News & market updates

One-litre fresh milk packs vanished from Sri Lankan supermarket shelves amid fears of a price rise, leaving only smaller and flavored packets; 1L brands retail around 470–550 LKR while state Milco's 900ml is 380 LKR.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI closed up 0.04% to 21,126.60 as banking stocks faced selling pressure after NDB disclosed an internal fraud loss of 13.4 billion rupees and trading in NDB was halted. DFCC, Cargills Bank and Access Engineering led gains while Commercial Bank, HNB and Melstacorp were laggards; turnover was Rs.3.029bn.

BOI held a full-day FDI promotion session with a 15-member Malaysian delegation to showcase ready projects, land and infrastructure for immediate investment, drawing interest in ICT/data centers, solar renewable energy, manufacturing, FMCG, agri-processing and tourism.

Lanka Milk Foods (CWE) PLC recovered Rs. 309.3 million from a longstanding legal claim, to be recorded as other income and expected to materially impact results for the period ending 31 March 2026. The share price closed down Rs.1 at Rs.81.10.

Cap Snap Lanka (CSL Group) received six international certifications—including FSSC 22000 and ISO 22000—within six months at a ceremony in Colombo.

Russel’s (Pvt) Ltd was named official catering partner for the 92nd "Battle of the Saints" (Mar 19–21) at SSC, providing food and beverage services to thousands of attendees; the company will also cater the 52nd Joe‑Pete Limited Overs match on April 25.

ASPI fell 1.2% (258.31 pts) for the week and the S&P SL20 dropped 2% (124.30 pts); market turnover was about Rs.1.77bn with net foreign outflows of Rs.68.2m, while breadth was positive and activity was led by capital goods, banks, materials and food & beverage names.

The IEA, IMF and World Bank have formed a coordination group to align analysis and mobilize support for countries hit by the Middle East war's energy and economic shocks, prioritizing low-income energy importers and assessing energy prices, trade flows, inflation and financing needs. The group may provide targeted policy advice, concessional financing and risk-mitigation tools.

Sampath Bank launched its SampathCards Avurudu campaign offering cardholders discounts of up to 60% at partner merchants through 30 April 2026. The promotion covers categories including retail, supermarkets, dining, travel, electronics, jewellery, wellness and hotel stays.

Morison, a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings, invested LKR 4 billion in a world‑class Pitipana manufacturing facility and is shifting focus to build branded, high‑quality affordable pharmaceuticals with EU‑GMP targets and export ambitions. Management cites policy, regulatory consistency and tax reforms as key enablers for long‑term viability.

Seylan Bank PLC launched an Avurudu campaign for Seylan Credit and Debit Cards with 300+ merchant partners, offering discounts, dining offers and 0% easy payment plans up to 36 months for transactions of Rs.100,000–3,000,000 (14 Mar–15 Apr 2026).

Headline inflation (CCPI) accelerated to 2.2% year-on-year in March 2026, up from 1.6% in February, the Central Bank said. Core inflation rose to 2.5% and the CBSL projects inflation will reach the 5% target in Q2-2026.

Senthilverl Holdings Ltd increased its stake in Renuka Agri Foods PLC to 10.04% after buying 1,868,913 shares on 25 March for a total of Rs. 25.1m. The purchases were made in two tranches at Rs. 13.40 and Rs. 13.50, up from a prior holding of 9.80%.

Unilever and McCormick agreed to combine Unilever Foods with McCormick to form a global flavours business with estimated FY25 revenues of $20 billion; Unilever will receive $15.7 billion cash and 65% of the combined equity, with completion expected by mid-2027 subject to approvals.

Cap Snap Lanka Ltd. received six international certifications — including FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 — awarded within six months. The plastics and rigid-packaging firm serves over 250 brands and operates two production plants.

Sri Lanka will allow private importers to bring up to 1,040 metric tons of Ponni Samba and Kiri/Keeri Samba substitute rice from April 1–30 to address an expected shortage; stocks must be cleared by May 31 and import control licences are exempted.

Colombo CCPI headline inflation rose to 2.2% Y-o-Y in March 2026 (from 1.6% in Feb) with month-on-month growth of 0.25% driven by non-food/transport; core inflation eased up to 2.5%. The Central Bank projects inflation will reach the 5% target in Q2-2026 and remain around target thereafter.

Sri Lanka's inflation was 2.2% in March 2026; the monthly Colombo CPI rose 0.5% to 195.8 points, driven by a 0.27% decrease in food and a 0.52% increase in non-food items.

Sunshine Holdings completed the acquisition of a 75% stake in Joint Agri Products Ceylon Ltd for Rs. 2.6988752284 billion (≈Rs. 2.7 b). The target processes and exports spices, coconut products and tea, and the deal bolsters Sunshine's consumer/export portfolio and presence in export markets.

The war in the Middle East is driving higher energy prices and major supply‑chain disruptions, which are boosting inflation and tightening global financial conditions. Energy importers, food and fertilizer‑dependent agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and banks face the greatest strain.

Colombo Stock Exchange eased at midday with the ASPI down 0.33% to 21,022.14 and the S&P SL20 down 0.47% to 5,881.20. Brent futures fell below $110; Sampath Bank, Hayleys and ACL Cables were top decliners while Renuka Agri Foods rose after a filing showed a 10.04% shareholding.

EDB's National Packaging Centre held an awareness workshop on "Packaging strategies for Spices" for over 65 exporters and potential exporters on 19 March 2026 to improve packaging practices and boost export competitiveness.

Sampath Bank launched its SampathCards 'Swipe a Memory for Life' Avurudu campaign, offering discounts of up to 60% at partner merchants through 30 April 2026. The promotion covers categories including retail, supermarkets, dining, travel and hotel stays to drive cardholder engagement.

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka partnered with Coca-Cola India and the ICC to produce national flags for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from post-consumer PET—each 35m×20m flag made from about 11,000 recycled bottles—displayed at venues including Colombo and Pallekele.

Customs House Agents and Wharf Representatives say import clearance times have slipped from 24–48 hours to seven–eight days, raising the cost to clear a container to about Rs.260,000 and held-up charges to ~Rs.105,000 per FCL.