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Ceylinco Insurance ranked Sri Lanka’s Most Respected Insurer

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Ceylinco Insurance was ranked as the nation’s most admired and respected insurer as announced by the LMD magazine in its 16th annual edition of the nation’s Most Respected and admired entities. Ceylinco Insurance PLC comprises of the two dominant insurers in the country, Ceylinco General Insurance Ltd and Ceylinco Life Insurance Ltd.

Both, Ceylinco General Insurance and Ceylinco Life Insurance maintain their supremacy as the market leaders in General and Life insurance respectively. Having climbed 14 positions from the previous year, Ceylinco Insurance remains in the 12th position among the Most Respected and admired entities in the country.

Ajith Gunawardena, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ceylinco Insurance PLC said, “An organization that practices innovation can elevate the entity to become a powerhouse of creativity, where pioneering ideas are born and given expression to become fully fledged products and services that enhance people’s lives. We are proud to be one such entity that has repeatedly set benchmarks and set trends for the rest of the industry to follow. Some of our innovative products have reached the grassroots level and their benefits have been reaped by people who would have never thought of getting insurance if it were not offered through convenient channels such as mobile operators and the postal service.”

Rajkumar Renganathan, chairman of Ceylinco Life said: “The LMD-Nielsen survey covers a well-informed sample of 800 senior executives of listed companies. It is therefore a credible barometer of public perception, which is essential to business success. Ceylinco Life’s view of its business as ‘A Relationship for Life’ with policyholders is practised in every aspect of its engagement with customers as well as other stakeholders, and is, we believe, the foundation for its 16 consecutive years of market leadership in the Life insurance sector.”

Commenting further on the achievement, Mr. Patrick Alwis, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer said, “Ceylinco General Insurance is led by a strong customer-centric culture and this is a testimonial to this claim. Delivering protection and satisfaction to customers is the bedrock on which our company is founded. We will continue to deliver best-in-class insurance solutions to cater to every need of customers from all walks of life.”

Ceylinco Life Managing Director/CEO Mr Thushara Ranasinghe added: “Respect is based on trust, a truly precious attribute to any business, but more so for a company in the financial services sector. The trust that Ceylinco Life has earned from the masses over three decades is evident in the Company’s position as the vanguard of the industry, and our parent company’s latest movement up the LMD Most Respected Entities ranking is a reaffirmation that public trust in Ceylinco Insurance remains steadfast.”

Earlier this year, Ceylinco General Insurance and Ceylinco life Insurance were chosen as the ‘People’s Insurance Brand of The Year’ for general insurance and life insurance respectively at the 2020 SLIM Nielson People’s Awards, for an unprecedented 14th consecutive year. Similarly for the year 2018/19, Ceylinco Insurance PLC, reinforcing its dominance in the insurance industry, moved up to the 6th position amongst Sri Lanka’s top 30 companies.



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Foreign Direct Investment records 90% Increase in First Quarter of 2025

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The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka has successfully increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by US$96 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.

This was disclosed today (20) during a progress review meeting of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, chaired by President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.

BOI officials also noted that, relative to the first quarter of 2024, domestic investment rose by US$21 million, while export income increased by US$176 million during the first quarter of 2025. In total, Sri Lanka has attracted US$4,669 million in investment proposals thus far in 2025.

The meeting also focused on the issues and challenges associated with attracting investment to the country and discussed potential strategies to address them.
Addressing the gathering, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the Board of Investment holds a pivotal role in enhancing the national economy and improving the living standards of the rural population.

He stressed that opportunities to attract investment in traditional sectors are becoming increasingly limited and therefore the nation must identify new areas for investment, an endeavour that falls under the BOI’s mandate.

The President further noted that Sri Lanka has attracted only around US$22 billion in investment since 1978. In comparison to other countries in the region, he stated, Sri Lanka must advance rapidly, referencing Vietnam’s achievement of securing US$23 billion in investment in 2022 alone.

He went on to state that the BOI should prioritise the expansion of investment in the services sector and proactively seek new investment opportunities, rather than focusing solely on recapturing missed ones.

The event was attended by senior officials of the Board of Investment, including  Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs;  Arjuna Herath, Chairman of the Board of Investment; and Ms Renuka Weerakone, Acting Director General of the Board of Investment.

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The World of the Black Leopard

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Sri Lankan explorer, photographer, and author Senaka Kotagama unveils his debut book, The World of the Black Leopard, at its highly anticipated launch in Colombo. This self-published masterpiece, born from over five decades of global exploration—from Sri Lanka’s misty tea highlands to Kenya’s rugged Laikipia plateau—chronicles Senaka’s groundbreaking discovery of Giza (Black Beauty in Swahili), a rare melanistic leopard. In 2023, Senaka became the first Sri Lankan to track this elusive “ghost in the darkness,” inspired by wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas’s pioneering camera-trap images. Blending gripping adventure with a noble cause, all profits from the book support the Rotary for Little Hearts project.

Born in the mid-1960s in Sri Lanka’s lush tea country, Senaka grew up in a family that cherished the outdoors. The rolling hills and dense forests were his playground, fostering a deep connection to nature that would define his life. This early bond with the natural world set him on a path of exploration that few from his homeland have followed. By profession, Senaka is a Tea Taster, but his true calling lies beyond the tasting room—in the untamed corners of the planet.

