Sri Lanka’s leading tyre manufacturer CEAT Kelani Holdings (CKH) has retained its National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(lka)’ with a ‘Stable Outlook’ from Fitch Ratings for the sixth consecutive year, reinforcing the company’s sustained financial resilience and established leadership in Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre manufacturing sector.

The ‘AA+(lka)’ rating is the second-highest national rating on Fitch’s scale and reflects a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments. In affirming the rating, Fitch said CKH’s established leadership in the domestic pneumatic tyre manufacturing sector and resilient financial profile were key strengths, while noting the company’s exposure to price-sensitive, cyclical and highly competitive end-markets.

The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch’s expectation that CKH will maintain its market position amid rising input costs and intensifying competition from imported tyres. It also reflects Fitch’s expectation that the company will preserve adequate credit metrics despite periods of weaker earnings and elevated investment requirements.

CEAT Kelani Holdings Chairman Chanaka De Silva said: ” For CEAT Kelani, maintaining this rating through successive cycles reinforces the importance we place on disciplined stewardship, operational adaptability and investment in the long-term strength of the business. We remain focused on building a stronger, more competitive and increasingly capable manufacturing enterprise that can create sustainable value for all our stakeholders.”

Flash Health has partnered with McLarens Group to integrate the conglomerate’s employees into its Cashless OPD platform, while separately collaborating with St. Joseph Hospital in Negombo to provide regional home laboratory and medicine delivery services.

The Cashless OPD system allows eligible workers to utilize outpatient services—such as online medical consultations, prescribed drug deliveries, and home lab testing—without requiring upfront out-of-pocket payments or complex reimbursement paperwork. Currently managing healthcare access for over 3,000 lives, the platform is part of a broader HealthOS ecosystem serving upwards of 50,000 users.

For employers, the model optimizes financial management by tying benefit funding directly to actual healthcare utilization rather than requiring lump-sum advance allocations, thereby lowering administrative burdens. This expansion incorporates the workforce of McLarens Group, a major Sri Lankan enterprise with operations across logistics, energy, distribution, property, and leisure sectors.

By Hiran H Senewiratne 

CSE performed yesterday slowly but steadily following the  IMF comments on Sri Lankan, which revealed that economy has continued to show resilience amid successive shocks, but risks remain titled to the downside,

The seventh review of the External Fund Facility (EFF) and Article IV Consultation gave an impetus to the CSE along with the conducive  external environmental to perform positive manner.

Amid those developments both indices moved upwards. All Share Price Index up by 43.45 points while S and P SL20 up by 29.04 points. Turnover stood at Rs 1.32 billion with six crossings. Those crossings were reported in Sampath Bank which crossed 1.5 million shares to the tune of Rs 210 million and its share price traded at Rs 140, Dipped Products 1.7 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 102 million and its share price traded at Rs 60.50, EB Creasy 2.9 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 100 million and its share price traded at Rs 34.50, VallibelOne 440,000 crossed to the tune of Rs 39.6 million and its share price traded at Rs 90, Hayleys 100,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 22.45 million and its share price traded at Rs 224.50 and Overseas Realities 400,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 21 million and its share price traded at Rs 53.

In the retail market top seven companies that have mainly contributed to the turnover were  Dipped Products Rs 88 million (1.4 million shares traded), SMB Finance Rs 51 million (46 million shares traded), Aitken Spence Rs 50 million (356,000 shares traded), RIL Properties Rs 29 million (1.2 million shares traded), Sierra Cables 25 million (706,000 shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs 24 million (159,000 shares traded) and Overseas Realities Rs 23 million (444,000 shares traded). During the day 83 million shares  volumes changed hands in 12356 transactions.

It is said that banking sector counters especially Sampath Bank performed well while FMCG sector including EB Creasy also performed in a positive manner. Further Capital goods sector and manufacturing sectors counters significantly performed well.

Yesterday the Central Bank announced the US Dollar rate as against rupee. The rupee was quoted at Rs  329.05/20 to the US dollar in the spot market, from Rs 329.30/60 the previous day, while bond yields dropped drastically, dealers said.