News & market updates

Dialog Finance PLC partnered with Softlogic Life Insurance PLC to integrate its Genie Business Internet Payment Gateway, enabling customers to pay premiums via Visa, Mastercard and Amex with payment links, tokenisation and PCI DSS-certified security.

The Colombo Stock Exchange held the 7th CSE Masterminds Quiz, with Acuity Knowledge Partners (Team 2) winning the grand cash prize of Rs. 1,000,000. Sector winners included Dialog Finance (Leasing & Finance), John Keells Stock Brokers (Stock Brokering) and NDB Wealth Management, and many listed firms participated as sponsors.

Dialog Finance PLC launched three Lesi Pay smartphone financing features—doorstep delivery (within three working days), a buy-back upgrade program and device protection—offering instant app approvals, minimal down payments and up to 18 months flexible repayment.

Colombo ASPI rose 1.63% to 16,176.10 after a US‑China 90‑day tariff pause and some positive interim/annual results lifted markets. Banking names HNB, Central Finance, Commercial Bank and Sampath led gains while DFCC fell after interim results, Dialog Finance noted fraud-related legal action and coconut exporters slipped.

Uditha Jayasinghe was appointed Independent, Non-Executive Director of Dialog Finance PLC, filling the vacancy left by Ajith Akmeemana's resignation. He is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years' financial leadership experience and holds an MBA with distinction.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC won the Overall Gold Award for Excellence in Digital Payments at the LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2025. LOLC Finance PLC won Overall Gold in the Non‑Bank Financial Institutions category, with DFCC, L B Finance, Seylan, Amana and Hatton National Bank among other winners.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC won the Overall Gold Award for 'Excellence in Digital Payments' at the LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2025. Other shortlist winners included DFCC Bank, Hatton National Bank, Seylan Bank, Amana Bank, LOLC Finance, L B Finance and Dialog Finance.

Shivaan Kanag-Isvaran has been appointed to the Board of Dialog Finance PLC as an Independent, Non-Executive Director. He currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Ceylon Cold Stores PLC.

Fitch upgraded the national long-term ratings of 10 Sri Lankan non-bank financial institutions and affirmed eight after recalibrating the national scale; notable upgrades include Central Finance, L B Finance, HNB Finance, Merchant Bank, Abans Finance and Singer Finance, while UB Finance was affirmed with a negative outlook.

LIRNEasia held a forum on 7 Dec in Colombo on unlocking data for AI in Sri Lanka, focusing on energy-sector applications, data quality, real-time decision-making, cybersecurity and ethical governance. Speakers cited a household electricity dataset of ~4,000 households and international examples from Mexico and Bangladesh.

LIRNEasia hosted a forum in Colombo on Dec 7, 2024, on 'Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka', highlighting its energy dataset built from observations and surveys of over 4,000 households. Panels focused on data governance, ethical AI use, and data-driven energy management; Dialog Finance participated.

A new Fintech Forum Sri Lanka has launched to unite fintechs, banks and regulators to promote digital financial services, chaired by LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva; the board includes executives from LOLC Finance, Hatton National Bank, Commercial Bank and Dialog Finance. The forum will work with the Central Bank, ADB and BOI on policy, compliance, membership and international outreach.

Fintech Forum, Sri Lanka was launched and registered as a national association to represent and promote the fintech industry, collaborating with banks, NBFIs, LankaPay and the Central Bank; the inaugural board includes executives from LOLC Finance, Hatton National Bank, Commercial Bank and Dialog Finance.

Fintech Forum, Sri Lanka was launched as a national association to position Sri Lanka as a regional centre for Fintech, with an inaugural board including executives from LOLC Finance (LOFC.N0000), Hatton National Bank (HNB.N0000), Commercial Bank (COMB.N0000) and Dialog Finance (CALF.N0000).

Fintech Forum, Sri Lanka was established as a national association to promote Sri Lanka as a regional centre of excellence for fintech; the inaugural board includes senior executives from LankaPay and member firms such as LOLC Finance, Hatton National Bank, Commercial Bank and Dialog Finance. The forum will engage with the Central Bank and government to shape fintech regulation and foster partnerships and exports.