News & market updates

John Keells Group (via John Keells Properties) and Indra Traders completed TRI-ZEN, an 897-unit apartment development in central Colombo. Over 500 handovers have been made to date and the project offers one- to three-bedroom units with extensive amenities.

Samsung Sri Lanka held a Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb 11 at Lotus Tower to unveil the Galaxy S25 Series, with retail partners including John Keells, Singer, Softlogic and Dialog present to demo and retail the new devices. Attendees praised the S25's AI, camera and design enhancements.

CFA Society Sri Lanka honoured the top 25 employers supporting CFA charterholders and candidates. Recognised local listed firms include John Keells, Hayleys, DFCC Bank, Hatton National Bank, Hemas, Commercial Bank and Capital Alliance.

ASPI rose 48 points (0.3%) to 16,479 on low turnover of Rs. 1.7 billion, led by gains in the banking sector. HNB, Commercial Bank and Sampath were top positive contributors (with CTC and LLUB also supportive) while CFIN, JKH and DFCC exerted downward pressure; banks accounted for 45% of turnover.

John Keells Logistics (JKLL), a fully owned subsidiary of John Keells Holdings PLC, has partnered with Macktiles Lanka to manage and modernise its transport operations using advanced transport-management technology and real-time tracking to improve distribution efficiency.

Sri Lanka's ASPI closed up 0.72% as renewed buying interest lifted the market, led by financials and with tourism stocks in focus; turnover was Rs 1.6 billion and there was a net foreign outflow of Rs 123 million.

Sri Lanka's ASPI fell 1.96% to 16,345.01 as stocks pulled back, dragged by financials amid thin turnover of LKR 2.3bn and a net foreign outflow of LKR 64m. Top decliners included Ceylinco, Commercial Bank, HNB, Melstacorp and LOLC while banking stocks saw the highest turnover.

Colombo Stock Exchange fell 1.20% (ASPI down 202.38 pts to 16,686.93) as banking-sector selling weighed on the market and turnover slid to 2.1 billion rupees with share volume down 45%. Top negatives included HNB, NDB, Commercial Bank, Central Finance and DFCC; Access Engineering’s subsidiary signed a PPA with the CEB.

Retail IT Pvt Ltd hosted the Retail Technology Trends 2025 event showcasing POS systems, Smart POS, ERP and payment innovations, with participation from John Keells Holdings' senior IT executive and long-standing Posiflex partnership. The event demonstrated retail tech solutions aimed at supermarkets, hospitality and apparel retailers.

Colombo bourse rebounded on Friday—ASPI +0.18%, S&P SL20 +0.6%—but ended the week down 0.3% and 0.6%; Friday turnover was Rs.3.5bn (weekly avg Rs.4.2bn). The banking sector led turnover (57%) and gained 0.89%, with COMB, MELS, JKH, NDB and SAMP among top contributors; net foreign outflow Rs.749.8m.

Colombo market fell for a second day as the ASPI dropped 1.2% to 16,859 (≈215 pts) with turnover of Rs.2.9bn and a Rs.381mn foreign outflow; the Banking sector led the decline with HNB, Sampath Bank and NDB among the top negative contributors.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed up 0.3% as the ASPI rose 0.18% (30.34 pts) to 16,889.31, with turnover slowing to 3.5 million rupees and a net foreign outflow of 749 million rupees. Bank stocks led activity—Commercial Bank, NDB, Sampath and HNB were top contributors, while John Keells and CIC saw high turnover.

Colombo Stock Exchange fell 0.9% as the ASPI dropped 0.86% to 16,927.13 amid profit-taking—especially in banks—and a net foreign outflow of Rs 380mn. DFCC reported an 80% rise in December-quarter profits and Sampath an 85% increase.

Colombo market closed lower as the ASPI fell 0.7% to 17,074 and the S&P SL20 dropped 0.8% on low turnover of Rs.3.7 billion (35.8% below the monthly average). Banks dominated turnover (30%); BUKI and SEMB were top positive contributors while COMB, HNB, HHL, JKH, CTC, SAMP and NDB were among the top decliners.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed down 0.70% to ASPI 17,074.02 on turnover Rs3.6bn, with a net foreign inflow of Rs307mn. Top turnover and movers included Dialog, Commercial Bank, Hemas, HNB and John Keells; LB Finance announced a Rs2.25 interim dividend.

