News & market updates

Sri Lanka's cabinet approved a five-year national policy (2026–2030) to prevent money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing. The policy is based on the Central Bank FIU's third National Risk Assessment aligned with FATF standards and follows recent banking cyber incidents, including a US$2.5m treasury fraud.

The Sri Lanka Shippers' Council urged sweeping trade facilitation reforms to eliminate hidden logistics costs and accelerate digitalisation to boost exporters' competitiveness, speaking at its 60th anniversary and 56th AGM.

Global markets fell sharply as Gulf tensions and Iran's claim to have closed the Strait of Hormuz drove Brent crude up 4.3% to $79.31/bbl, lifting bond yields and reviving inflation and interest-rate tightening concerns.

Short Circuit appointed five senior leaders across its portfolio: Lahiru Dissanayake as CEO, Kasun Delgolla as CTO, Mevan Perera as CMO (Surge Global & Calcey), Yohan Wijesiriwardane as CEO of Payable, and Steve Ludewyke as CPO of SurgeOS. The restructure shifts the group from a founder-led model toward a leadership-led platform to scale its technology, payments and product businesses.

Logical, a Sri Lankan-founded AI startup, was accepted into Y Combinator and has raised over LKR 150 million to develop a proactive desktop AI copilot for knowledge workers.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors will host the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo, featuring speakers such as H.E. Mohamed Nasheed, Selva Pankaj and Duleesha Kulasooriya to discuss boards' shift from compliance to sustainable growth, AI and cyber governance.

Lanka IOC PLC held its 24th AGM on 09 July 2026 where shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026 and declared a dividend. The board highlighted strategic priorities including digital transformation, retail network expansion, growth in lubricants/petrochemicals, and pursuit of EV charging and renewable energy projects.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Australia's High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth reaffirmed support for Sri Lanka's bid to join RCEP and urged continued trade reforms and full digitalisation of border processes to strengthen competitiveness and integrate into regional supply chains.

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Sri Lanka's Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy, met Malaysia's Secretary‑General Datuk Abdul Halim bin Hamzah in Geneva to exchange strategic approaches for improving public digital services and AI governance. The discussion took place on the sidelines of the WSIS Forum and AI for Good Global Summit 2026.

Binance held a 9th anniversary community meetup in Colombo on 12 July attended by 500+ people to promote secure blockchain literacy, wallet security and Web3 talent development. The event underscores efforts to build a local digital ecosystem aligned with Sri Lanka's shift toward digital-first growth.

Sysco LABS renewed its role as Strategic Partner of the AmCham Internship Bootcamp 2026, supporting mentorship and internship opportunities that provide final-year university students with a 'Fast Track to Corporate' experience.

Visa hosted the Sri Lanka Cybersecurity Conclave on 25 June 2026, convening banks, government and regulators to address AI-driven cyber threats, fraud prevention and Visa's security solutions. Participants stressed threat intelligence, real-time response and information sharing.

Hikvision Sri Lanka held the Shaping Intelligence – Smart Building Summit 2026, showcasing AIoT building-management and security solutions and recording 157 participants.

HyperCon 2026, a two-day gaming, esports and digital entertainment convention organized by NXL Entertainment and TRIOSLK, will be held 1-2 August 2026 at the Royal MAS Arena and RCU Skills Centre in Colombo, projected to attract 4,000+ on-site visitors and 100,000+ online viewers.

Sri Lanka's high-level delegation, led by Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, participated in the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva (6–7 July), reaffirming the country's commitment to international cooperation, digital equity and a fair, secure global digital order.

TRCSL Director General Bandula Herath presented Sri Lanka's digital regulatory reforms at WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva, highlighting new spectrum auction rules, infrastructure-sharing regulations, broadband QoS standards, updated provider licensing and strengthened SIM registration to boost transparency, investment and connectivity.

AmCham Sri Lanka led a delegation to the AmChams of Asia Pacific Washington Doorknock (21–24 June 2026) to lobby US policymakers on the US–Sri Lanka bilateral trade agreement, Section 301 issues affecting exporters (notably apparel), and to seek US investment and development finance support.