News & market updates

At MWC Shanghai 2026 Sri Lanka presented a plan to become a regional AI and digital-infrastructure hub, promoting green-powered data centres, submarine-cable interconnection and sovereign/local-language AI to attract investment and regional partnerships.

Asian stocks closed a strong quarter — Japan's Nikkei is set for a ~36% quarterly rise and South Korea's KOSPI about 65% — as a resurgent dollar (index +1.3% this quarter) pushed the yen to a four-decade low of 162.41 and sent gold sharply lower; Brent crude at $72.49/bbl.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.65% to 22,263.28, with utilities leading turnover at Rs.486 million. Top movers included Lighthouse Hotel (+4.64%), HNB (+0.19%), Sampath (+0.17%) and Pan Asia (+1.29%); Windforce (-5.12%) and Hayleys (-0.94%) were top decliners, and Asia Asset Finance declared a Rs.0.70 dividend on its convertible preference shares.

Janathakshan and The Coca-Cola Foundation concluded the SWYFT plastic waste project (Aug 2024–May 2026), establishing five MCPCs — including Sri Lanka's first hydro-powered MCPC in partnership with Thalawakelle Plantation (Hayleys) — and distributing 8 electric three-wheelers and 15 e-bikes.

Colombo Stock Exchange ASPI fell 0.45% midday to 22,309.09 with turnover of 951.8 million rupees, utilities contributing 448.6 million. Convenience Foods Lanka authorized an 8.00 rupee first-and-final dividend and Tokyo Cement proposed a 2.50 rupee first-and-final dividend.

Dr. Rohantha Athukorala was awarded the 'Rotarian of the Year 2025/26' by Rotary Sri Lanka and Maldives. He is a director of Lotus Hydro Power PLC (HPFL) and has held leadership roles with Sri Lanka Tourism, the Export Development Board and several multinational and tech firms.

ADB approved a $57.4m financing package (a $35m concessional loan plus $22.4m in grants) to fund a rooftop solar aggregation and virtual net metering project in Sri Lanka, supporting about 25 MW of rooftop solar and grid modernisation for two state distribution utilities.

Government will fit communication modems to about 2,200 rooftop solar installations (each >100 kW) by year-end so the National Systems Operator can remotely disconnect generation during emergencies. As an interim measure, owners of systems >300 kW were asked to voluntarily disconnect from 27–29 June; authorities previously disconnected about 120 feeders.

Deputy Minister Arkam Ilyas said Sri Lanka will introduce time-of-use electricity tariffs and roll out smart meters, initially targeting about 300,000–400,000 domestic consumers using over 180 units. Authorities are also evaluating proposals to accommodate home-scale battery storage.

ADB approved a $57.4m financing package to support rooftop solar aggregation and virtual net metering in Sri Lanka, backing about 25 MW of rooftop installations and helping two government-owned distribution utilities pool generation and modernize distribution networks.

Seylan Bank PLC has joined the Colombo EV Motor Show 2026 as the event's official banking and leasing partner and will offer tailored EV leasing packages with special interest rates, discounts, fast-track approvals and up to seven-year repayment terms.

Three Sinha Industries won the Gold Award for “Best Stall with Locally Assembled Products” at the INCO 2026 exhibition. The recognition highlights the company’s focus on local manufacturing, engineering solutions and solar energy products, reinforcing its role in Sri Lanka’s manufacturing and construction sectors.

Citizens Development Business Finance (CDB.N0000) signed an MoU with Hayleys Mobility on June 16, 2026 to provide tailored financing for electric and hybrid vehicles, offering flexible repayment tenors, exclusive insurance benefits and lifetime annual fee waivers on CDB credit cards for Hayleys customers.

Masterwork Group GM Sales Maxen Liu said Masterwork regards Sri Lanka as one of its fastest-growing markets and is promoting automation, AI-driven smart-factory solutions and rooftop solar to improve efficiency and sustainability in the printing and packaging sector.

Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers Ltd and Forbes and Walker Warehousing Ltd were awarded Carbon Neutral Certification by the Sri Lanka Climate Fund Ltd. The certification recognises their quantification, verification and offsetting of GHG emissions via the Forbes and Walker Rooftop Solar Project and helps position the group to meet tightening exporter sustainability rules, notably in the EU.

