News & market updates

Connect to Care Consulting has registered as a Voluntary Social Services/NGO and completed governance and institutional strengthening, appointing new board members and rolling out Microsoft Dynamics and Asana to boost transparency, financial stewardship and programme delivery.

CanCham Sri Lanka presented a Five-Year Strategic Tourism Development Plan to the Canadian High Commissioner and said the draft will be finalised within 60 days. The chamber also announced plans for a business delegation to Canada, scholarships, CSR initiatives and referenced Canada's CAD 500 billion Indo-Pacific commitment.

Melco Resorts and Entertainment has launched City of Dreams Sri Lanka in Colombo, billed as South Asia's first integrated resort, featuring the luxury Nüwa hotel plus entertainment, premium dining, retail and leisure offerings.

CIPM convened a roundtable of 30 stakeholders to address Sri Lanka's widening skills gap, noting shortages across IT, tourism, construction, manufacturing and healthcare and recommending industry-academia partnerships, vocational reforms and upskilling initiatives.

Professor Senaka Wijesinghe launched his book "Che Guevara: Leadership Lessons from Che" at a Negombo ceremony on 1 July, drawing leadership lessons—resilience, discipline, courage, adaptability and purpose-driven leadership—for modern corporate leaders and students.

UK Trade Envoy Lord Hannett visited The Body Shop's One Galle Face Mall store in Colombo during a 17-19 June mission to strengthen trade ties and discuss export opportunities under the UK's DCTS; he toured the store and its Return, Recycle, Repeat recycling initiative.

Female labour force participation in Sri Lanka remains around 31.3%, with women's board representation rising (about 8.4% in 2024 to ~30% in 2025) while senior management share falls to roughly 20%. The piece says structural and cultural barriers mean firms must move beyond headcount to institutional change to turn presence into real influence (example: MAS introduced lactation rooms).

UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka hosted CATALYZE 2026: Environment, a two-day forum on corporate environmental sustainability; Sampath Bank was main partner and listed firms including Dilmah, Teejay Lanka, Hayleys, Talawakelle, Commercial Bank and Kelani Valley participated as partners or patrons.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon (COMB.N0000) was named Best Bank in Sri Lanka for the 15th consecutive year at the FinanceAsia Awards 2026 and won six additional country awards. Awards included Best Bank for SMEs, Best Bank for Use of Technology, Best Islamic Finance House, Best Sustainable Bank, Best Private Bank and Best Retail Bank.

Samsung flagged a 19-fold jump in Q2 operating profit to 89.4 trillion won and revenue up about 129% to 171 trillion won. Shares fell as investors worried the AI-driven memory chip boom and related data-centre spending may not be durable despite rising memory prices.

The Presidential Secretariat launched "Badhu Shakthi 2026" National Tax Week (6–10 July) to strengthen state revenue and promote voluntary tax compliance, with nationwide awareness campaigns and promotional activities led by the Revenue Administration Reform and Modernisation Unit.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara accepted responsibility after violent clashes at Negombo Prison that resulted in deaths and said the unrest has been brought under control. He called for investigations to identify shortcomings and prevent recurrence.

The government launched 'Badhu Shakthi 2026' National Tax Week, a year-long initiative to boost state revenue and voluntary tax compliance with a countrywide awareness campaign (National Tax Week observed 6–10 July). Officials said higher tax revenue is being used to finance infrastructure and disaster relief, citing Rs.500 billion for Cyclone Ditwah response.

Cabinet approved a special committee chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Priyantha Fernando to investigate violent clashes at Negombo Prison and to submit findings, causes, recommendations and measures to prevent future incidents.

Clashes at Negombo Prison killed 26 people, including prison officers, and injured more than 100; authorities deployed police, STF, army and air force and transferred over 700 inmates to other prisons to ease severe overcrowding. A special committee, police and magisterial inquiries have been launched.