News & market updates

Suwasevana Hospital renewed a three-year MoU with the National Insurance Trust Fund on Jan 6, 2026 to extend Agrahara-insured government employees benefits including free admission, free OPD consultations, 20% room discounts, 10% off investigations and free ambulance up to 10 km.

Union Assurance (UAL.N0000) hosted "Momentum 2026" at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, convening top advisers and launching its 2026 business strategy focused on strengthening adviser capability and delivering the brand purpose of "protecting what matters most."

Treasury bill yields fell across most maturities at Wednesday’s auction: 3-month down 2bp to 7.93% (all Rs 40bn sold), 6-month down 8bp to 8.36% (all Rs 60bn sold) and 12-month down 1bp to 8.47% with Rs 7.48bn of Rs 20bn offered sold.

Softlogic Life (AAIC.N0000) secured a USD 15 million five-year Tier 2 loan from Norfund and OP Finnfund Global Impact Fund I to bolster capital and fund growth. For the nine months to 30 Sep 2025 it reported Gross Written Premiums of Rs.28.2bn (+29% YoY), Profit Before Tax of Rs.3.3bn and a Capital Adequacy Ratio of 298%.

Softlogic Life Insurance PLC secured a $15 million five-year Tier 2 loan facility from Norfund and OP Finnfund to strengthen capital and support growth. For nine months to 30 Sep 2025, GWP rose 29% to Rs.28.2bn, PBT was Rs.3.3bn and Capital Adequacy Ratio 298%.

Money market liquidity surplus rose to Rs.200.77 billion, driving a secondary bond-market rally and lower yields. A Rs.125 billion weekly Treasury Bill auction (Rs.40bn 91-day, Rs.65bn 182-day, Rs.20bn 364-day) is scheduled; the rupee also showed slight appreciation.

FINEXT 2025 career fair at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura linked undergraduates with finance, technology and professional services firms; participating shortlisted companies included UAL.N0000, CALH.N0000, VLL.N0000, WLTH.N0000 and NDB.N0000. A panel on the export-oriented knowledge and professional services sector and onsite interviews provided recruitment and industry insights.

Colombo market ended flat as the ASPI fell 0.02% to 23,623.74 with turnover near Rs.5.17 billion and foreign investors net sold about Rs.91 million. Top negative contributors were SFCL, JKH, BUKI, CTHR and DFCC, while DOCK, ACL and RHL led turnover and HAYL and DOCK supported index performance.

LOLC General Insurance PLC is providing brand-new EV replacements for policyholders whose Browns EVs were declared total losses after Cyclone Ditwah. The insurer, backed by the LOLC Group and in collaboration with Browns EV, says it has settled many claims and is expediting remaining general insurance claims.

Ceylinco Life appointed industry veteran Dr. Kelum Senanayake as Consultant to lead training and support product design and operational improvements. Dr. Senanayake has over 40 years' insurance experience, including senior roles at Arpico Insurance and Union Assurance.

The Sri Lankan rupee closed at 309.72/77 to the US dollar, roughly unchanged from Friday, while government bond yields fell across maturities (e.g., the 15.12.2029 bond eased to 9.65–9.69% from 9.70–9.75%).

Ceylinco Life appointed industry veteran Dr Kelum Senanayake as a Consultant to lead training and support product design and development. The hire draws on his 40+ years in insurance and prior senior roles at Arpico Insurance, Union Assurance and Richard Pieris-related companies.

Janashakthi Life (Janashakthi Limited) appointed Namalee A. Silva as Chief Business Officer and Shankar Dharmaratne as Chief Digital Officer, bringing ~36 and ~25 years of experience to drive business growth and digital transformation.

Police warned of scams where fraudsters use social media and phone calls to obtain bank details, OTPs and passwords and coerce victims into transferring funds; the public was urged to verify contacts, avoid sharing credentials or clicking suspicious links, and report incidents to the Cyber Crime Unit.

Softlogic Life launched a viral national marketing campaign at the start of 2026 promoting Sri Lankan resilience and positivity, gaining strong organic traction across traditional, digital and social platforms. The campaign uses a children's musical remake of 'E Rate Minissu' to boost national confidence and the insurer's brand.

ASPI hit a new high at 23,731.60 after Friday's 0.10% rise (22.9 pts) while the S&P SL20 rose 0.28% to 6,560.08; market turnover was Rs.4.73bn with foreign net inflow of Rs.65.3m. Top positive contributors were COMB, DFCC, CTHR, NAMU and COOP, and banking made up 38% of turnover.

Janashakthi Life, a subsidiary of JXG, appointed Namalee A. Silva as Chief Business Officer and Shankar Dharmaratne as Chief Digital Officer to accelerate business growth and drive digital transformation.

Colombo Stock Exchange rose 0.10% to close the ASPI at 23,731.60 on Friday, led by gains in Commercial Bank, DFCC Bank, C T Holdings, Namunukula Plantations and Co-operative Insurance. Market turnover fell to Rs4.7bn from Rs9.2bn, with banks and capital goods among key contributing sectors.

AIA Insurance was ranked #1 Life Insurer in Customer Excellence in the LMD Customer Service Excellence Survey 2025, based on over 3,200 online responses across 40 service categories.

Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Ltd. (SLICGL) hosted the 2nd General Insurance Pinnacle Achiever Awards in Indonesia, honouring 33 Sri Lankan and 10 Indonesian general insurance sales professionals and promoting a global benchmark for GI sales excellence.

Insurers have received claims exceeding Rs.52 billion from more than 24,200 clients after Cyclone Ditwah, a topic discussed at an SLII forum featuring Ceylinco Holdings' executive and other industry leaders. Panelists warned reinsurance costs may rise, highlighted low insurance penetration, and urged product innovation like micro and parametric covers.

AIA Insurance was ranked No.1 Life Insurer in Customer Excellence in the LMD Customer Service Excellence Survey 2025, based on over 3,200 online responses. The award highlights AIA Sri Lanka's customer-centric service approach and ongoing service enhancements.

Sri Lanka sold Rs13,575 million of Treasury bills on tap at average yields of 7.95% (3-month) and 8.48% (12-month), bringing total bills sold this week to Rs110 billion; settlement 16 January.

Rupee closed weaker at 309.35/50 per USD while government bond yields recovered and fell across the curve (e.g., 15.12.2026 at 8.45/50%, 15.03.2028 at 9.05/10%, 15.12.2029 at 9.70/72%). Dealers said several block trades were executed.

Sri Lanka sold Rs9,000 million of Treasury bonds on tap at average yields set at this week's auction, bringing the week's total bond sales to Rs193.79 billion; 01 Mar 2030 sold at 9.74% and 01 Jun 2033 at 10.65%. Settlement date Jan 16.

Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Ltd hosted the 2nd Annual General Insurance Pinnacle Achiever (GIPA) Awards in Indonesia, honoring the top 33 Sri Lankan and 10 Indonesian general insurance sales professionals and promoting GIPA as an international benchmark for GI sales excellence.

SLII hosted a forum on the 'Aftermath of Ditwah' where regulators and insurers reported insurers had received claims exceeding Rs. 52 billion from more than 24,200 clients as of 5 Jan 2026. Panelists warned reinsurance costs may rise and urged regulatory reform, a national catastrophe scheme and micro/parametric products.