Colombo Stock Exchange closed flat, with the ASPI up 0.01% at 22,256.49 and the S&P SL20 down 0.03% at 6,193.65. Top positives were LB Finance, National Development Bank, Aitken Spence and Nawaloka; declines came from Melstacorp, Central Finance, Sunshine and Windforce; turnover Rs 1.56bn.

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.

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.

Seylan Bank launched 'Seylan Athwela', a concessionary agriculture financing programme offering loans up to LKR 5 million at 5% interest and financing up to 75% of project costs with tenors of up to 3 years (working capital) and 5 years (investment). The scheme funds cultivation (excluding tea/rubber/coconut cultivation), processing/value-addition, machinery, sheds, warehouses, solar projects and working capital to support farmers and agribusinesses.

Sri Lanka urged Belgian and Luxembourg investors to seize opportunities in infrastructure and green energy, pointing to planned PPP and investment protection reforms and competitively priced land. Officials highlighted Port City expansion, shipbuilding, marinas and agricultural processing as priority sectors for partnerships.

A technical forum warned that safety must keep pace with Sri Lanka’s rapid rooftop solar and BESS expansion, urging stronger standards, enforcement and adoption of protections like AFCI/RSD and BMS. Experts also highlighted DC arc-fault and thermal runaway risks and called for recycling/end-of-life frameworks.

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha met Sri Lankan business leaders including John Keells Holdings' Krishan Balendra and Hayleys' Dhammika Perera; John Keells-backed Colombo West International Terminal handled over 1 million TEUs in its first year. Sri Lanka's cabinet approved a 2,269.18 million rupee transmission-line tender to a JV including Hayleys Fentons, and talks covered trade, investment and a Rupee-to-Rupee commercial corridor with India.

Deloitte Sri Lanka held a client session 'From Compliance to Capital' emphasising climate disclosure (SLFRS S1/S2), decarbonisation pathways and sustainable finance as tools to strengthen business resilience and improve access to capital across telecoms, financial services, manufacturing and agriculture.

UK Trade Envoy Lord Hannett will visit Colombo 17–19 June 2026 to hold talks with government ministers and business leaders to deepen UK–Sri Lanka trade and investment ties and promote use of the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme zero-tariff access for Sri Lankan exports. He will engage with exporters including the apparel sector, UK firms operating locally, and stakeholders in clean energy, retail, manufacturing and technology.

Swedfund invests USD 15 million in L B Finance to expand lending to MSMEs across Sri Lanka and finance electric/hybrid vehicles; the funding will target rural and women-led businesses and support LB Finance's environmental and social risk management.

Volt Charge, part of JAT Holdings PLC, is now Sri Lanka's largest EV charging network with over 80 DC fast chargers and a public network spanning 100+ sites. The network also includes 20 public AC and 3,000+ home chargers, records 18,000+ monthly sessions (~100 MWh/month) and has seen Rs.250 million invested to date.

Huawei unveiled a grid-interactive AIDC strategy at the 2026 Global AIDC Industry Summit in Dongguan, promoting '3+1' innovations to build grid-friendly, energy-efficient, high-density AI data centers that maximize tokens per watt and emphasize renewable integration and liquid cooling.

The Sri Lanka–Thailand Business Council marks its 25th anniversary with a celebration on 19 June at the Kingsbury Hotel and a 25-member delegation from the Board of Trade Thailand in attendance. The council highlights opportunities for trade and investment across tourism, IT/digital, renewable energy and healthcare.

The Sri Lanka Business Council UAE held a 35th-anniversary investment forum in Dubai on 11 June that drew 225 UAE business leaders and investors. Colombo Port City presented investment opportunities and speakers encouraged investment in tourism, hospitality, IT, logistics, manufacturing and renewable energy in Sri Lanka.

Global GIS (Pvt) Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Ruhuna to collaborate on R&D, product commercialization, consulting, training and to install a GNSS CORS station at the university. The agreement also includes funding support, internships and technology transfer to boost surveying and geospatial capacity.