amid Middle East disruptions and softer global demand.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka denied the government is curbing rooftop solar, saying installed solar capacity exceeds 3,070 MW and 2026 rooftop targets have already been exceeded. The NSO and distributors will temporarily monitor new rooftop approvals for grid security under the 'Net Plus' scheme; zero-export battery systems and approvals before 11 Sep are exempt.
Asian stocks slipped as Brent futures rose 2.1% to $106.49/bbl and US crude hit $93.84, while rising bond yields lifted odds of further central-bank rate hikes and kept markets on edge.
Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka said there is no firm timeline for electricity tariff cuts; tariffs will be set annually based on cost calculations and any savings from expanded renewable generation (solar >3,070 MW; planned 1,392 MW solar and ~1,240 MW/4,660 MWh batteries in 2027-29) will be passed on progressively.
Vidullanka PLC said project companies in which it holds equity submitted winning bids to develop 18.7 MW/93 MWh of battery energy storage integrated with existing ground-mounted solar plants; Vidullanka's estimated equity share is about Rs 600 million, with final awards and approvals pending.
The Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB) held its 36rd AGM and reported 2025 revenue up 45% to Rs.2.41 billion and PAT up 42% to Rs.1.48 billion. Total credit reports rose 41% to 13.46m, CRIB Score adoption jumped 89% to 7.7m, and it is accelerating AI-driven credit intelligence and data-protection measures.
The Association of Professional Bankers ran a CPD event preparing Sri Lanka's banking sector for its APG mutual evaluation (on-site 26 Oct-6 Nov 2026) that will assess AML/CFT/PF technical compliance and effectiveness. Speakers urged a shift from documentation-led checks to outcome-focused, risk-based controls.
Sri Lanka's government debt market was volatile but ended lower-to-steady across the curve, with T-Bill yields rising for a second week: 91-day 9.20%, 182-day 9.37% and 364-day 9.93% after the auction. Money-market liquidity stayed elevated at ~Rs.371bn, foreign holdings of rupee treasuries fell below Rs.200bn and the rupee appreciated to ~Rs.330.45.
Sri Lanka's rupee was quoted at 330.50/65 to the US dollar in the spot market, while government bond yields edged lower (e.g. the 01.08.2030 at 11.13/20% and the 15.10.2030 at 11.18/25%). The All Share Price Index was up 0.06% at 21,050.
XpressJobs has been appointed Official Recruitment Partner of Sri Lanka Skills Expo 2026 for a third consecutive year. The Expo runs 23-25 October 2026 at Viharamahadevi Park, is organised by the Ministry of Education and partners, and is expected to draw over 300,000 visitors.
Rosh Kumarasinghe, founder of Beauty by Rosh, became the first South Asian Makeup Director on Milan Fashion Week's official schedule and her brand is the first Australian makeup brand to sponsor main-schedule shows as makeup partner.
Cinnamon Bentota Beach, Signature Selection will host 'The Italian Table' on 17 October 2026, featuring a guided sommelier masterclass and a five-course Italian dinner priced at LKR 32,000 nett per person. An Event + Stay package is offered at LKR 114,240 nett for two, including accommodation and discounts on wellness, watersports and F&B.
Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) hosted its Pinnacle Awards to honour top Commercial performers, with Janith Senevirathna named 'Trade Marketing Executive of the Year' and several other staff recognised for excellence.
Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC's EKHO brand opened EKHO Belihuloya, a 16-room hotel, the sixth property in the EKHO portfolio. The property is positioned in a new 'Adventure Cluster' to boost nature- and activity-led stays, with Kithulgala Rest House also being transformed to join the cluster.
Roar AI will be the National AI Gateway Partner for Sri Lanka AI Week 2026 (25-30 Sept, Colombo), providing unified access to global AI models with local-currency billing, local deployment, configurable guardrails and local support to help accelerate AI adoption in Sri Lanka.
Samsung Sri Lanka launched a new Mini LED TV range on 24 Sep 2026, including the 75" UA75M70HARXSG (MOP LKR 649,999) and 85" UA85M70HARXSG (MOP LKR 839,999), featuring Vision AI, NQ4 AI Gen2 processing, Mini LED and gaming features. The lineup will be sold via authorised retail partners including Singer Sri Lanka with selected promotions and EMI/payment options.
Daraz Sri Lanka won a Bronze award in the E-commerce/Online-Based Businesses category at SLIM DIGIS 2.6 for its 2025 11.11 campaign, recognised for its integrated in-app experience, influencer-led communication and WhatsApp engagement. The company says it will build on this digital approach for the upcoming 11.11 sale.
Vasan Eye Care Hospital was named "Ophthalmology Service Provider of the Year in Sri Lanka, 2026" at the GlobalHealth Sri Lanka Conference & Awards 2026. The award recognises the hospital's specialist ophthalmology services and patient-focused care as it expands access to comprehensive eye care in Sri Lanka.
Siyapatha Finance PLC held "Echoes of Earth, A Journey into Nature" on 11 Sept 2026 at Beddagana Wetland Park, an experiential environmental learning programme for its Sustainability Task Team. The initiative aims to deepen employee understanding of biodiversity and embed sustainability practices into the company's everyday operations.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka has released "Sri Lanka Socio-Economic Data, 2026", the 49th annual data folder. The booklet covers 14 socio-economic topics; an electronic version is available on the CBSL website and printed copies are sold for Rs.100 at the Central Bank counter.
Huawei Cloud was named a Leader in Gartner's 2026 Magic Quadrant for Container Management, cited for its ability to execute and completeness of vision. Gartner assessed container management across cloud-native, AI training/inference, edge and hybrid scenarios; the piece highlights Huawei's container portfolio and AI infrastructure investments.
Sri Lanka AI Week 2026, pioneered by the Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL, kicked off on 25 Sept with an AI Hackathon involving students from 27 universities. The week (25-30 Sept) includes an AI Exhibition on 29-30 Sept with 35+ exhibitors, including Huawei, ZTE, Google and Microsoft.
City of Dreams Sri Lanka, billed as South Asia's first and largest fully integrated resort, establishes a mixed-use destination in central Colombo combining luxury accommodation, gaming, retail, dining and MICE facilities. The resort aims to extend visitor stays in Colombo and create opportunities for local brands and skills development.