News & market updates

Bybit will donate $100,000 to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to support relief, shelters and essential supplies after Cyclone Ditwah's severe flooding in Sri Lanka, which killed 123 people and displaced over 44,000.

Prima Group, represented by Ceylon Grain Elevators Ltd (GRAN.N0000), donated over Rs. 300 million in dry rations to the Government on 30 November for distribution to flood-affected districts.

The Government launched an official donation portal, 'Stand with Sri Lanka' (https://donate.gov.lk), to channel international and domestic contributions for Cyclone Ditwah relief, stating 100% of donations will go directly to emergency aid including food, water, medical care and shelter.

Cyclone Ditwah killed 212 people, left 218 missing and extensively damaged infrastructure and farmland across Sri Lanka. Authorities report 206 roads made impassable, 10 bridges damaged, a downed 132kV pylon and flooded farmland, leaving about 998,918 affected and 147,931 homeless with fresh-vegetable supplies to the capital disrupted.

The Finance Ministry deposited Rs.220 million to District Secretariats and released an additional Rs.500 million to the Disaster Management Centre, supplementing earlier allocations of Rs.500 million for rescue and Rs.1 billion for affected businesses. The ministry has issued procurement waivers up to Rs.50 million, put state banks on alert with mobile banking units, and secured satellite phones and international aid for relief operations.

Keells Supermarkets (part of John Keells) was recognised at the 2025 Meta Reels Impact Awards for Best Use of Innovation and Generative AI for campaigns managed by Roar AdX. Roar AdX also had 10 further client entries shortlisted at the event.

Sri Lanka's Embassy in Bahrain facilitated the entry of Revello chocolates by CBL Foods into the Bahraini market, with the first consignment available from early December at Lulu Hypermarket. The move is intended to strengthen trade ties and raise visibility for Sri Lankan products in Middle Eastern retail channels.

Seylan Bank PLC is running a Seylan Cards Christmas campaign (18 Nov–31 Dec 2025) with weekly iPhone 17 Pro giveaways (seven winners), merchant discounts up to 50%, grocery savings up to 30% and 0% 36‑month EPP to boost card spending and partner transactions.

Full’r Burgers (Giga Foods) won SME Local Brand of the Year at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2025. The brand is transitioning from a cloud-kitchen into a full-scale QSR chain and is pursuing rapid expansion to become Sri Lanka’s largest burger chain.

ISSO, a Sri Lankan prawn-focused fast-casual dining chain, was named to the Forbes DGEMS 200 list for 2025. The five-outlet brand, with initial overseas presence, says it plans to expand to 100 outlets worldwide by 2030.

Diva concluded its "Diva Pawule Wasanawa" mega consumer promotion, awarding a brand-new TOYOTA WiGO as the grand prize to Mr. U. B. Saman Udaya Kumara. The three-month promotion distributed over 1,100 prizes to loyal consumers.

Pineapple yields tripled to about 55 tonnes per hectare (a 300% increase) and export‑grade mango production rose to 90% after a two‑year FAO–China–Sri Lanka project providing Chinese technical support across 10 model farms.

Gamer.LK's Play Expo and Colombo Comic Expo return in December 2025 with Munchee Savory as Platinum partner and Coca-Cola as Title Partner, expecting over 10,000 attendees and a combined digital reach of 5 million. The expos provide experiential marketing platforms targeting Gen Z and young adults with multiple FMCG brand integrations.

Nestlé Lanka won seven awards at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2025, including the Triple Bottom Line Award for Social Sustainability – People and multiple environment and employee relations awards, recognising its sustainability initiatives and stakeholder engagement.

Sri Lanka's total exports in Jan–Oct 2025 reached $14.43bn, up 6% YoY, with merchandise exports $11.37bn (+6.53%) and services $3.06bn (+4.01%). Tea, apparel, coconut-based products, ICT/BPM and transport & logistics led the gains and the EDB remains confident of a $19bn 2025 target.

