News & market updates

The Colombo market extended its recovery into a second session as the ASPI rose 0.20% to 21,229.14, with turnover above Rs. 2 billion and foreign investors net sellers of over Rs. 1 billion. Top contributors to the rise were Colombo Dockyard, John Keells Holdings, Commercial Bank, ACL Cables and NDB Bank.

John Keells Holdings (JKH.N0000) will launch Wendy's in Sri Lanka as part of a Consumer Foods expansion; franchise agreements and preliminary work are complete and the first outlet is expected by December 2026.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher, the ASPI rose 0.20% (41.92 pts) to 21,229.14 and turnover was Rs 2.02bn with retail leading at Rs 1.04bn. SANASA Life said escrow proceeds were released and invested in government securities, and Odel restarted construction on Zone 1 of its mall with completion expected in 1.5-2 years.

The CSE opened higher with the ASPI up 0.07% at 21,187.22 and the S&P SL20 up 0.10% at 5,948.74; market turnover exceeded Rs.2bn and foreigners were net buyers (Rs.15.7m). John Keells, Hayleys and HNB were key contributors while capital goods and banking led turnover.

Talawakelle Tea Estates' Somerset estate sold a single lot for Rs. 3,050/kg in March 2025, the highest price for the region. The estate also generated 3,622,254 kWh from its 1,100 kW hydro plant in FY2025/26 and has introduced digital weighing, cloud monitoring and drone fertiliser use.

Colombo Stock Exchange midday: ASPI rose 0.56% to 21,306.64, led by gains in Colombo Dockyard, Dialog Axiata, Melstacorp, PGP Glass, Commercial Bank and Kelani Cables while Vidullanka fell. R I L Property disclosed public shareholding is 46.1071% after prior miscalculations.

Alumex PLC has deployed four AI and IoT-enabled innovations — including a new AI/IoT extrusion line, Golden Batch extrusion digitisation, a scrap optimisation tool, an AI knowledge hub and IoT energy monitoring — to boost export competitiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

CSE indices rose modestly and turnover reached Rs.2.07 billion, led by John Keells Holdings with Rs.661 million traded; ASPI closed up 14.48 pts at 21,187.22 and S&P SL20 gained 6.18 pts to 5,948.74.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed flat, ASPI up 0.07% to 21,187.22 with turnover of 2.07 billion rupees; capital goods led turnover at 866 million rupees.

Hemas Holdings' Hemas Hospitals and Adora Cosmetic Centre won seven national honours at the GlobalHealth Sri Lanka Awards 2026 — the highest number by any hospital group, with awards across cosmetic & plastic surgery, laser treatments, urology, ambulatory care and corporate wellness.

Hayleys PLC (via Hayleys Plantations) has partnered with UNDP BIOFIN to implement Payment for Ecosystem Services projects across its estates, covering Talawakelle Tea Estates, Horana Plantations and Kelani Valley Plantations. Projects include watershed conservation, biodiversity-restoration with tourism integration and a PES model evaluation.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI rose 0.57% (up 120.83 pts) to 21,293.57 at midday, with market turnover LKR 264 million and capital goods leading turnover at LKR 80.9 million. Ceylon Cold Stores reported June-quarter profit of LKR 1.063 billion, down 3% year-on-year.

Hayleys Plantations, partnering with UNDP BIOFIN, is advancing Payment for Ecosystem Services projects at Talawakelle Tea Estates (Great Western, Wattagoda), Horana Plantations' Bambarakelly Estate and Kelani Valley's Halgolla Estate to fund watershed protection, biodiversity restoration and tourism-linked conservation.

India amended its DTAA with Sri Lanka to add a Principal Purpose Test (Protocol signed 16 Dec 2024, entered into force 19 Jun 2026; India applies amendments for fiscal years from 1 Apr 2027), and Deloitte urges Sri Lanka to modernise its treaty network. Sri Lanka has not joined the MLI, so updates would require bilateral negotiations.

John Keells Group's Keells supermarkets have enabled Dialog Pay across their 150 stores nationwide, allowing customers to use scan-and-pay, link eZ Cash or bank accounts, and earn complimentary Dialog data rewards on eligible transactions.

