News & market updates

BeWAXed Sri Lanka is expanding into India with new branches due to open across multiple major metropolitan cities in the coming weeks. The specialized waxing chain, founded by Durga Kenny in 2013, also markets its Goddess Cosmetics line and offers a mobile app for appointments.

People’s Bank launched its 125th Cheque Deposit Kiosk at its Mid City Branch on 22 June 2026. The kiosks provide cheque imaging, e-receipts and digital endorsement, operate 24/7 and are the highest number deployed by any commercial bank in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka and Thailand plan to deepen trade and investment using the Sri Lanka–Thailand FTA and enhanced B2B engagement, targeting tourism, hospitality, food processing, agriculture, logistics and other sectors to boost bilateral ties and supply‑chain links.

Deloitte Sri Lanka held a client session 'From Compliance to Capital' on using climate disclosure (SLFRS S1/S2) to boost resilience and access to capital, covering decarbonisation, Scope 1–3 emissions, assurance-ready data and sustainable finance.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a meeting to find swift solutions to strengthen Sri Lanka's apparel sector and boost dollar export earnings; discussed measures include plug-and-play factory infrastructure, land/legal reforms, VAT relief proposals, expanded FTAs and a National Single Window due end-July.

Softlogic Capital PLC has appointed Imran Furkan to its Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director. Furkan is CEO of Tresync (Australia) and currently serves on the boards of Asiri Surgical Hospital PLC, Odel PLC and Maharaja Foods PLC.

Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said Sri Lanka can reach $36bn in exports under the National Export Development Plan if urgent reforms, strategic FDI and lower energy costs are delivered. The government will prioritise digitalisation, trade facilitation, supply‑chain improvements and value addition, with focus on plantations while warning of acute skills shortages.

Fraudsters are sending WhatsApp messages impersonating the Department for Registration of Persons to obtain NIC details and OTPs/passwords, then use them to access victims' bank accounts and steal funds. Sri Lanka CERT warns the public and says the DRP does not verify identities via WhatsApp.

Dialog Axiata PLC continued as Official Sponsor of Sri Lanka’s national League of Legends team at the Asian Games 2026 qualifiers; Sri Lanka beat Kazakhstan in the group stage but did not advance.

Sri Lanka’s automobile industry held a major awards ceremony that presented 58 awards and introduced a fully digital ticketing and seating platform to manage applications, evaluations and guest management.

Exterminators PLC founder Marlon Ferreira was named a finalist in the 2026 Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Global Entrepreneur of the Year category. Ferreira, founder/MD of Exterminators PLC and Sentario UK, has developed AI-powered pest-management and reporting platforms.

PayMedia (Pvt) Ltd marked its 12th anniversary, highlighting a decade of delivering fintech solutions to banks and financial institutions—digital wallets, smart banking platforms, micro‑finance apps, digitized onboarding and AI-powered services. The company says it has earned security certifications and will continue driving financial inclusion and fintech innovation in Sri Lanka.

Veepee Graphics Lanka exhibited at the Sri Lanka Print and Trade Fair Exhibition 2026 (BMICH), showcasing its flexible-packaging innovations including AI-driven workflows and Extended Colour Gamut screening to regional and international clients.

PayMedia Ltd. marks its 12th anniversary, highlighting over a decade of providing digital payments and fintech solutions—digital wallets, banking platforms, micro‑finance apps, digitised onboarding and AI services—to banks and financial institutions in Sri Lanka and the region.

Emerging Women Summit in Kilinochchi drew over 200 participants, including 150+ women entrepreneurs, to strengthen access to finance, markets and business support. Organised by LIIN under the GRIT Project (funded by Global Affairs Canada), the event featured financing and market-access sessions, 40+ stalls and participation from institutions including DFCC Bank and Commercial Bank.

DFCC Bank relocated its Ratnapura branch to No. 269, Main Street, Ratnapura, offering a more accessible, spacious modern branch that continues to provide the full range of DFCC products and digital banking services.

Binance Research reports the tokenized real-world-asset market crossed US$10B in market cap in 2026 (a 10x rise since early 2024), with weekly volume averaging US$735M; ~80% of Binance tokenized stock traders are in emerging markets and 93% of trades are fractional (median US$18.81).

Abans Finance PLC reported profit after tax of Rs. 857 million for the year ended 31 Mar 2026, a 101% increase from the prior year. Total assets rose 54% to Rs. 20.81 billion, loans reached Rs. 14.65 billion and customer deposits were Rs. 11.04 billion.

Samsung Sri Lanka marked Father’s Day by featuring four employees — including senior managers Sabry Ansar and Nuwan Ukwatta — who described how fatherhood influenced their leadership, work-life balance and motivation; the company highlighted its supportive culture for employees.

The University of West London officially opened its Sri Lanka branch campus in Colombo, the country's first full UK university branch campus. The campus, run with ANC Campus/CEG, will offer UWL-approved programmes including Business, IT, Law, AI, Psychology and Early Childhood Education.

Kaspersky detected at least 336 unique domains impersonating official World Cup resources and warns fans about fake streaming and betting sites that harvest registration data or demand cryptocurrency payments. It advises using official broadcasters, enabling 2FA, and using anti-phishing security to avoid data and financial loss.

Redington and IBM hosted the IBM Innovation Forum Sri Lanka 2026 on June 5 to promote secure, AI-driven enterprise transformation, featuring panelists from DFCC Bank and Sanasa Development Bank and introducing IBM Bob for enterprise software development.

DFCC Bank has relocated its Ratnapura branch to No. 269, Main Street, Ratnapura, providing a more accessible, spacious and modern facility that continues to offer the bank's full range of products and digital banking services.

Sarva Colombo appointed Sajith Silva as Chief Executive Officer, promoting him after a 20-year career at the agency during which he led media planning, brand management and client relationships across multiple sectors.

Xiaomi Sri Lanka and retail partner Abans opened a Xiaomi Exclusive Store at One Galle Face Mall and launched the Xiaomi 17T locally. The 17T is marketed as "The Telephoto Master" with Leica triple cameras, MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra, a 6,500mAh battery and 67W HyperCharge.

Dialog Axiata PLC achieved independent validation of its enterprise risk management against ISO 31000:2018 by Quality Austria Central Asia, becoming the first Sri Lankan telecom to receive this validation.

Colombo market rose for a second session as the ASPI gained 0.22% to 22,436.14 on turnover above Rs.3.1bn, driven by elevated HNW activity with PKME, Dialog and NDB among top contributors; foreigners were net sellers of Rs.333.3m.

Softlogic Life Insurance PLC reported Rs. 40 billion in gross written premiums in 2025 and Rs. 12.3 billion in Q1 2026 (37% YoY), with a 19.3% market share and Rs. 76 billion in assets as at Mar 31, 2026. The company launched 'Health for Life' lifetime health coverage and noted its acquisition of Allianz Life Lanka plus a $15m capital investment from Norfund and OP Finnfund.

AIA Insurance Lanka launched iSMART+, a digital platform that integrates distribution tools with unified single sign-on, real-time performance and lead management, and a 360° customer view to improve agent productivity and customer experience.

Dialog Axiata PLC has received independent validation of its Enterprise Risk Management against ISO 31000:2018 by Quality Austria Central Asia Ltd. The company says it is the first Sri Lankan telecom to achieve this, strengthening governance across its telecom and digital services.