Product & Service Launches / Business Expansions
View all(80)🚁 South Asia’s First VR Flight Simulator to Benefit Sri Lankan Aviation
• Regional Aviation & Training: Indocopters Private Limited and Loft Dynamics are launching South Asia's first dedicated Airbus H125 virtual reality (VR) full-motion flight simulator at Indocopters' headquarters in Greater Noida, India. • Benefits for Sri Lanka: The advanced facility will support local operators in Sri Lanka and across the region, boosting aviation & pilot training standards for high-risk operations, adverse weather, emergency procedures, and confined-area landings. • Fleet Context: More than 80 Airbus H125 aircraft are currently in service across South Asia (including Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives). The initiative provides scalable training infrastructure as Airbus Helicopters and Tata Advanced Systems expand regional assembly in Karnataka. • Cutting-Edge Tech: The Loft Dynamics H125 TXi simulator features a 360-degree 3D VR environment, force-feedback controls, and a 6-degree-of-freedom motion platform, allowing pilots to safely rehearse complex scenarios and advance overall aviation MRO and operational readiness.
🇱🇰 Hayleys Agriculture Launches Sri Lanka's First Frozen Concentrated Coconut Water Facility 📈
• Facility Launch: Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Limited has officially opened Hayleys Nature Nest (Pvt) Ltd, marking the island’s first specialized manufacturing plant for frozen concentrated coconut water. • Sector Impact: Focuses on boosting value-added exports within the agriculture and coconut sectors by converting locally sourced coconut water into premium concentrate for international markets. • Economic & Local Benefits: Aims to increase national export earnings, drive agribusiness innovation, and support local coconut growers and regional farming communities.
📈 HDFC Bank Expands Beyond Housing Finance Through Strategic Diversification
• Strategic Shift: State-owned, CSE-listed HDFC Bank of Sri Lanka has diversified its traditional housing finance model starting in 2024 to strengthen financial resilience, enhance sustainability, and adapt to evolving customer needs. • Portfolio Expansion & Product Innovations: - Diversified into leasing, gold advances, and personal loans in 2024. - Introduced Super Draft Leasing, a flexible vehicle financing product permitting early settlements or lump-sum payments within 4 to 24 months without penalties. - Launched Gold Purchase Loans, enabling customers to buy gold jewellery at current market prices through 12-month installment plans to hedge against rising gold prices. • Green Financing & Sustainability: - Entered green financing in 2025 in alignment with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Green Taxonomy. - Introduced Green Personal Loans and Green Leasing options for solar energy systems, electric vehicles (EVs), energy-efficient appliances, and waste recycling. - Rolled out Go Green Savings Accounts and Green Wealth Fixed Deposits to channel customer deposits directly into eco-friendly initiatives. • Leadership & Future Outlook: Under new GM/CEO Hemal C. Lokugeegana, the bank aims to drive long-term, sustainable economic growth across Sri Lanka's banking & finance sector from 2026 onwards.
🤝 AIA Sri Lanka Partners with SLASSCOM as Exclusive Insurance Partner
AIA Insurance Lanka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) to become its exclusive Insurance Partner, aiming to enhance corporate wellness and holistic wellbeing within the national ICT/BPM and knowledge technology community. • Key Highlights & MoU Details: - AIA Sri Lanka named exclusive Insurance Partner across SLASSCOM sponsored events. - Focuses on promoting physical, mental, and social wellness alongside employee benefits. - Engages the tech workforce through flagship initiatives including FIT HIT 2026, Megamind Quiz, and Ctrl+Alt+Rock. • Strategic & Economic Impact: - Targets sustainable workforce performance and resilience in Sri Lanka's fast-paced IT/BPM sector. - Deepens AIA’s presence in the national wellness ecosystem beyond traditional insurance products.
📱 LB Finance Launches Sri Lanka's First In-App Virtual Debit Card via LB CIM
LB Finance PLC has introduced the LB CIM Virtual Debit Card in partnership with UnionPay International, expanding digital payment infrastructure in Sri Lanka. • Key Highlights & Innovations: • First local app to offer Tap to Pay (NFC) directly within the mobile application without third-party wallet routing. • Enables global e-commerce, international merchant payments, and cross-border QR transactions overseas. • Features consumer-presented QR generation for instant merchant scanning. • Platform Growth: • Annual transaction volume surpassed Rs. 300 Bn across over 6 Mn transactions. • Achieved 173% YoY growth in transaction volume and a 55% YoY increase in transaction count. • Platform app downloads have now exceeded 800,000. • National Impact: • Aims to boost financial inclusion and advance Sri Lanka's transition toward a cash-lite digital economy.
🏥 Asiri Central Performs First Successful Liver Transplant
• Overview: Asiri Central Hospital has completed its first successful liver transplant, marking a major milestone in Sri Lanka’s private healthcare sector and expanding access to advanced local clinical care. • Economic & Clinical Impact: - Expands local availability of high-end specialized treatments for end-stage liver disease. - Potential to reduce foreign exchange outflows by minimizing the need for domestic patients to seek costly medical care overseas. - Highlights ongoing private capital investment in cutting-edge medical infrastructure, specialized technology, and high-skill retention within Sri Lanka's healthcare & medical services industry. • Execution: Handled by an interdisciplinary local team including transplant surgeons, hepatologists, anesthetists, and specialized nursing units.
