By Hiran H. Senewiratne

The escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the surge in oil prices are continuing to negatively impacted investor sentiment, market analysts said yesterday.

The All Share Price Index went down by 93.55 points, while the S and P SL20 declined by 23.8 points.

Turnover stood at Rs 1.45 billion with five crossings. Those crossings were; Sampath Bank 3 million shares traded to the tune of Rs 428 million; its shares traded at Rs 142.50, Commercial Bank 256,000 shares crossed for Rs 49 million; its shares traded at Rs 204.50, Digital Mobility Solutions 190,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 30 million; its shares fetched Rs 158, Overseas Realty 493,000 shares crossed for Rs 26 million; its shares sold at Rs 53 and Royal Ceramics 469,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 23 million; its shares traded at Rs 48.50.

In the retail market companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; Commercial Credit and Finance Rs 38 million (376,000 shares traded), Renuka Agri Rs 33 million (2.8 million shares traded), Sierra Cables 32 million (925,000 shares traded), Singer SriLanka Rs 31 million (359,000 shares traded), Dialog Axiata Rs 31 million (637,000 shares traded) and Access Engineering Rs 30 million (383,000 shares traded). During the day 35 million share volumes changed hands in 13380 transactions.

It is said that banking sector counters, especially Commercial Bank, led the market,which contributed close to half of the total turnover. Apart from that other sectors, including manufacturing, telecom and construction counters performed well.

Meanwhile, Melstacorp (down 1.32 percent at Rs 187.00 ), Royal Ceramics Lanka (down 1.22 percent at Rs 48.50 ), Hemas Holdings (down 1.27 percent at Rs 31.20 ), and Dipped Products (down 1.50 percent at Rs 59.00) were top negative contributors.

Yesterday the rupee was quoted at Rs 328.60/70 to the US dollar in the spot market from Rs 328.60/80 the previous day, while bond yields were quoted steady to lower, dealers said.

Softlogic GLOMARK, one of Sri Lanka’s leading supermarket chains, has been recognised at the Dragons of Sri Lanka Awards 2026, winning Gold and Black Dragon for Loyalty & Acquisition and Product Relaunch. The recognition reflects a deliberate strategic shift in how GLOMARK engages with the evolving needs of Sri Lankan consumers. Rather than competing primarily on convenience or price, GLOMARK built a purpose-led proposition around “A Better Life for Your Home,” repositioning the everyday grocery shop as an opportunity to make healthier, more considered choices for customers and their families.

Launched nationally as “Better Life,” the campaign brought this proposition to life through a vibrant commercial and memorable jingle, before extending the idea beyond advertising and into the shopping experience itself. Trained employees, curated product ranges and a re-aligned store environment were designed to make better choices more visible, accessible and easier to adopt.

The strategy translated into measurable business results. Active loyalty customers grew by 21%, footfall increased by 33%, while GLOMARK’s most frequent shoppers grew by 50%. The results demonstrate that building relevance and trust can create stronger customer relationships than competing solely on price or convenience.

Softlogic GLOMARK CEO Terry O’Connor said: “This award signals that our long-term strategy is working. We set out to build a brand customers choose because it genuinely improves their lives, not simply because it is convenient or cheap. Seeing that reflected in both industry recognition and real business growth confirms that we are on the right path and strengthens our confidence as we continue investing in GLOMARK’s future.”

Softlogic GLOMARK Head of Marketing Chamindri Pilimatalauwe said: “Our customers are increasingly making more deliberate, health-conscious, better choices, and this recognition confirms that our brand strategy is responding to that shift. We believe that when we curate every aisle and guide customer’ through it, we are also helping curate the lives of our customers. In that sense, we are more than a supermarket. We have the ability to influence how Sri Lanka lives, and we take that responsibility seriously. ගෙට Better Life’ was never intended to be a single campaign moment. It represents a fundamental repositioning of what GLOMARK stands for, designed to inspire and earn loyalty rather than simply drive footfall.”

By Ifham Nizam

Softlogic Stockbrokers is betting on a more mobile-first future for Sri Lanka’s capital market with the launch of StockBee, a proprietary application that brings online trading, investment research, market intelligence, portfolio information and analytical tools together on a single digital platform.

The launch marks a significant technology push by the brokerage firm at a time when investors are increasingly looking for faster and more convenient ways of accessing market information and executing investment decisions.

StockBee has been developed to reduce the fragmentation investors can face when obtaining market information, research and trading services through different channels.

The launch was attended by Dihan Dadigama, Director/CEO of Softlogic Stockbrokers; Clehan Pulle, CEO and Director of Finetech Holdings; Alanki Krishani Perera, media presenter, talk show host, law graduate and entrepreneur and Mohan Abesundara, Head of IT at Softlogic Stockbrokers.

Speaking to The Island Financial Review, Abesundara said the fundamental vision behind StockBee was to create a single platform through which investors could access the information and services they require.

‘The vision behind StockBee was to create a single platform for our investors where they can access all the information they need through a single platform, Abesundara said.

‘Previously, they had to rely on multiple channels and sources to get all this information. We wanted to bring all these experiences together with StockBee.’

A major differentiating feature of the platform is the integration of online trading directly into the mobile application.

According to Abesundara, this makes StockBee different from existing mobile offerings in the local brokerage space.

‘Right now, there are no brokerage companies with a mobile application which has trading in it, he told The Island Financial Review. ‘This is the first time that a company has released a mobile application on its own with the trading facilities integrated into it.’

The application brings together company research, equity research, macroeconomic information, trading tips and recommendations, as well as charts and other market information.

The idea is to allow investors to move more seamlessly from gathering information and analysing market developments to making and executing investment decisions.

StockBee’s current features include real-time market data, portfolio monitoring, trading and order management, research material, watchlists and analytical tools.

‘It is my team and the Softlogic Stockbrokers IT team. We developed the application internally. We are not relying on third parties or anything like that, he said.

The project has been several years in the making. While the final intensive development and testing

Softlogic Stockbrokers Director and CEO Dihan Dadigama has described the application as the beginning of a new journey to take the stock market closer to retail investors, with the mobile platform intended to reduce the amount of time investors need to spend connecting with a broker when direct access is possible.

The development is particularly significant because StockBee has been designed as an investment platform rather than simply a mobile order-placement facility. The combination of information, research, analysis and execution gives investors the ability to follow the market and act through the same digital environment.