HNB General Insurance (HNBGI) has become the only General Insurance company to make it to the exclusive list of 50 Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka for 2026. Compiled by Great Place To Work®, the renowned global authority on workplace culture, the prestigious list features 50 Sri Lankan organizations across all sizes, with HNB General Insurance ranking 16th in the “Large Sized Workplaces (>500 Employees)” segment.

This recognition is based on comprehensive, confidential survey data assessing employee experiences of trust, innovation by all, meaningful organizational values, and leadership effectiveness. Organizations were rigorously evaluated on how well they create a “For All™” workplace experience, where every single employee is welcomed, supported, and engaged.

A workplace culture rooted in trust, belonging, and shared purpose is just one reason employees love working at HNB General Insurance, according to research and consulting firm, Great Place To Work®.

According to Great Place To Work®, “A best workplace is one in which employees, no matter who they are and what they do for the organization, are having a consistently positive experience of a ‘Great Place To Work For All™’. It is an honor for HNB General Insurance to be recognized by their employees as an organization that fosters a foundation of trust and meaningful values through effective leaders.”

The credential is backed by exceptional data from the anonymous survey, where an outstanding 95% of participating HNBGI employees expressed an extremely high view of the company’s workplace culture. This remarkably high score is particularly noteworthy within the ‘Large Sized Workplaces’ category, where maintaining consistent engagement across a vast workforce presents unique structural challenges.

Mr. Sithumina Jayasundara, Executive Director/CEO – HNB General Insurance, shared his thoughts on the milestone, stating, “Transitioning from being Certified™ last year to becoming the only general insurance company to be recognized among Sri Lanka’s 50 Best Workplaces™ this year makes this achievement even more meaningful and reinforces our commitment to building a workplace where our people can thrive.

Finch Foods has officially opened its premium travel retail outlet at Bandaranaike International Airport, marking a significant milestone in the company’s journey to build a globally recognized Sri Lankan food brand. Located within the Departure/Transit Duty Free area, the outlet has been designed to showcase the finest ingredients, flavours and gifting collections from Sri Lanka to international travelers.

The new outlet brings together a curated range of premium Ceylon products, including cinnamon, vanilla, botanicals, natural wellness products, superfoods, authentic Sri Lankan spices, artisan food products, premium honey, natural oils and exclusive gifting collections. Designed as an immersive retail experience, the outlet celebrates Sri Lanka’s rich agricultural heritage, craftsmanship and culinary identity while presenting them through a modern premium brand experience.

For Finch Foods, the opening represents more than the launch of a new retail outlet. Establishing a permanent presence at Sri Lanka’s international gateway provides the brand with a powerful platform to introduce international travellers to value-added Sri Lankan products. It also reinforces the company’s long-term vision of taking the finest of Sri Lanka to the world through innovation, premium branding and global market access.

Commenting on the launch, Fawaz Fassi, Managing Director of Finch Foods, said, “The opening of our outlet at Bandaranaike International Airport is a proud milestone in the Finch Foods journey. More than a retail outlet, it is a platform to introduce millions of international travelers to the very best of Sri Lanka and demonstrate how our country’s finest ingredients can become globally recognized branded products.”

The CSE overwhelmingly showed some downward trends yesterday because of investor worries over renewed US-Iran tensions in West Asia, market analysts said.

The All Share Price Index went down by 133 points, while the S and P SL20 declined by 35 points.

Turnover stood at Rs 2.2 billion with five crossings. Those crossings were: Renuka Foods 18 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 450 million; its shares traded at Rs 25, JKH 619,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 391.4 million; its shares traded at Rs 20, EB Creasy four million shares crossed for Rs 160 million; its shares sold at Rs 40, CCS 565,000 shares crossed for Rs 70 million and its shares sold at Rs 124 and NDB 185,000 shares crossed for Rs 20.1 million; its shares traded at Rs 109.

In the retail market companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were: Dialog Rs 101 million (4.3 million shares traded), CCS Rs 92.8 million (747,000 shares traded), Industrial Asphalts Rs 72 million (104 million shares traded), Commercial Bank Rs 53 million (256,000 shares traded), JKH Rs 51.8 million (2.5 million shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs 45.4 million (323,000 shares traded) and Colombo Dockyard Rs 35.4 million (282,000 shares traded). During the day 210 million share volumes changed hands in 19291 transactions.

It is said that mixed market reactions were noted during the day. Manufacturing sector, especially JKH, and the banking sector, specially NDB performed well.

Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) sold 1,800,693,010 shares, representing a controlling 48.03 percent stake, to Arcasia Investment & Trading and ATX Partners.

The shares were held by its Executive Director Govindasamy Ramanan.

The agreement was struck on July 7, CSE sources said.

Arcasia and ATX are also shareholders of Ambeon Capital, having acquired a 11.97 percent stake in 2024.

Industrial Asphalts trading was halted till 11.00 am yesterday amid the announcement, with the stock trading last at 50 cents.

Yesterday the rupee was quoted at Rs 335.50/90 to the US dollar in the spot market , weaker from Rs 334.75/85 the previous day, while bond yields were up, dealers said.

The telegraphic transfer rate for Sri Lanka’s rupee against the US dollar was 374.4884 buying, 339.50 selling; the euro was 374.4884 selling, 388.4054 buying; and the pound was 440.2500 buying, 454.2956 selling.

By Hiran H Senewiratne