News & market updates

SLPA expects up to $2 billion of port-sector investment over the next 1–3 years as Colombo Port faces a capacity crunch; the ECT next year will raise Colombo capacity to 14m TEUs and Hambantota will add 2m TEUs. SLPA also plans EOIs for a 14-acre logistics hub and PPP projects including WCT II, Colombo North Port and marina/tourism developments.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared 15 categories of public services — including electricity, fuel distribution, healthcare, transport, ports/airports, water, telecoms, banking and insurance — as essential under the Essential Public Services Act to ensure uninterrupted services in post-disaster conditions.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce welcomed IMF approval of the 5th and 6th EFF reviews, enabling Sri Lanka to access about USD 695 million, and urged continued reform momentum to preserve macroeconomic stability amid external pressures. It reiterated measures including optimizing the fuel QR digital platform, clearer policy communication, and accelerating reforms in trade, tourism, logistics and digitalisation.

The Board of Investment launched the 'Ready to Invest' digital platform showcasing 30 pre-structured, shovel-ready projects across eight priority sectors to attract international capital. BOI says USD 1.9bn of approved projects are ready to break ground, with a further USD 1.4bn in the pipeline.

Sri Lanka's ASPI rose 0.50% to 22,309.23 midday Friday, with turnover Rs.240.5m and capital goods leading turnover at Rs.94.3m. Top movers included Access Engineering, Aitken Spence (declared Rs.4 tax-exempt dividend), Hemas and Central Finance while SMB Finance, Watawala, John Keells and Windforce fell.

Dividend · Rs 0.80 · XD Jun 9, 2026

Dividend of LKR 0.8/share; XD 2026-06-09; record 2026-06-09; payable 2026-06-26; FY 2026

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI rose 0.50% to 22,310.80, with diversified financials leading turnover at Rs.3.89bn and total turnover Rs.7.38bn. Aitken Spence reported Q1 profit of Rs.3.81bn and declared a tax-exempt Rs.4.00/share dividend; Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings declared a Rs.0.28/share tax-exempt dividend.

Prime Lands Residencies PLC (PLR.N0000) was named Developer of the Year, Sri Lanka at the Real Estate Asia Awards 2026. The company, the largest real-estate entity listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, has launched over 50 apartment projects with more than 45 completed.

Indian CEO Forum re-elected Kishore Reddy as president at its AGM and reaffirmed commitment to deepen India–Sri Lanka business ties; Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha urged investment, an upgraded FTA and cooperation across tourism, IT, infrastructure, manufacturing and services.

The BOI launched 'Ready to Invest', a digital platform showcasing over $3bn of investor-ready projects across eight priority sectors. BOI said Sri Lanka attracted $1.06bn FDI in 2025 and about $1.9bn of BOI-approved projects are set to commence, led by urban/mixed-use ($970m), manufacturing ($650m), tourism ($400m) and logistics ($385m).

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will inaugurate construction of Phase II (Rambukkana–Galagedara, 18.65 km) of the Central Expressway tomorrow. The government approved over Rs.112 billion in contracts across seven packages and will fully finance the project domestically.

IMF Executive Board completed the combined Fifth and Sixth reviews of Sri Lanka’s EFF, unlocking SDR508 million (≈US$695m) in immediate financing. Program performance was generally strong, but some continuous criteria were missed and risks from the Middle East war and Cyclone Ditwah weaken the outlook.

The Sri Lankan-German Business Forum 2026 opened in Colombo to promote bilateral trade and attract FDI, with a particular focus on maritime and logistics investment. The three-day forum features a startup and innovation showcase and panels on maritime development, export competitiveness, infrastructure financing and GSP+ trade concessions.

Altair, Moshe Safdie’s 240-metre residential tower, has unveiled an entrance and lobby upgrade designed by Philip Weeraratne Associates. The works, made after the parent was acquired by Blackstone, aim to strengthen the building’s premium, hospitality-oriented identity.

John Keells Holdings (JKH) posted Group EBITDA of Rs.80.01 billion for FY2025/26, up 75%. Recurring profit attributable rose 155% to Rs.13.24 billion; group units Nations Trust Bank (NTB) and Union Assurance (UAL) also reported improved results, with NTB completing the HSBC Sri Lanka retail acquisition.