🛡️ LankaPay Partners as Silver Sponsor for 2nd Data Privacy Summit 2026
LankaPay, Sri Lanka’s national payment network, has partnered as a Silver Sponsor for the 2nd Data Privacy and Protection Summit 2026, scheduled for 23 July at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. Key details of the partnership and sector impact: • Digital Economy Impact: LankaPay processes real-time payment systems accounting for over 75% of Sri Lanka’s economic output, connecting major banks, financial institutions, and citizens. • PDPA Compliance: With the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) enforcement imminent, the summit focuses on data governance, proactive defense strategies, and regulatory compliance for public and private sector entities. • Cybersecurity Credentials: LankaPay was the first local entity to gain PCI-DSS certification and established FinCSIRT, the region's first financial sector cybersecurity unit, alongside OTP fraud prevention mechanisms with telecom providers. • Summit Leadership: Organized by CICRA and the Daily FT, the summit features LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva as a speaker to address evolving privacy standards, AI security risks, and digital trust.
🏛️ LANKATILES Partners with Geoffrey Bawa Trust to Advance Sri Lankan Architecture
• Strategic Partnership: LANKATILES PLC has announced a strategic collaboration with the Geoffrey Bawa Trust to support knowledge-sharing initiatives, including the DesignTalk platform and the Annual Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture. • Core Objective: The partnership aims to foster Sri Lanka’s architectural & design community, nurture future creative talent, and preserve the country's cultural and design identity. • Industry Impact: Aligns with LANKATILES' five-decade legacy in tile and surface solutions, reflecting corporate involvement in cultural preservation and built environment development. • Trust's Mandate: Established in 1982, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust continues to manage the late architect's archives while running public programs across architecture, environmental studies, and the arts both locally and internationally.
🤖 Sri Lanka’s First Robot-Assisted Surgery Performed by Asiri Surgical Hospital
Healthcare & Technology milestone achieved as Asiri Surgical Hospital successfully completed Sri Lanka's first-ever Robot-Assisted Surgery on July 13, 2026. This pioneering technology allows local patients to access advanced care without traveling overseas. • Key Highlights & Capabilities: The advanced robotic surgical platform, utilized in over 60 countries, complies with European Regulatory Standards. Features a 3D high-definition vision system, providing consultant surgeons with crystal-clear imaging, greater precision, and enhanced control. Clinically proven to minimize post-operative pain, reduce blood loss, shorten hospital stays, and accelerate patient recovery times. • Strategic Impact: The introduction represents a major infrastructure investment by Asiri Health, Sri Lanka’s largest healthcare conglomerate. Expands local access to international care standards, elevating national clinical capabilities, patient safety, and measurable health outcomes. _Source: Asiri Surgical Hospital (Provisional Data)_
🎸 Historic Sri Lanka–Japan Musical Collaboration Tour Announced for August 2026
Indian music sensation Aditya Narayan and Sri Lankan superstar Sanka Dineth are uniting for a landmark live concert tour, marking a first-of-its-kind cross-border musical partnership bridging South Asia and East Asia. The tour aims to strengthen cultural, artistic, and musical ties between Sri Lanka, India, and Japan. • Tour Schedule & Locations: • Sri Lanka Concert: 1 August 2026 at Havelock Grounds, Colombo (Presented by Salon Mybride). • Japan Concert: 16 August 2026 at Kashiwa Civic Cultural Hall, Japan (Organised by Japan Events). • Key Corporate & Industry Partners: • Production & Coordination: Sound Vision Event Management, a Sri Lanka-based production company handling overall international tour coordination. • Hospitality Partner: Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, ensuring world-class accommodation and service for the landmark event. This historic initiative marks a new chapter in cross-border entertainment partnerships and international cultural promotion for Sri Lanka's entertainment and hospitality sectors.
🚀 WIIN Institute of Technology Launches in Sri Lanka
The Wireless Intelligence and Innovation (WIIN) Institute of Technology was officially launched at TRACE Expert City, marking a key milestone in Sri Lanka's digital and industrial transformation. • Strategic Focus: Built on a "globally impactful, locally driven" framework, WIIN aims to strengthen the local technology ecosystem and support economic development through dedicated research and engineering. • Core Sectors: WIIN will deliver innovative technological solutions across 5 key economic sectors: telecommunications, energy, construction, financial technology (FinTech), and healthcare. • Capacity Building: The institute will offer industry-focused training programs in cutting-edge disciplines, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to upskill local professionals. • Global Collaborations: Established key partnerships with globally renowned institutions, including the 6G Flagship Programme of the University of Oulu (Finland), the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), and IITM Pravartak, alongside local Sri Lankan university engineering faculties.
📈 LANKATILES Launches Sri Lanka’s First Solar Reflective 'Cool Rooftop Tile'
• Product Launch: LANKATILES has introduced COOL ROOFTOP TILE®, the country’s first solar reflective rooftop tile engineered to combat indoor thermal retention amidst climbing temperatures. • The Technology: The tiles feature an advanced technology boasting a certified Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of greater than 96, which actively reflects the majority of the sun’s infrared and ultraviolet rays back into the atmosphere before heat penetrates concrete slabs. • Key Benefits: • Cooler Spaces: Regulates baseline indoor temperatures by reducing heat transfer. • Energy Efficiency: Mitigates the reliance on air conditioning, lowering electricity utility bills. • Space Optimization: Keeps open-to-sky terraces and balconies comfortable underfoot during peak daylight hours. • Economic & Green Context: The innovation supports sustainable building practices by offering passive thermal defense, aligning with green building certifications demanding higher energy performance ratings, and helping reduce the urban heat island effect.