News & market updates

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC is the first bank onboarded to LankaPay's new eMudhra e-Sign Remote Signature with LankaSign, launching Sri Lanka's first remote digital signature facility in the banking sector. The emSigner integration enables secure, legally recognised remote signing to speed onboarding and digital workflows across banking and other sectors.

The Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka will host the OECD–ADBI Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement Savings on 2–3 June 2026 at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, bringing global policymakers and regulators; the event will raise exposure for Sri Lanka's insurance/pension sector and showcase the hospitality/tourism industry.

MiHCM's Sri Lanka & Maldives CEO says the company is moving beyond HR software into end-to-end, AI-powered workforce transformation and has launched MiHCM Consulting to provide transformation, workforce analytics and employee-experience solutions.

Sampath Bank PLC launched integrated PayPal account linking and withdrawal via its Sampath Vishwa mobile app, allowing customers to withdraw PayPal funds directly into Sampath accounts in LKR or USD.

Sri Lanka Banks' Association says the banking sector remains stable and customer deposits are secure despite isolated fraud incidents, with losses absorbed by banks' capital buffers. The Central Bank confirms capital and liquidity are above regulatory minima and banks will bolster cybersecurity and review operations.

Dividend · Rs 2.60 · XD Jul 1, 2026

Final dividend of LKR 2.6/share; XD 2026-07-01; record 2026-07-01; payable 2026-07-20; FY 2025/2026

hSenid Business Solutions (HBS.N0000) delivered an FY2026 turnaround: revenue rose 13% to Rs.2.1bn, exit ARR reached $5.5m (up 32% YoY) and normalized EBITDA turned positive at LKR200m (10% margin), with PBT loss narrowed to Rs.8m and positive free cash flow.

Dialog Axiata (DIAL.N0000) became the Colombo Stock Exchange's largest listed company with a market cap of Rs. 367.09 billion after its share price rose 7% to Rs. 39.90 on May 25. John Keells stood at Rs. 359.36bn and Ceylon Tobacco at Rs. 341.91bn; Commercial Bank was the largest bank at Rs. 320.88bn.

SLT Group delivered a strong Q1 2026: consolidated revenue LKR 30.8bn (+10.6% y/y) and profit after tax LKR 3.1bn (+53.3%), with operating profit LKR 5.1bn (+39.1%). The performance was driven by broadband growth and Mobitel subscriber momentum, and the group made its 5G network publicly accessible while addressing network rollout challenges.

nVentures and TiE Colombo run "Founder's Table," a mentorship programme that pairs founders with experienced business leaders; the first cohort has concluded and organisers report tangible long-term benefits in strategy, networks and clarity for participating startups.

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.

Dialog Axiata regained the top spot on the Colombo Stock Exchange with a market cap of Rs. 367.1 billion (4.51% of total market cap), overtaking John Keells Holdings at Rs. 359.4 billion.

Asia Asset Finance PLC is offering free PickMe rides for Fixed Deposit customers from home to the nearest branch and back across Sri Lanka. The initiative, in partnership with app-based PickMe, aims to improve customer convenience amid rising transport and fuel costs.

DB Automation, Sri Lanka's largest Zebra Technologies partner, won Zebra Technologies' Partner of the Year Award, recognising its leadership in enterprise technology, automation and digital transformation solutions.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon (COMB.N0000) was announced as the first bank onboarded to LankaPay and eMudhra's remote digital signature solution (eMudhra e-Sign with LankaSign) at a launch on 22 May 2026. The service enables secure, legally recognized remote e-signatures to speed onboarding and digital document workflows.

Sampath Bank PLC has become the first bank in Sri Lanka to integrate PayPal withdrawals and account connectivity via the Sampath Vishwa app, allowing customers to link PayPal and withdraw funds in LKR or USD. The service targets freelancers, SMEs and exporters to ease access to international payments and support foreign currency inflows.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed higher, with the ASPI up 1.98% to 22,364.77, as rupee stabilisation and lower interest rates boosted investor confidence. Ceylon Cold Stores and Hemas posted strong quarterly profits and John Keells declared a final dividend; Dialog, Commercial Bank and Sampath gained while hSenid and Dipped Products fell.

Sri Lanka's total exports reached US$1,380.93m in April 2026 (up 6% y/y) and US$5,784.38m in Jan–Apr 2026 (up 4.3% y/y); merchandise exports rose 9.87% in April while services exports, led by ICT/BPM and financial services, also expanded.

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.

HNB General Insurance appointed Dilshan Perera as Chief Operating Officer. Perera, formerly the insurer's Chief Transformation Officer with 20+ years' experience in digital transformation and insurance, will lead operational and strategic initiatives at the HNB Life PLC subsidiary.

Hemas Holdings (HHL) reported record earnings: Group earnings of Rs.3.03Bn in Q4 (+17.6% YoY) and Rs.8.92Bn for FY26 (+10.7% YoY) on FY26 revenue of Rs.127.4Bn (+8.0%). The group is reinvesting into digital, manpower and healthcare expansion, compressing EBITDA/EBIT margins but delivering higher net profit margin and EPS.

hSenid Business Solutions (HBS.N0000) delivered an FY2026 turnaround with revenue of LKR 2.1bn (up 13% YoY), normalized EBITDA of LKR 200m (10% margin) and exit ARR of USD 5.5m (up 32% YoY). The company generated positive free cash flow, narrowed full-year PBT loss to LKR 8m, posted Q4 PBT of LKR 7m, launched Lexi Insights AI and won a national export award.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI rose 1.96% (430.21 pts) to 22,359.85 on Monday, with the S&P SL20 up 1.93%. Top contributors included Dialog Axiata, John Keells, Commercial Bank and Hemas; Ceylon Cold Stores reported Q1 profit up 75% to Rs 3.76bn and LVL Energy Fund's rights issue was oversubscribed.

Hemas Holdings (HHL) reported record FY2025/26 results with group earnings of Rs.8.92 bn (up 10.7% YoY) and revenue of Rs.127.4 bn (up 8%). The group has earmarked over $100m for investments over the next four years and expects an FY27 acquisition to raise international revenue to 10% from 3%.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon upgraded its Self-Onboarding Platform to enable instant, fully digital paperless savings account opening with real-time video identity verification and automated compliance screening, allowing new and overseas customers to onboard without branch visits.

HUTCH Sri Lanka planted about 500 native plants across half an acre at Rajawaka Forest Reserve in the third year of its rainforest restoration programme. The effort, run with Rainforest Protectors Sri Lanka and supported by employee volunteers, forms part of HUTCH/CK Hutchison's broader ESG and renewable-energy initiatives.

Sampath Karunaratne, Creative Director at MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka, was awarded the 2026 Next Generation Leader Scholarship to attend the Cannes Lions festival. This is the second consecutive year a MullenLowe Sri Lanka creative has received the scholarship.

SLT-MOBITEL PEOTV has been appointed the exclusive media and broadcast partner for the Lanka Premier League, offering live HD coverage across PEOTV, PEO MOBILE and digital platforms; the tournament starts 17 July 2026 with the player auction on 1 June 2026.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce delegation led by Chairman Krishan Balendra held high-level economic engagements in Mumbai on 13–14 May, culminating in the renewal of an MoU with the Indian Merchants' Chamber. Discussions targeted technology, manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy and digital transformation to boost bilateral trade and investment.

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha commended the Indian CEO Forum at its 22 May 2026 AGM, which reaffirmed commitments to deepen India–Sri Lanka economic and commercial ties and urged upgrading the bilateral FTA to boost investment. The Forum represents 70+ members and said members contributed over $2 million during Cyclone Ditwah.