News & market updates

Hayleys PLC's Advantis Group completed the 'Advantis Ideastorm | Fast Track' program, receiving 51 submissions and identifying 37 implementable ideas that the group says boosted cashflows. The initiative awarded Advantis 3PL (Large) and Hayleys Unisyst (Small) Gold and aims to drive ongoing employee-led innovation across the group.

Colombo bourse closed marginally lower: ASPI down 0.02% at 17,117.18 and S&P SL20 down 0.65% at 5,126.31, turnover Rs8.4bn and net foreign outflow Rs923.9m. Buying interest returned to banks and finance stocks after vehicle import relaxation, and construction names such as Access Engineering saw inflows.

Hayleys Fentons received third-party verification of its GHG emissions statement from the Sri Lanka Climate Fund, covering over 71% of emission sources; the certification is intended to support regulatory compliance, investor confidence and renewable-energy/efficiency initiatives.

Hayleys Fentons Limited won the Construction Sector Award at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2024 for its renewable energy initiatives, social responsibility and governance excellence. The award highlights the construction arm's ESG leadership within the Hayleys group.

Hayleys PLC's Advantis Group concluded its 'Advantis Ideastorm | Fast Track' ideation drive, receiving 51 submissions with 37 ideas qualifying for implementation that the Group says delivered a notable boost to cashflows.

Hayleys Fentons completed third-party verification of its GHG emissions statement, certified by the Sri Lanka Climate Fund, documenting over 71% of sources across all six GHG categories. The company says the verification will support regulatory compliance and its moves into renewable energy and efficiency measures.

Colombo bourse hit record highs as ASPI rose 197 points (1%) to 17,025, led by banking stocks with Hatton National Bank up to Rs. 360.50 amid share-split rumours. Turnover was Rs. 9.78bn, banking and consumer stocks dominated activity and foreign investors were net sellers of Rs. 565.6m.

Fitch recalibrated Sri Lanka’s national rating scale, upgrading seven non-financial corporates (including Sri Lanka Telecom to AA-(lka), Windforce to A+(lka) and Resus Energy to A-(lka)) and revising Bogawantalawa Tea Estates to BBB+(lka).

Sri Lanka's ASPI rose 1.17% to 17,025.99 as stocks closed up 1.1%, led by gains in HNB, Central Finance, Hayleys, SFCL and LOLC-group names. Turnover was Rs 9.7bn with a net domestic inflow of Rs 565m, while some banks (Sampath, NDB, DFCC) fell.

The WCIC Prathibhabhisheka Women Entrepreneur Awards 2024 was held on 7 Jan 2025 to honour women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka and the SAARC region, naming Dr. Dilesha Perera (Dilchand) Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and multiple category winners. Event partners included Hayleys PLC and DFCC Bank.

Hayleys Fentons Limited (part of Hayleys Group) won the 'Best One Stop Destination for Engineering Needs, Sri Lanka 2024' award at the International Business Magazine Awards on 7 December 2024 in Dubai.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher as ASPI rose 0.71% to 16,373.15, led by banks and capital goods stocks. Heavy volumes included Sierra Cables, Teejay Lanka and LOLC Finance, with Teejay Lanka, NDB, DFCC and Ceylon Cold Stores among top contributors.

A session on 'Driving Growth in Value-Added Export Manufacturing' will be held at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit on 29 January, featuring Deloitte Thailand and industry figures including MAS Holdings CEO Suren Fernando and Hayleys' Rajitha Kariyawasan.

Colombo Stock Exchange rose as the ASPI closed up 1.42% at 16,152.35 and the S&P SL20 gained 2.02% to 4,905.19. Buying was concentrated in large-cap bluechips and banks, with DFCC, Sampath, NDB, HNB and Commercial Bank among top contributors.

Hayleys Fentons Limited won two awards at the CMA Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards 2024 on 3 Dec 2024, being named among the Ten Best Integrated Reports and Best Integrated Report in the Construction Sector. The 2023/24 report was recognised for clearly presenting the company’s value-creation story.

Hayleys PLC’s units won at SLIM Brand Excellence 2024: Hayleys Solar won Silver for Green Brand of the Year for a second consecutive year, while Hayleys Fentons received the Merit Award for B2B Brand of the Year.

