News & market updates

Dividend · Rs 7.00 · XD Sep 2, 2026

Final dividend of LKR 7/share; XD 2026-09-02; record 2026-09-03; payable 2026-09-17; FY 31 March 2026

Rush Lanka's Rush Metropolis in Dehiwala received Board of Investment (BOI) approval on 23 July. The project is a 125-unit highrise with amenities including a swimming pool, gym, kids' play area and rooftop gathering space, and the company says BOI status adds regulatory credibility.

Sri Lanka recorded a nominal budget surplus of Rs. 9.5 billion in the first half of 2026, reversing a Rs. 405.6 billion deficit a year earlier. Revenue rose 27% to Rs. 2,956.0 billion while total spending increased 8% and interest payments fell 2%, enabling a 24% rise in capital spending.

Gateway College has acquired the 3.2-acre Regent Country Club site in Malabe from Prime Lands to develop a new state‑of‑the‑art international school; the property already includes a banquet hall, offices, pool and other facilities and will expand Gateway's school network.

Sri Lanka's rupee strengthened to 335.65/80 per US dollar in the spot market from 336.00/10 the previous day, dealers said. Government bond yields edged lower, with the 15.10.2030 bond around 11.55-11.60% and the 01.07.2037 bond about 12.75-12.80%.

ADB will deploy $450 million to help Cambodia and Sri Lanka-$250m for Cambodia's RISE program and $200m (including $100m additional financing) for Sri Lanka's Trade, Investment and Industry Development Program. Measures include income support for over 1 million Cambodian households, promotion of clean energy and reforms to boost Sri Lankan trade, investment and export diversification.

ADB will deploy $450m regionally and provide a $200m policy-based loan to Sri Lanka (including $100m in additional financing) to help shield the economy from the Middle East conflict. The program backs reforms to modernise trade systems, boost SME competitiveness, attract investment and diversify exports.

Seylan Bank PLC reported 1H 2026 PAT of Rs. 6,080 million, up 10.78% YoY (PBT Rs. 9,298 million, up 10.10%), with total assets of Rs. 976 billion and EPS of Rs. 9.57; NIM eased to 4.16% while impairment charges rose to Rs. 733 million.

Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd. reported a Profit After Tax of Rs. 48.5 million for the year ended 2025, its first profit since 2017. Revenue was Rs. 5.38 billion, EBITDA rose to Rs. 1.22 billion and operating profit doubled to Rs. 746 million, boosted by a room refurbishment and stronger tourism demand.

The Government will start a Paperless Customs Declaration Processing System from 1 Oct, integrating LankaSign digital signatures with ASYCUDA to allow electronic submission of Customs documentation. Customs also exceeded its July revenue target, collecting Rs. 227.6 billion in the first 27 days.

Court of Appeal fixed 2 October to hear objections in a petition seeking to bar regulators from approving rice and sugar as primary ingredients in beer production. Petitioners say the practice breaches the Excise Ordinance (beer defined as malt-based) and could divert subsidised rice, harming food security.

The Central Bank will begin compensating insured depositors of Nation Lanka Finance PLC from 1 August via selected People's Bank branches, under the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme with payouts up to Rs.1.1 million; the finance company's licence was cancelled effective 3 July and claims can be lodged until 2 July 2032.

Treasury Bond auctions raised the full Rs.250 billion offered in the first phase, with weighted average yields of 11.90% (01.02.2031), 12.42% (15.10.2034), 12.91% (15.08.2036) and 13.01% (01.07.2037). The secondary bond market rallied after the auction, pushing yields below prior levels, while the rupee gained marginally to around Rs.336 on spot contracts.

Beruwala Resorts PLC obtained a Rs. 60 million short-term working-capital loan from its ultimate parent, Colombo Fort Land & Building PLC, at AWPLR + 2%. The Related Party Transactions Review Committee said the transaction was on normal commercial terms and not prejudicial to minority shareholders.