John Keells Holdings reported FY2025/26 Group EBITDA of Rs.80.01bn (up 75%), recurring PBT of Rs.35.72bn (up 143%) and recurring profit attributable of Rs.13.24bn, and declared a final interim dividend of 10 cents to bring FY26 total to 30 cents (Rs.4.42bn). The group cited broad-based contributions from Retail, Transportation and Leisure, and noted improved performance at NTB and double-digit premium growth at Union Assurance.

Central Bank hiked the OPR by 100bps to 8.75%; T-bill yields rose sharply (91-day 9.36%, 182-day 9.68%, 364-day 9.83%) and the weekly auction was undersubscribed, while the secondary bond market turned bearish; USD/LKR closed around 324.50/326.00.

Altair has unveiled a redesigned entrance and lobby by Philip Weeraratne Associates, adding bronze-toned fins, new lighting, green walls and reconfigured seating to reinforce its premium residential identity; the upgrades follow Blackstone’s purchase of Altair’s parent company.

Colombo Stock Exchange was up midday, ASPI +0.54% to 22,294.71 with turnover Rs.700m and materials leading turnover at Rs.192.7m. Top movers included Hayleys, Sunshine and HNB (positive) while Royal Ceramics, SMB Finance and Aitken Spence fell; Jetwing Symphony declared a final dividend of Rs.0.50 and its shares rose 3.6%.

Tokyo Cement reported FY26 turnover of Rs.61,011m (+22%) and 4Q turnover of Rs.17,623m (+36%), with FY26 PAT of Rs.2,580m (down from Rs.3,459m). Profitability was hit by rupee depreciation, higher material, fuel and financing costs even as volumes rose 28% and national cement consumption grew 19% to 5.62m MT.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka said banks increased their willingness to lend in 1Q 2026, with loan demand rising across retail, corporate, SME and SOE sectors and overall NPLs declining; banks expect lending to rise further in 2Q while warning that geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions pose risks.

The Sri Lankan–German Business Forum 2026 will be held in Colombo on May 27–29 to bring German public and private sector representatives together with Sri Lankan stakeholders to explore collaboration and investment, focusing on maritime, logistics and IT. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and senior German officials will attend; sessions will cover port infrastructure financing, digitalisation and boosting exports to the EU.

The central bank hiked rates 100bp to 8.75%, and the Colombo Stock Exchange fell with the ASPI down 0.51% to 22,249.88; market turnover was Rs.2.99bn with insurance leading at Rs.2.6bn. Lanka Ashok Leyland proposed a final dividend of Rs30/share and Lighthouse Hotel declared a final dividend of Rs3/share.

Home Lands unveiled 'Central Park Boulevard Port City', a twin-tower 37-floor development with 630 ultra-luxury units, offering pre-launch rates of $300–$400 per sq ft and prices from Rs.60m (1BR) to Rs.140m (3BR). The project is valued at over $300m, with Home Lands investing $150m and expecting significant foreign currency inflows.

Prime Lands and Melwa Conglomerate have acquired a marina-front parcel at Port City Colombo for a USD 57.6 million ultra-luxury waterfront residential development, with construction expected to finish within four years and projected revenue over USD 250 million. The project is positioned to drive opportunities in construction, engineering and logistics while raising Colombo's international investment profile.

Embilipitiya Stores Tool & Ceramic Manufacturing (Eagle Group affiliate) was awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification for design, manufacturing and marketing of sanitaryware, tile mortar and wire‑based construction products. The certification followed an SGS Lanka audit and the company says it will use it to boost quality and expand local and export markets.

Tokyo Cement Group reported Q4 turnover of Rs.17,623mn (+36% YoY) and PAT of Rs.577mn; for FY it posted turnover of Rs.61,011mn (+22%) and PAT of Rs.2,580mn, citing currency depreciation and higher material and fuel costs that weighed on margins.

Sri Lanka's services exports fell 6.13% in April 2026 to $317.16m. ICT/BPM exports rose 24.89% to $146.09m and financial services grew 119.41% to $10.45m, while construction and transport/logistics exports declined sharply.

BOI Acting Chairman Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena unveiled a pipeline of 30 structured investment projects across manufacturing, logistics, tourism and infrastructure aimed at Vietnamese investors. He said Sri Lanka has regained macro stability with GDP growth of 5% in 2024–25 and FDI rising to $1.063bn in 2025 (target $1.5bn in 2026).