ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange opened higher on Thursday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving up 0.47 percent.

The ASPI was up 93.22 points at 19,889.28, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was up 0.30 percent, or 16.93 points, at 5,693.36.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Carson Cumberbatch (up 6.79 percent at 700.00 rupees), LOLC Finance (up 4.35 percent at 4.80 rupees), LOLC Holdings (up 2.98 percent at 414.75 rupees), and Commercial Bank of Ceylon (up 0.38 percent at 198.00 rupees).

Dialog Axiata (down 0.71 percent at 42.00 rupees), Overseas Realty (Ceylon) (down 0.82 percent at 48.60 rupees), Singer (Sri Lanka) (down 0.56 percent at 71.40 rupees), and Aitken Spence (down 0.19 percent at 133.00 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 494.54 million rupees. The Banks industry group led turnover with 95.89 million rupees.

Pan Asia Banking Corporation’s debentures were listed on the exchange. The listing includes a three-year debenture carrying a fixed coupon rate of 12.75 percent per annum and a five-year debenture at 13.50 percent per annum, both with interest payable annually.

Union Assurance and Nations Trust Bank announced the renewal of their bancassurance partnership agreement, extending their collaboration for the distribution of life insurance products. Both entities are part of listed conglomerate John Keells Group.

Lanka credit and Business Finance announced a first interim dividend of 0.2 rupees per share.

PMF Finance was imposed a penalty for non-disclosures after delaying to disclose a series of acquisition of shares by its Non-Independent Non-Executive Director Nemantha Abeysinghe. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s Pan Asia Banking Corporation has listed its 12.75 and 13.50 percent debentures on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), the company said in a market filing.

The listed, rated, senior, unsecured, redeemable debt securities have been issued across 3-year and 5-year tenors, carrying an annual coupon option:

The lender’s public debenture issuance sought to raise 5 billion rupees through 50 million debentures at 100 rupees each.

The debenture sale was oversubscribed on its opening day, drawing investor interest. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka can recover the entire 9.7 billion rupees spent by the Treasury on the Colombo Port City once it leases its first state-owned land parcel, officials told parliament’s Committee on Public Finance (COPF).

The Ministry of Finance informed the committee that 9.7 billion rupees had been allocated from the budget for the development.

COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva asked for a detailed breakdown of the spending, questioning whether the state had received equity, a loan repayment, or if the allocation was treated as a grant.

“It’s the budgeted amount as government money. It’s not a grant or it’s not a loan. It’s a government budgeted amount,” A Saarrankan, Additional Director General of the Corporate Affairs Division at the Ministry of Finance, said.

Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) Chairman Harsha Amarasekera told the committee that the state is now positioned to market its first land parcel because 7 private project company plots have already been leased, fulfilling the required proportion of one government plot for every seven.

The commission has already identified four government plots and is preparing to market one of them to investors, Amarasekera said.

“The moment that is done, all of such funds, sans the 1 percent, goes to the Consolidated Fund… So with the sale of the first government plot, the totality of the moneys thus far spent would be recovered by the state,” Amarasekera said.

The committee noted that the 1 percent commission on transactions completed so far amounts to roughly 400 million rupees, pointing to a cumulative lease value of around 40 billion rupees for those plots on 99-year lease agreements.

Officials added that the project company had sold land at approximately 3,000 US dollars per square metre.

Providing a breakdown of the overall property allocation, CPCEC Director General Revan Wickramasuriya said all land was vested with the Commission under a presidential grant via the State Lands Ordinance.

Out of 118 total land parcels in the Port City, 46 were leased to the Project Company, 10 of which have since been surrendered and leased to specific investors.

The government holds 28 marketable land parcels, with the remainder reserved for public areas and parks. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka insurance provider Union Assurance and lender Nations Trust Bank have renewed their bancassurance partnership agreement, extending their collaboration for the distribution of life insurance products.

The agreement was signed on October 14, the companies said in market filings.

“The partnership, which is internally funded, will continue to provide Union Assurance PLC with exclusive access to the Bank’s extensive distribution network, enabling the Company to offer a comprehensive range of life insurance solutions tailored to the diverse needs of the Bank’s customer base,” Union Assurance said.

“This mutually beneficial referral partnership will provide the customers of the Nations Trust Bank PLC with value addition by way of easy access to multiple financial and insurance products and services through UAL,” NTB said.

The renewed alliance builds on the long-term referral bancassurance relationship between the two financial companies.

The move is expected to drive value for both entities, reinforcing Union Assurance’s market presence while broadening the service portfolio available to NTB’s clientele.

Earlier this year, NTB bought Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s (HSBC) Retail Banking business in Sri Lanka for 18 billion rupees.

This brought about 200,000 retail customer accounts under NTB, including savings and current accounts, fixed deposits, credit and debit cards, retail loans and a high‑net‑worth customer segment.

The acquisition added 7 branches to Nations Trust Bank’s countrywide network, bringing it to 96 branches.

NTB is an issuer and sole acquirer of American Express Cards in Sri Lanka.

Union Assurance and NTB are part of listed conglomerate John Keells Group. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee was quoted at 331.20/30 to the US dollar in the spot market on Thursday, weaker from 331.15/25 the previous day, while bond yields held steady, dealers said.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2028 was quoted at 10.65/75 percent, down from 10.65/80 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.06.2029 was quoted at 10.95/11.02 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.09.2029 was quoted at 10.97/11.03 percent, down from 11.00/03 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 was quoted at 11.32/40 percent, down from 11.35/40 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2030 was quoted at 11.35/45 percent, down from 11.37/43 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.02.2031 was quoted at 11.40/50 percent, down from 11.45/50 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.12.2031 was quoted at 11.63/70 percent, down from 11.65/70 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 was quoted flat at 11.75/85 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2034 was quoted flat at 12.12/20 percent.

The telegraphic transfer rate for the dollar was 326.70 buying, 335.70 selling; the euro was 363.9168 buying, 377.6976 selling; pound was 431.5012 buying, 445.6096 selling.

On the Colombo Stock Exchange the All Share Price Index was up 0.37 percent, or 73.57 points, at 19,869; while the S&P SL20 was up 0.49 percent, 27.86 points, at 5,704. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has sold 5,000 million rupees of bonds offered on tap at average rates set at an auction this week, bringing the total of bonds sold in the week to 85.69 billion, data from the Public Debt Management Office showed.

The issue offered 100 billion rupees.

The debt office sold a 15 September 2029 maturity bond (LKB00629I154) at a weighted average yield rate of 11.00 percent.

The debt office sold a 1 December 2031 maturity bond (LKB01031L016) at a weighted average yield rate of 11.67 percent.

Total market subscription was 10,715 million rupees.

On Tuesday, 80.69 billion rupees in 2030, 2034 and 2037 bonds were sold.

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Sri Lanka sells Rs100bn in 2029, 2031 and 2036 bonds

The date of settlement is October 15. (Colombo/Oct15/2026)