MullenLowe Sri Lanka has been awarded Gold as Rest of South Asia’s Creative Agency of the Year at the Campaign Agency of the Year Awards 2025, held recently at the ITC Maratha Hotel in Mumbai. The recognition marks a defining moment in a year shaped by breakthrough ideas, ambitious brands and a renewed surge in economic activity across the country.

The agency entered 2025 guided by a clear creative vision and strengthened by its expansive category knowledge across 43 clients, 33 sectors and 111 brands. A renewed leadership structure, strategic talent acquisitions and the integration of AI-enabled tools created an environment where creativity, learning and commercial impact worked in unison. This shift supported the agency’s role as a brand custodian embedded in client ambition, helping strengthen long-standing relationships while contributing to consistent new business momentum.

Thayalan Bartlett, Executive Chairman, MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka, stated, “MullenLowe Sri Lanka has consistently featured among the top rankings at global, regional and local levels. Our success and growth trajectory are deeply rooted in a people-first, creative-centred culture. We continue to attract some of the industry’s finest talent, supported by a strong commitment to upskilling through focused training.

Coupled with an expansive and diverse brand portfolio, this has significantly enriched our knowledge repository and strengthened both our creative and strategic capabilities.”

Normalcy bred optimism on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) yesterday as many train services resumed and rehabilitation work began following the devastating natural disaster in Sri Lanka. A dynamic mix of retail and institutional investors drove the rally, lifting key indices and trading volumes.

Amid those developments the market was mainly driven by construction and banking sector counters. All Share Price Index up by 388.11 points while S and P SL20 up by 83.12 points. Turnover stood at Rs 6.2 billion with sixteen crossings. Top seven crossings were JKH 26.6 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 557 million and its share price traded at Rs 20.80, Cheveron Lubricant 500,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 90 million and its share price traded at Rs 180, Access Engineering 1.2 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 89 million and its share price traded at Rs 76, Tokyo Cement (Non-Voting) 900,000 shares crossed 77.36 million and its share price traded at Rs 85.90,Tokyo Cement 595,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 65 million and its share price traded at Rs 110, NTB 200,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 60.6 million and its share price traded at Rs 303 and Laugfs Gas 818,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 55 million and its share price traded at Rs 58.

In the retail market top seven companies that have mainly contributed to the turnover were Colombo Dockyard Rs 551 million (2.7 million shares traded), Sierra Cables Rs 271 million (7.9 million shares traded) Tokyo Cement (Non-Voting) Rs 251 million (three million shares traded), Access Engineering Rs 162 million (2.1 million shares traded), ACL Cables Rs 158 million (613,000 shares traded), Laughs Gas Rs 138 million (two million shares traded) and Tokyo Cement Rs 136 million (1.25 million shares traded). During the day 185 million shares volumes changed hands in 41432.

It is said that construction and banking sector counters were well performed especially Access Engineering and Tokyo Cement stocks while manufacturing sector especially JKH performed well.

Yesterday the Central Bank announced the US Dollar rate as against rupee. The rupee opened at Rs 308.65/70 to the US dollar in the spot market , weakening from Rs 308.64/66 the previous day, dealers said, while bond yields were broadly steady.

By Hiran H Senewiratne 

The recent announcement of Wealth Trust Securities Ltd.’s Rs. 500.8 million Initial Public Offering -IPO- comes at a moment when Sri Lanka’s interest-rate environment is gradually easing, allowing well-capitalised primary dealers to expand their trading portfolios and secure long-term positions in government securities.

Company chairman Senaka Weerasooria told journalists in Colombo that the IPO is not merely a capital-raising exercise, but a reinforcement of the disciplined structure that has defined the company since its inception.

He noted that WTS enters the public market with what is already one of the most robust capital bases in the industry, and with “absolute confidence that investors are joining a journey that has consistently returned value.”

Weerasooria said the capital infusion will further solidify WTS’s ability to absorb volatility, particularly amid cyclical movements in Treasury yields.

Despite maintaining a conservative trading outlook, the company has managed to average a 31% ROE over the past twelve years — a figure management repeatedly highlighted as evidence of resilience across both tightening and loosening rate cycles.

Managing Director and CEO Romesh Gomez said that in recent months the direction of policy rates and market liquidity has begun shifting favourably, creating clear value-accretion opportunities for disciplined portfolio expansion. With additional capital, he noted, WTS has greater room to capture advantageous auction positions, broaden secondary market activity and align its investment scale to emerging market windows.

Gomez acknowledged that FY25 reflected compressed performance due to systemic realignment, with revenue at Rs. 4.6 billion and PAT at Rs. 1.2 billion. However, he pointed out that profit sustainability, even through a difficult cycle, speaks to strong operational controls. The A- rating with a Positive outlook continues to stand, reinforcing the company’s position as a stable counterparty in a specialised sector.

Asia Securities Advisors, managing the IPO, pointed out that the offer price of Rs. 7 presents meaningful upside when benchmarked against underlying valuation metrics. The move into the listed environment, they noted, enhances governance visibility — a point increasingly valued among institutional investors participating in the Government securities market.

By Ifham Nizam