Business
Top child artists rewarded at ComBank’s colourful ‘Arunalu Siththam’ awards event
359 winners picked from over 13,000 entries received across the country
Over Thirteen thousand colourful works of art were scrutinised to select the best child artists who created the most imaginative drawings to be honored and rewarded with cash prizes and certificates at the ‘Arunalu Siththam’ art competition conducted recently by the Commercial Bank of Ceylon.
Of these winners, the 12 young artists that topped four of the five age groups that competed in the competition received their prizes at a colourful ceremony hosted by the Bank at the BMICH.
The Bank launched the ‘Arunalu Siththam Children’s Art Competition 2021’ – the second in the series – in October last year and invited children between the ages of 4-16 under five age categories to submit drawings that illustrate the themes of ‘Our lifestyle,’ (Junior category) and ‘Gifts of nature,’ (Senior category) before 25th November 2021. The categories were Pre-school (ages 4-5), Primary (ages 6-7), Post Primary (ages 8-10), Junior (ages 11-13), and Senior (ages 14-16). The competition was open to any child, whether an account holder of the Bank or not. However, in recognition of being an existing account holder, special cash prizes are to be awarded, doubling the prize.
The child artists that took the stage at the BMICH were the First, Second, and Third placed winners in the four older age groups. These winners were presented cash prizes of Rs 100,000, Rs 75,000, and Rs 50,000 each, as per their placements.
Although not present at the event, the 25 youngest winning contestants in the Pre-school category will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 10,000 each and certificates, and another 50 participants in this category will receive Merit Certificates. Additionally, 25 contestants in each of the other age groups will each receive cash prizes of Rs 10,000 while another 50 participants in each group will receive Merit Certificates, the Bank said.
The total of 359 winners including the top three in each category as well as the winners of Awards of Excellence and Merit Awards were selected from the entries that were submitted digitally via www.arunalusiththam.lk, but only the top winners were present at the awards event, so as to ensure safety in view of the prevailing situation.
The Bank said all other winners will receive their certificates through the nearest Commercial Bank Branch and those that have won cash prizes will have their winnings credited to their respective ‘Arunalu’ accounts. A total of Rs 2.5 million in cash prizes is to be distributed among the winners.
The panel of judges for the competition included Professor Susiripala Malimboda, retired Dean of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) who is also a member of the State Arts Council of Sri Lanka; Mrs Deepa Alahakoon, a Consultant Creative Director (Advertising) and visiting lecturer at the VPA; Mr Lal Jayasekara, Senior Lecturer and the Head of Department of Printmaking at VPA; Mr Sanjaya Seneviratne, professional artist and a graduate of VPA and Mrs Inoka Edirisinghe, art teacher at Royal College Wayamba who is also a graduate of VPA.
The vibrant awards ceremony was attended by Commercial Bank’s Group Chief Marketing Officer Mr Hasrath Munasinghe, Deputy General Manager – Personal Banking Mr Delakshan Hettiarachchi and representatives of the senior management of the Bank.
Commercial Bank launched the ‘Arunalu Siththam Art Competition’ in 2017. The flagship children’s savings account of Commercial Bank, Arunalu, after which the competition was named, offers a higher interest rate for Children’s Savings Accounts and rewards account holders with special cash prizes if they score the first, second or third highest aggregate marks in their schools at the Year 5 Scholarship Examination.
Business
Dialog delivers strong growth, stronger national contribution in FY 2025
Dialog Axiata PLC announced, Friday 6th February 2026, its consolidated financial results (Reviewed) for the year ended 31st December 2025. Financial results included those of Dialog Axiata PLC (the “Company”) and of the Dialog Axiata Group (the “Group”).
Group Performance
The Group delivered a strong performance across Mobile, Fixed Line and Digital Pay Television businesses recording a positive Core Revenue growth of 16% Year to Date (“YTD”). Group Headline Revenue reached Rs179.6Bn, up 5% YTD, despite the continued strategic scaling down of low-margin international wholesale business. In Q4 2025, Revenue was recorded at Rs46.5Bn up 2% Quarter-on-Quarter (“QoQ”) and 2% Year-on-Year (“YoY”).
The Group Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (“EBITDA”) reached Rs86.0Bn up 30% YTD supported by Core Revenue performance and Cost Rescaling Initiatives. On a QoQ basis Group EBITDA demonstrated a modest growth to record at Rs23.0Bn up 2% QoQ with an EBITDA margin of 49.5% in line with the Revenue performance. Group EBITDA margin reached 47.9% for FY 2025, up 9.2pp.