Commercial Bank (COMB.N0000) ran an awareness programme in Polonnaruwa to raise paddy yields (current ~4.5 t/ha vs potential ~6 t/ha) by promoting Good Agricultural Practices, high-tech farming, mechanisation and financial inclusion to support farmers.

Kumarika (Hemas Consumer Brands) ran its 'Iyarkai Azhagu' activation at Nallur Kandaswamy Temple during the Kantha Sashti Utsavam, delivering 1,000+ hair analyses, 400 jasmine makeovers, 500+ hairstyles and selling over 300 full Kumarika hair-care regimens.

Sri Lanka's cumulative exports reached US$ 14,433.82 Mn in January–October 2025, a 6.0% year-on-year increase, with coconut-based exports topping US$1.0bn for the first time. Services exports rose 4.01% to an estimated US$ 3,060.21 Mn, while apparel, tea and food & beverages also recorded gains.

Colombo Stock Exchange rebounded 0.77% as the ASPI rose 175.03 points to 22,819.91 and the S&P SL20 climbed 0.30%; investor interest was strong in food, beverage and tobacco names. Top contributors included Ceylinco Holdings, NDB, Melstacorp, Browns Investments and Sunshine Holdings, while turnover fell to 4.06 billion rupees.

Arpico (Richard Pieris Distributors) held its annual Christmas Cake Preparation Ceremony at its Hyde Pak Corner store and unveiled a holiday collection and prestige Christmas hampers for customers.

Roar AdX secured 3 wins and 10 shortlisted entries at the 2025 Meta Reels Impact Awards, with Keells Supermarkets (John Keells group) and Spa Ceylon recognised in multiple categories for their reels and innovation.

Barista Coffee Lanka launched its sixth annual "Share a Meal" campaign, aiming to raise LKR 5 million to provide meals for children in SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka through meal coupon sales, online donations and proceeds from a special Christmas menu.

The Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit 2025 (Dec 2–3) is sold out with over 850 participants, including 100+ international delegates. Session and partnership sponsors include Sunshine Holdings, Dialog Axiata and Hayleys (Hayleys Advantis); sessions cover trade, investment, renewable energy, tourism, finance and technology.

ISSO Restaurants was named to the Forbes DGEMS 200 list for 2025, recognising the prawn-focused fast-casual chain and its plan to open 100 outlets worldwide by 2030. The company operates five outlets and highlights an 'ocean-to-plate' supply chain and tech-enabled kitchens.

Dividend · Rs 1.00 · XD Dec 3, 2025

First Interim dividend of LKR 1/share; XD 2025-12-03; record 2025-12-04; payable 2025-12-22; FY 2025-26

Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC won the Retail Sector Award at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2025. The company highlighted expanded solar integration at factories, an e-waste collection network across 400+ outlets, support for 2,800 youth entrepreneurs and adoption of SLFRS S1/S2 for sustainability reporting.

Fems won three awards at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2025 — Gold for CSR Brand of the Year and Innovative Brand of the Year, and Bronze for Local Brand of the Year — becoming the first feminine hygiene brand in Sri Lanka to win Local Brand of the Year.

Sri Lanka hosted Bay of Bengal countries with FAO and BOBP-IGO for World Fisheries Day 2025 to promote sustainable small-scale fisheries; more than 4.3 million Sri Lankans depend directly or indirectly on fisheries. The event advanced National Plans of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries and launched regional capacity-building and National Task Forces.

Halal Assessment Council (HAC) received a Merit Award at the Sri Lanka National Quality Awards 2023 from the Sri Lanka Standards Institution on 11 November 2025. HAC certifies Halal products for domestic and international markets; Halal-certified exports were estimated at $1.9bn in 2024 (63% of food & beverage exports, 16% of total exports).

The Colombo bourse fell, with the ASPI down 0.53% to 22,982.72 (slipping below 23,000) and the S&P SL20 down 0.28% to 6,364.61. Foreigners were net sellers (Rs.163.8m yesterday; Rs.461.8m net outflow for the week); Bukit Darah and Ambeon were among decliners while Renuka Agri and Access Engineering drew buying interest.