Senaka’s adventures read like a catalogue of the world’s wildest places. In South America, he tracked jaguars and anacondas through the dense Amazon rainforest. He dived into Brazil’s Abismo Anhumas, a surreal underwater cave, and rafted beneath the roaring Iguaçu Falls. His scuba-diving exploits took him from Sri Lanka’s coastal waters to the pristine Similan Islands, all the way to the Myanmar border, where he swam alongside rare tiger sharks, and the whale-rich seas off Vietnam. In Chile’s Patagonian Andes, he pursued elusive pumas across windswept peaks, while Tanzania’s Serengeti brought him face-to-face with cheetahs and a near call with an angry lioness. India’s Bengal tigers, China’s Manchurian tigers, and Indonesia’s Komodo dragons have all crossed his path, each encounter fuelling his insatiable curiosity.

The World of the Black Leopard immerses readers in Laikipia’s wilderness, a hidden Kenyan gem often eclipsed by the Maasai Mara. Few outsiders have glimpsed Giza, a revered “freak of nature” among the Samburu and local tribes. Senaka’s multiple journeys to this mystical plateau spotlight its wonders, inspiring Sri Lankan and global wildlife enthusiasts to explore this remote region. His vivid prose—often penned on his phone amidst rugged terrain—pairs with stunning photography from his vast archive, capturing the wild’s fleeting magic with authenticity and depth.

More than a memoir, the book fuses drama, firsthand knowledge, and philosophical reflection, offering a window into a shrinking habitat through the eyes of a modern explorer inspired by literary giants like Wilbur Smith. Accompanied by breathtaking illustrations, it invites readers on a journey of empathy, awe, and cognitive awakening. For Senaka, the true reward lies in nature’s lessons, not financial gain. All proceeds from The World of the Black Leopard will fund Rotary for Little Hearts, a Rotary District 3220 initiative aiming to raise $1 million for Sri Lanka’s Lady Ridgeway Hospital. This project seeks to expand intensive care and surgical facilities for over 3,000 children born annually with congenital heart defects, giving them a chance at life through Senaka’s lifelong passion.

By Senaka Kotagama

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War and panic take their toll on bourse which recovers somewhat at close

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The CSE kicked off yesterday on a positive note but later selling pressure mounted due to the West Asian crisis which went on to trigger panic- selling of shares. However, at the tail end of the day the market indicated a slight recovery, market analysts said.

The All Share Price Index went down by 253 points, while the S and P SL20 declined by 55.19 points. Turnover stood at Rs 3.32 billion with five crossings.

Those crossings were reported in Central Finance, where 313,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 71.6 million; its shares traded at Rs 228, People’s Leasing 2.2 million shares crossed for Rs 40.7 million and its shares traded at Rs 18.50, Commercial Bank 200,000 shares crossed for Rs 30.4 million; its shares traded at Rs 152, Central Industries 150,000 shares crossed for Rs 23.3 million; its shares sold at Rs 150 and Hemas 745,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 20.6 million; its shares traded at Rs 27.60.

In the retail market top six companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; HNB Rs 212 million (672,000 shares traded), Commercial Bank 197 million (1.31 million shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs 164 million (1.4 million shares traded), Lanka IOC Rs 120 million (871,000 shares traded), Browns Investments Rs 114 million (15.3 million shares traded) and Dipped Products Rs 96.5 million (1.9 million shares traded). During the day 139 million share volumes changed hands in 27968 transactions.

It is said that the banking and financial sector led the market, especially Central Finance and HNB, while the manufacturing sector was the second largest contributor to the market, especially Central Industries. Further, the services sector and the plantations sector did not perform well.

Lankem Ceylon plans a one for three rights issue of 17.15 million ordinary shares at Rs 70 each to raise Rs 1.2 billion, CSE sources said. The cash will be used for part settlement of bank loans. The firm’s current stated capital is Rs1.28 billion made up of 55.4 million ordinary shares.

The rights issue is subject to Colombo Stock Exchange and shareholder approval. A subdivision of shares will follow if the proposed rights issue is fully subscribed, the company said, with 68,627,676 ordinary shares split “on the basis of every One (1) Existing issued Ordinary Share being Sub-divided into Two (2) issued Ordinary Shares, thereby increasing the number of shares of the Company to 137,255,352 shares.”

Yesterday, the rupee opened at Rs 300.50/70 to the US dollar in the spot market, broadly flat against previous day’s close of Rs300.40/60, dealers said, while bond yields were up, particularly in the mid tenors and above.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2026 was quoted at 8.15/25 percent, up from 8.14/20 percent. A bond maturing on 15.09.2027 was quoted at 8.50/60 percent, up from 8.54/60 percent. A bond maturing on 15.10.2028 was quoted at 8.90/9.00 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2029 was quoted at 9.62/67 percent, up from 9.52/56 percent. A bond maturing on 15.03.2031 was quoted at 10.05/20 percent, up from 9.98/10.10 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 was quoted at 10.35/40 percent, up from 10.31/38 percent.

By Hiran H.Senewiratne ✍️

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