News & market updates

Asian shares rose as semiconductor stocks rebounded while Brent crude jumped to about $78.65/bbl after renewed Gulf hostilities, pushing up global bond yields and increasing markets' bets on further Fed rate hikes.

The Ceylon Chamber's Commercial Documents Registration Division introduced a Free Sale Letter for pharmaceuticals to expand export documentation support for Sri Lankan pharmaceutical manufacturers and exporters. The division also issues Certificates of Origin and other certified export documents via a 24/7 e-service and e-DAS attestation.

DarazMall's opening of Daraz Sri Lanka's 7.7 Super Savings Sale drove nearly 10x sales growth for official brand stores; participating brands saw ~8x orders, store visits rose 5x and average order value increased threefold.

Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) marked its Golden Jubilee on 7 July 2026 at BMICH, celebrating 50 years and reaffirming its commitment to advance Sri Lanka's digital future through skills development, AI, cybersecurity, digital governance and stronger government–industry collaboration.

Sri Lanka Insurance Life declared a Rs. 14.68 billion bonus to policyholders for 2025, the largest annual life-insurance bonus in Sri Lanka. The company reported PBT of Rs. 4.3 billion, GWP of Rs. 32.6 billion (+24% y/y), assets of Rs. 275 billion and a Life Fund of Rs. 247 billion.

Connect to Care Consulting registered as a Voluntary Social Services/NGO and completed a governance and institutional-strengthening programme, including new board appointments. The organisation also implemented Microsoft Dynamics and Asana to upgrade financial management and programme delivery.

Bank of Ceylon introduced BOC Flex and Lanka QR payment solutions to indigenous entrepreneurs in Dambana, enabling immediate digital payments credited to BOC accounts to boost financial inclusion and market access.

SLID will host the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July at the Cinnamon Grand, headlined by Prof. Sir Nishan Canagarajah and World Bank Global Head of Talent Edith Umole. Keynotes will focus on boards leading through technology, innovation and talent/succession planning.

Dialog Axiata PLC launched Dialog Pay, an integrated payments and financial-services platform within the MyDialog app enabling Lanka QR payments across 100,000+ merchants. Users can link eZ Cash or bank accounts, access wallets, savings, fixed deposits and loans via Dialog Finance and earn complimentary data rewards.

The Classic Car Club of Ceylon held its 34th AGM on 25 June 2026 at The Kingsbury Hotel, unanimously re-electing Sanjiv Alles as President for a fourth term. The club outlined a calendar of events and plans to continue innovation, education and digital engagement to promote classic motoring.

Wire Communications Consultancy Holdings Group launched Intel Wire, an AI-powered reputation and trust intelligence business unit, and appointed Kavinthan Shamugarajah as Business Unit Head. The unit introduces a proprietary Crisis Intelligence and Reputation Advisory Framework for real-time risk anticipation and sentiment monitoring.

Power World Gyms has partnered with digital platform Fitzky to enable online membership purchases and introduce the Fitzky Fit Pass, offering day-pass access to Power World and partner gyms for more flexible, digital-first fitness access.

Developing Asia received $644 billion in FDI in 2025 (about 40% of global FDI and over 70% of flows to developing economies), according to UNCTAD. Investment shifted toward South‑East Asia and India (India +44%), with growing flows into semiconductors, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and energy‑transition technologies.

Brent crude rose about 2% to $75.60/bbl and 10-year U.S. Treasury yields climbed to ~4.565% as renewed Middle East fighting and U.S. moves on Iranian oil raised supply and inflation risks. Equities saw renewed volatility and the AI rally lost momentum after volatile semiconductor results.

IMF reviewed Sri Lanka's public revenue reforms with the RARMB, noting tax compliance has risen to 70–75% and agreeing to continue technical assistance for customs, excise and tax digitalisation. A draft Customs Ordinance Bill has been submitted and plans include paperless customs, tariff simplification and integrated data-sharing.

Parliament’s Committee on Public Finance warned online scam networks are an emerging financial‑crime risk and urged authorities to identify such threats early as Sri Lanka strengthens its anti‑money‑laundering framework. Officials said fraud (including scams) and trade‑based money laundering are rated medium‑high risks and the committee approved related AML legislation.

hSenid Business Solutions PLC proposed a new ESOP covering 3,618,580 ordinary shares (about 1.22% of enlarged issued share capital) to utilise unallocated shares from its 2022 plan; the scheme is subject to CSE and shareholder approval.

NCGI issued its 2,000th collateral-free credit guarantee, enabling over Rs.14 billion in SME loans within 15 months and targeting 4,000 beneficiaries by year-end. The ADB- and Finance Ministry-backed scheme has allocated 20% to women-owned firms and 24% to priority sectors including agriculture, IT, tourism and exports.

Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Limited launched Beechat, a trilingual generative AI insurance assistant providing 24/7 policy information and real-time claim status via the company's website and customer portal.

Sri Lanka Institute of Directors will host the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July 2026 at Cinnamon Grand Colombo to equip board directors with guidance on future-ready governance, covering AI/cybersecurity, reputation, talent and sustainable growth.

L B Finance PLC (LFIN.N0000) completed a nationwide network infrastructure upgrade with Huawei to strengthen reliability, speed and security, enabling faster, more secure digital services and laying the groundwork for cloud and AI-driven tools.

Prime Group was named 'Best of the Best Brand in the Real Estate Industry', 'Most Loved Corporate Brand' and 'Most Loved Service Brand' by LMD. The company says it has secured over 400 reservations for the Prime Marina project and is expanding digital sales and AI-powered customer engagement.

CFA Society Sri Lanka will hold the 13th Capital Market Awards on 10 September 2026 at the Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, to recognise excellence in equity research, investor relations and unit trust teams. The event emphasises upskilling on AI, ESG, sustainability reporting, digital finance and regulatory developments.

The National Chamber of Exporters opened applications for the 34th NCE Export Awards, closing Sept 30, 2026, with the awards ceremony on Dec 11 at Shangri‑La Colombo. Ex-Pack Corrugated Cartons PLC is the main sponsor and Dialog Enterprise is the event's digital technology partner.

Siyapatha Finance, Sampath Bank's fully owned subsidiary, opened its 64th branch in Bandarawela as part of its 2026 expansion. The branch will offer leasing, deposits, gold financing, business and personal loans, factoring and Smart Pay bill services; Siyapatha holds a Fitch A(lka) Stable rating.

FanCode has secured digital streaming rights in India for the Lanka Premier League 2026, broadcasting all matches live from July 17 to August 8, 2026. The deal follows a reported 65% increase in audience consumption and aims to deepen the tournament's digital reach in the Indian subcontinent.

Evolution Auto launched Auto Direct, a platform for buying, selling and trading-in used vehicles that offers market-based valuations, ownership checks and inspections to eliminate intermediaries. The service enables customers to trade up to EV brands represented by Evolution Auto and provides end-to-end transaction management.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon was named Best Bank in Sri Lanka for the 15th consecutive year at the FinanceAsia Awards 2026 and won six additional awards including Best Bank for SMEs, Use of Technology, Islamic Finance, Sustainable Bank, Private Bank and Retail Bank.

Sampath Bank (SAMP.N0000) has launched Google Pay for its Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cardholders, enabling secure tokenised tap-to-pay on Android for in-store, in-app and online transactions.

Exhibitor registration for Sri Lanka Expo 2027 is open until 31 July 2026. The expo runs 14–17 Jan 2027 at BMICH with 650 booths across 25 sectors and offers opportunities to meet over 1,500 global buyers.