Group Net Profit After Tax (“NPAT”) reached Rs20.8Bn for FY 2025, up 67% YTD mainly resulting from robust EBITDA growth, despite higher tax and net finance costs. Normalized for forex impact, NPAT growth was recorded at +>100% YTD to reach Rs22.1Bn. On a QoQ basis NPAT grew 3% to reach Rs5.9Bn resulting from strong EBITDA performance.
On the back of strong operational performance, the Group recorded Operating Free Cash Flow (“OFCF”)
of Rs49.3Bn for FY 2025 up >100% YTD.
Dividend Payment to Shareholders
In line with the dividend policy and financial performance of the Group and taking into account the forward investment requirements to serve the nation’s demand for Broadband and Digital services, the Board of Directors of Dialog Axiata PLC at its meeting held on 6th February 2026, resolved to propose for consideration by the Shareholders of the Company, a dividend to ordinary shareholders amounting to Rs1.50 per share. The said dividend, if approved by shareholders, would translate to a Dividend Yield of 5.0% based on share closing price for FY 2025. The dividend so proposed will be considered for approval by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Company, the date pertaining to which would be notified in due course.
Company and Subsidiary Performance
At an entity level, Dialog Axiata PLC (the “Company”) continued to be the primary contributor to Group Revenue (76%) and Group EBITDA (74%). Aided by sustained growth in the Data segment and cost-rescaling initiatives, Company revenue was recorded at Rs135.8Bn for FY 2025, up 18% YTD, EBITDA rose 32% YTD to reach Rs63.6Bn. On a QoQ basis, Q4 2025 Revenue was recorded at Rs34.8Bn, down 1% QoQ due to a reclassification of Hubbing Revenue, while EBITDA decline 1% QoQ to record Rs17.0Bn, largely attributable to network restoration costs and donations made in relation to the Cyclone Ditwah relief efforts. Furthermore, NPAT was recorded at Rs15.6Bn for FY 2025, up 41% YTD. Normalised for forex impacts, the company NPAT was up +>100% YTD to reach Rs17.0Bn. On a QoQ basis, Company NPAT was recorded at Rs4.5Bn, down 6% QoQ.
Business
Ceylinco Life’s Pranama Scholarships reach 25-year milestone
Ceylinco Life has announced the launch of the 25th consecutive edition of its flagship Pranama Scholarships programme, marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-standing commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence among the children of its policyholders.
Under the 2026 programme, the life insurance market leader will present scholarships with a total cumulative value of Rs. 22.7 million, continuing a rewards initiative that has now been conducted without interruption for a quarter of a century. Since its inception, the Ceylinco Life Pranama Scholarships programme has benefitted 3,466 students across the country, representing a total investment of Rs. 240 million in nurturing academic achievement and outstanding performance in sports, arts and other extracurricular pursuits.
Business
Sri Lankans’ artistic genius glowingly manifests at Kala Pola ‘26
The artistic genius of Sri Lankans was amply manifest all over again at ‘Kala Pola ‘26’ which was held on February 8th at Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha Colombo 7; the usual, teeming and colourful venue for this annual grand exhibition and celebration of the work of local visual artists.
If there is one thing that has flourished memorably and resplendently in Sri Lanka over the centuries it is the artistic capability or genius of its people. It is something that all Sri Lankans could feel a sense of elation over because from the viewpoint of the arts, Sri Lanka is second to no other nation. With regard to the visual arts a veritable dazzling radiance of this inborn and persisting capability is seen at the annual open air ‘Kala Pola’.

A bird of Sri Lanka created from scraps of iron waste.
All capable visual artists, wherever they hail from in Sri Lanka, enjoy the opportunity of exhibiting their work at the ‘Kala Pola’ and this is a distinctive ‘positive’ of this annual event that draws numberless artists and viewers. There was an abundance of paintings, sketches and sculptures, for instance, and one work was as good as the other. Ample and equal space was afforded each artist. Its widely participatory and open nature enables one to describe the exhibition as exuding a profoundly democratic ethos.
Accordingly, this time around at ‘Kala Pola ‘26’ too Sri Lankans’ creative efforts were there to be viewed, studied and enjoyed in the customary carnival atmosphere where connoisseurs, local and foreign, met in a sprit of camaraderie and good cheer. Many thanks are owed once again to the George Keyt Foundation for the presentation of the event in association with the John Keells Group and the John Keells Foundation, not forgetting the Nations Trust Bank, which was the event’s Official Banking Partner. The exhibition was officially declared open by Chief Guest Marc-Andre Franche, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka.
By Lynn Ockersz
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