President Dissanayake said Budget 2025 aims to raise government revenue to 15.1% of GDP and use a three-year debt moratorium under the IMF program to restore debt repayment capacity by 2028. The budget highlights tourism promotion, a port‑centric transshipment hub and rural SME development, measures likely to benefit listed hotels.

Colombo market closed marginally higher with ASPI +0.2% and S&P SL20 +0.6% on turnover of Rs.5.5bn. Banking led turnover (30%) and gained 1.25%; notable moves included Sampath +Rs1, Commercial Bank +Rs2, Sierra Cables +Rs0.40, Lanka IOC +Rs0.50 and LOLC -Rs4, with net foreign outflow of Rs.93m.

Sri Lanka will call for expressions of interest to develop Colombo West Terminal II within one month and seek investors for Colombo north port; ADB is supporting the expansion and West Terminal I (built by Adani and John Keells) is due to open shortly.

Colombo market closed the week higher as ASPI and S&P SL20 rose about 2% (ASPI 16,937, +358 pts) with turnover Rs.5 billion, led by banks, capital goods and food & beverage stocks ahead of the 2025 Budget.

Sri Lanka's ASPI closed up 2.18% (362.03 pts) at 16,940.25, led by gains in diversified counters and bank stocks; the S&P SL20 rose 1.88% to 5,037.52, turnover was 4.8 billion rupees and net foreign outflow was 513 million rupees.

Cinnamon Lodge Habarana (Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts) has launched Sri Lanka's first Sigiriya Virtual Reality experience for guests, offering a pre-visit exploration of the 5th-century Sigiriya Rock Fortress. The initiative is positioned to enhance guest experiences and support sustainable cultural tourism.

John Keells Properties' VIMAN Street Cricket Cup 2025 concluded on 2 Feb 2025 at BOI Cricket Ground, Katunayake, promoting grassroots women's cricket with Devi Balika Vidyalaya (U16) and Anula Vidyalaya (U19) crowned champions. Sponsors included Union Bank of Colombo, Hatton National Bank and Ceylon Cold Stores (Elephant House), and the event ties into the VIMAN Ja-Ela property project.

ASPI rose ~232 points (1.41%) to 16,578 as the Colombo market returned to positive territory with turnover of Rs.3.58bn. Ceylinco, Central Finance, Sampath, LOLC and NDB were top positive contributors while CTC, HNB and SPEN weighed on the index; Ambeon, JKH and Printcare also gained.

Sri Lanka's ASPI closed up 1.42% at 16,578.22, led by banks and finance stocks, with a net foreign outflow of 892 million rupees. Top contributors included Ceylinco (+9.3%), Central Finance (+6.0%), Sampath (+2.1%) and NDB (+2.4%), while Ambeon saw heavy foreign selling.

Samsung Sri Lanka launched the Galaxy S25 series (S25 Ultra, S25+, S25) with up to Rs.51,850 in discounts, 2-year/2-time screen replacement (Rs.143,830 value) and bundled 1TB free data from Dialog & SLT Mobitel. Devices are available through John Keells Office Automation, Singer, Softlogic, Damro, Dialog, SLT Mobitel and authorized dealers nationwide.

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts has opened Kandy Myst by Cinnamon on Feb 12, 2025 — a USD 40 million, 215-room hotel, the largest room inventory in Kandy. The property features a 500-seat buffet restaurant, Kosmos Skybar with infinity pool and Terra Lounge.

Colombo bourse fell as the ASPI dropped 1.01% to 16,566 with turnover of Rs.2.07bn and foreigners closing as net sellers. CINS and JKH were among the main negatives while SAMP and GUAR were top positives; banking led turnover (29%) and capital goods plus food & beverage accounted for 33%.

Sri Lanka stocks fell, with the ASPI down 1.01% to 16,566.27 as investors awaited next week's government budget; turnover was low at Rs 2.07 billion and net foreign outflows totalled Rs 35.5 million, with financials and capital goods weighing on the market.

The ASPI fell 2.3% for the first week of February despite a 1.38% rebound on Friday; weekly turnover averaged Rs.4.16bn and Friday turnover was Rs.2bn. Ceylinco, Melstacorp, John Keells and Aitken Spence were among Friday's top contributors, while Watawala, Seylan Bank and SMB Finance were key detractors.

Colombo's ASPI rebounded, rising over 50 points (0.3%) after a prior Rs.188 billion drop, with bargain buying lifting the market and the banking sector leading turnover. Sampath, DFCC, Seylan, C T Holdings and John Keells were top positive contributors while Ceylinco and Aitken Spence weighed on the index.