Bogala Graphite Lanka said it has been notified of an indirect change of control after its majority shareholder Graphit Kropfmühl GmbH, which holds an 86.46% stake, was sold to a wholly owned subsidiary of Asbury Advanced Materials. The company reported no changes to operations or management; shares closed Rs.2.75 lower at Rs.134.

Sri Lanka's public debt management office sold Rs14,000 million of 3-, 6- and 12-month Treasury bills on tap at average yields of 9.86%, 10.21% and 10.20%, bringing total bills sold this week to Rs154 billion; total market subscription was Rs41,324 million.

Prime Group opened its eighth branch in Gampaha (No. 6, Mangala Road) to expand its islandwide presence and bring real estate services closer to customers; the branch is open from 8:30 a.m. The move reinforces the group's long-term regional expansion after 30 years of projects in the district.

Celeste has appointed Dayan Pandithasekera as Chief Operating Officer to lead the next phase of growth as the quick-commerce retailer scales operations and serves nearly 200,000 customers. Pandithasekera brings over two decades of commercial and operational experience from Unilever, Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Maliban and will focus on execution, scalability, technology and customer experience.

Singer Sri Lanka PLC has partnered with Fairfirst Insurance to offer in-store motor insurance across Singer's 425+ showrooms, allowing customers to purchase policies via QR code and digitally enabled systems to simplify and broaden access nationwide.

Full'r Burgers, operated by Giga Foods, opened its second Malabe outlet, expanding the brand's footprint to serve the area's growing residential and commercial population and improve customer accessibility.

Giga Foods opened Solo Bowl and Indian Affair at a new Malabe location, adding two brands under one site to expand its multi-brand restaurant presence and serve the area's growing residential, educational and business communities.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed lower on Friday: ASPI down 0.09% (19.50 pts) at 21,129.21 and S&P SL20 down 0.01% at 5,945.22. Market turnover was Rs 4.35 billion, with capital goods leading at Rs 1.35 billion; Hemas, Haycarb, Melstacorp and Vallibel One were positive contributors while HNB, Central Finance and DFCC were negative contributors.

Sunshine Holdings PLC launched a Group-wide data, digital and AI transformation called 'Reimagining the Future: Sunshine's Digital Evolution Journey' to become data-driven and AI-ready. The group appointed Beyond: Putting Data to Work for organisational readiness and Ernst & Young Sri Lanka for enterprise technology and ERP design.

City of Dreams Sri Lanka marks its first anniversary on 2 August 2026 and will run month-long celebrations in August, including 30% off food & beverages (1-9 Aug), anniversary set menus (10-16 Aug) and international guest-chef dining events to promote Colombo's tourism and hospitality offering.

Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) has been certified by Great Place to Work for 2026 after 88% of employees said it's a great place to work. CWIT also said it is the first container terminal in Sri Lanka to earn the certification and reached 1 million TEUs within 11 months of commissioning.

Morocco's inwi and Huawei have commercially deployed a dual-band 1.8/2.1 GHz 8T8R antenna solution along major high-speed rail and highway routes, delivering a 13 dB coverage gain, nearly 1 km extra reach, 83% higher average downlink throughput, 3.2× more active users and 30% larger single-site coverage.

Spa Ceylon hosted Sri Lanka's first Nature Trail Wellness Run at Diyatha Uyana on 18 July, attracting more than 400 participants. The sunrise event combined a run with yoga, recovery treatments and Ayurveda-led wellness experiences and is billed as the first in a series of immersive community wellbeing events.

SLIIT's International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC) has been upgraded to a fully IEEE-sponsored international conference and will be held as the IEEE International Conference on Advancements in Computing on 9-10 December 2026 at SLIIT, Malabe.

City of Dreams Sri Lanka marks its first anniversary, with its two hotels achieving five-star status and the integrated resort reporting notable contributions to tourism, employment and MICE growth. The destination combines luxury hotels, dining, entertainment and events and plans further expansion and international partnerships.