A session on Driving Growth in Value-Added Export Manufacturing at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit on Jan 29 will include Haycarb MD Rajitha Kariyawasan and other industry and government speakers to discuss productivity, cost of doing business, innovation and labour law reforms.

Hayleys Solar installed a 168.56 kWp rooftop PV at A. Baur & Co.'s Colombo HQ, expected to cover >75% of the office's energy (233,792 kWh/yr) and offset ~170,622 kg CO2 annually. Baurs also plans a further 7 MW of solar across its warehouses and facilities.

Vietnam’s Ambassador met Hayleys PLC to discuss expanding economic cooperation and potential joint ventures in agriculture, plantations, transport, logistics and power; annual bilateral trade is around US$300m.

Hayleys PLC's Hayleys Animal Health unit had its Veterinary Pharmaceutical and Feed Supplement manufacturing plant in Sapugaskanda certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 22000:2018, ISO 45001:2018, HACCP and GMP. The certifications recognise the facility's quality, environmental, food safety and occupational health standards.

Hayleys PLC's Hayleys Animal Health had its new Sapugaskanda veterinary pharmaceutical and feed supplement manufacturing facility awarded ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 22000:2018, ISO 45001:2018, HACCP and GMP certifications, signaling upgraded quality, safety and compliance standards.

Hayleys Fentons Limited won the Gold award in the Construction Sector at the CA Sri Lanka TAGS Awards 2024 for integrated, digitally transformative and sustainability reporting, introducing braille/sign-language synopses and a dedicated microsite.

Colombo Stock Exchange fell with the ASPI down 1.06% (170.82 pts) to 15,878.60 and the S&P SL20 down 1.10% to 4,806.63 on turnover of 8.5 billion rupees. There was a net foreign inflow of 188 million rupees; top positive contributors included Browns Investments, Watawala Plantations, Lion Brewery, Hayleys and Hemas.

Colombo bourse ended a four-week winning run as the ASPI fell 299 points to 16,049 (-1.83%) and the S&P SL20 dropped 2.24%; turnover was Rs.11.48bn and foreigners were net buyers of Rs.142m. Sampath, Commercial Bank, LOLC, Melstacorp and Hayleys were among the top negative contributors while JKH gained.

After a 26-day rally, the CSE reversed course: ASPI fell 299.13 pts to 16,049.42 and the S&P SL20 dropped 46.05 pts to 4,925.82. Turnover was Rs.11.48bn led by Browns Investments (Rs.1.03bn), John Keells (Rs.882m), HNB (Rs.401m), Sampath (Rs.350m) and LOLC (Rs.305m); 189 stocks closed lower.

Colombo Stock Exchange ended 2024 higher, with the ASPI up 0.74% at 15,944.61 and the S&P SL20 up 1.01% at 4,862.10. Turnover was Rs7.7bn, banks/diversified financials and capital goods drew the most interest, and there was a net foreign inflow of Rs129mn.

Singer Group won two Gold Awards at the TAGS Awards 2024. Singer Finance (Lanka) PLC secured Gold in the Finance Companies, Leasing Companies & Other Financial Institutions category for groups with total assets between 25bn and 75bn.

Singer Finance (Lanka) PLC won the Gold award for Excellence in Annual Reporting at the CA Sri Lanka TAGS Annual Report Awards 2024 in the Finance Companies category (assets Rs. 25–75 billion). The company also received special recognition for Sustainability Reporting, Corporate Governance and Integrated Reporting; ultimate parent Hayleys PLC is noted.

Colombo market notched a 21st consecutive gain as the ASPI rose 1% (148 pts) to 15,168 on turnover of Rs.5.5bn, led by banking-sector activity; top contributors and heavy turnover included Hayleys, Central Finance, C T Holdings, Sampath, Richard Pieris, Commercial Bank, Royal Ceramics and Browns Investments.

Hayleys Electronics Ltd. hosted a partner forum in Kandy with over 40 local businesses and Huawei to showcase FusionSolar PV, ESS, Solax inverters and JA Solar panels. The event aims to expand HEL's renewable energy solutions and partner capabilities in Sri Lanka.