The ASPI fell 1.09% (232.67 pts) over the week and the S&P SL20 declined 0.95% (57.12 pts). Declines were led by JKH, HNB, CINS, GRAN and BREW while a large negotiated crossing in UML supported market activity; weekly turnover was Rs.2.45bn and foreigners were net buyers of Rs.1.07bn.

SEC, CSE and CA Sri Lanka signed an MoU to implement XBRL-based reporting for companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, targeting rollout in the latter part of 2026. The CSE has procured and customised the XBRL platform and is completing UAT while a joint committee finalises the taxonomy and implementation framework.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.13% to 21,172.74 with market turnover of Rs 2.45 billion, led by retailing at Rs 1.036 billion. Melstacorp and Carson Cumberbatch were among positive contributors while HNB, Ceylinco Insurance and Ceylon Grain Elevators were top negatives.

Sri Lanka's ASPI fell 0.20% to 21,171.86 at Friday midday; market turnover was Rs.1.62 billion, led by retailing (Rs.1.029 billion). Melstacorp, John Keells and Cargills were up, while Bukit Darah and Ceylinco Insurance were among the top decliners.

Dr Binod Chaudhary said his group's BYD venture with John Keells expanded into 25 countries within a year and credited the partnership for that growth. He urged Sri Lankan boards to pair sound governance with global ambition, citing Wai Wai's export success and the need to embrace AI.

Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne urged boards and CEOs to set the tone on data privacy and embed protection into digital systems from the start, calling for stronger digital literacy and investment in secure infrastructure as Sri Lanka expands digital services.

Colombo market extended its rebound as the ASPI rose 0.24% (49.81 pts) to 21,199.37 and the S&P SL20 gained 0.22% to 5,945.87, with turnover about Rs.1.1bn and foreigners net sellers of Rs.188.6m. Top contributors included HNB, CARS, CINS, NDB and TKYO; NDB, SAMP and PKME gained while MELS fell and JKH closed flat.

Hayleys Agriculture Holdings opened Hayleys Nature Nest, Sri Lanka's first frozen concentrated coconut water manufacturing facility to produce premium concentrated coconut water for export. The facility is intended to boost value-added agricultural exports and support local coconut growers.

Colombo market rose after the Central Bank held policy rates steady; ASPI +0.02% to 21,149.56 while S&P SL20 fell 0.21%. SEYB, PKME, CARG and SEMB were main positive contributors as real estate management & development drove 65% of turnover with crossings in ONAL; foreigners net-sold Rs.241m.

South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) has reduced GHG emissions intensity by 21% versus its 2019/20 baseline and has recorded annual throughputs above 2 million TEUs in 2018, 2019 and 2024. Key measures include hybridising 28 of 31 RTG cranes (≈58% less diesel per move) and a 460 kW rooftop solar PV system generating 44,000 kWh/month.

Hayleys PLC's transportation and logistics arm Advantis has embedded an ESG strategy (HELIOS) across its operations and launched Advantis Blue C and Advantis Green C ecosystem restoration programmes, including mangrove projects and an MoU with Horana Plantations.

Hemas Holdings (HHL.N0000) says it has recovered 2.9 million kg of plastic by end-FY2025/26 as part of its Environmental Agenda 2030, pursuing plastic neutrality by 2030 while improving water efficiency, expanding renewables and scaling social/health initiatives.

Hayleys Fabric PLC won the Climate Action Award at the 3rd Global ESG & Sustainability Conference & Awards 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, recognising its measurable climate action including SBTi-validated Net Zero targets, renewable energy investments and decarbonisation initiatives.

Hayleys Plantations launched 'Regenerate', a unified ESG roadmap joining Talawakelle (TPL), Kelani Valley (KVAL) and Horana (HOPL) across 55 estates and ~14,000 ha with 2030 targets including a 42% reduction in Scope 1–3 emissions and 95% renewable-energy reliance. The plan also targets 90% regenerative agriculture, zero deforestation, 100% supplier ESG screening and digital/AI monitoring.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI rose 0.24% (up 49.81 points) to 21,199.37 on Thursday, with market turnover at Rs 1.078 billion and capital goods leading turnover at Rs 317.4 million. Top positive contributors included HNB, Carson Cumberbatch, Ceylinco Holdings and NDB, while Melstacorp and Hayleys were negative contributors.