Product & Service Launches / Business Expansions
View all(134)🛠️ Dongcheng Hand Tools Enters Sri Lanka via DBL
Global brand Dongcheng has expanded its footprint in Sri Lanka by launching its hand tools range through local distributor Deen Brothers Imports (DBL) Private Limited. The range was officially unveiled in Colombo during the Constructor 2026 Exhibition. • Market Focus: Targets the construction, hardware, and professional trades sectors to complement Dongcheng’s existing power tools line. • Distributor Profile: DBL, established in 1940 in Matara, operates 5 subsidiaries with over 350 employees and a nationwide network of 500+ dealers. • Product Scope: Broadens DBL’s distribution footprint, which covers machinery and tools including woodworking, concrete cutting, agricultural, and construction equipment.
🏢 John Keells Properties Unveils Vauxhall DSTRCT Model Apartment
John Keells Properties has officially launched its sales gallery and model apartment for Vauxhall DSTRCT, located at No. 148, Vauxhall Street, Colombo 02. The site offers prospective buyers a firsthand experience of the project's layout, design, and integrated smart technology following strong initial market demand. • Project Overview: A 60-floor residential project comprising 753 units offering one, two, three, and four-bedroom layouts. • Location & Connectivity: Centrally situated in Colombo 02, offering access to commercial, educational, medical, and hospitality hubs. • Key Features: Integrates smart-home technology (building on concepts from TRI-ZEN), landscaped gardens, recreational spaces, and rooftop amenities. • Sector Impact: Strengthens real estate & urban development by establishing vertical community concepts and modern residential benchmarks in Colombo.
📚 Journalist Marianne David Launches Debut Poetry Collection
• Publication Details: Journalist and poet Marianne David published her first poetry collection, ‘I Wear My Watches Stopped,’ featuring 70 poems written before and during 2020. Printed by The Jam Fruit Tree Publications, the book was officially published on September 1, 2026. • Themes & Dedication: The collection focuses on themes of love, grief, memory, and desire, featuring endorsements from academic Dr. Vivimarie VanderPoorten. The book is dedicated as a tribute to the late founding Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge. • Availability: Physical copies are available at The Jam Fruit Tree Bookshop in Nugegoda and Barefoot Bookshop in Colombo 4, alongside direct ordering options via the publisher.
📈 Plexus Global Partners TrendAI for AI Cybersecurity
• Strategic Alliance: Plexus Global Ltd. has been appointed as a distributor for TrendAI (formerly Trend Micro), introducing proactive, AI-powered cybersecurity frameworks to Sri Lanka. • Core Offering: The partnership expands Plexus Global’s portfolio with endpoint security, threat intelligence, and TrendAI's flagship unified platform, TrendAI Vision One. • Target Sectors: Distribution will leverage a network of over 150 partners to deliver cybersecurity solutions to key national verticals, including BFSI (banking, financial services, insurance), government, and telecommunications. • Market Impact: Aims to strengthen digital infrastructure, shift enterprises from reactive security to proactive AI threat management, and support safe digital transformation across Sri Lanka's enterprise ecosystem.
📈 Union Bank Partners Toyota Lanka to Offer Vehicle Leasing Solutions
Union Bank has collaborated with Toyota Lanka Ltd. to provide customized vehicle financing and leasing packages for Toyota buyers. • Financing Options: Includes low monthly rentals and extended repayment periods of up to seven years via Union Bank Leasing. • Value-Added Benefits: Designed to simplify vehicle ownership and enhance affordability for customers across the automotive and retail financing sector.
DFCC Bank Launches Sri Lanka’s First 8-Language ATM Network 📈
• Core Innovation: DFCC Bank has partnered with payments technology leader BPC to introduce Sri Lanka’s first ATM and Cash Recycler Machine (CRM) experience supporting eight languages. • Technology Platform: The facility is powered by BPC’s SmartVista platform, modernising DFCC’s ATM, CRM, card-switching, and card-issuing infrastructure. • Language Support: Customers can transact in English, Sinhala, Tamil, French, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, or German. • Target Areas: Deployed island-wide across DFCC's self-service network, including key tourism hubs such as the Bandaranaike International Airport arrivals terminal, Ella, Arugam Bay, and Hiriketiya. • Strategic Impact: Enhances financial accessibility for local users in native languages while driving service convenience and digital transformation within Sri Lanka's banking & finance and tourism ecosystems.
Vidullanka Launches Sri Lanka’s First Grid-Scale Energy Storage Facility ⚡
Vidullanka PLC has expanded into grid-scale energy storage, inaugurating its first 10MW/40MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility in Anuradhapura alongside President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka. • BESS Project Portfolio: • Partnership: Jointly developed with WindForce PLC. • Total Rollout: 13 standalone BESS projects (12 via StoreX Ltd., 1 in Vavunathivu via Solar Universe Ltd.). • Cumulative Storage Capacity: 130MW/520MWh. • Impact: Enhances renewable energy integration and grid stability across Sri Lanka. • Business Expansion: • Portfolio: Commissioning its 8th ground-mounted solar plant in Hambantota, raising total capacity to 96 MW across 27 projects. • Diversification: Offers hydro, solar, and dendro assets in Sri Lanka and Uganda, alongside O&M, EPC, and e-mobility (VEDRIVE charging) services. • Financial Performance: • FY 2025/26: Revenue of Rs. 3.8 Bn | PAT of Rs. 1.55 Bn • Q1 FY 2026/27: Revenue of Rs. 1.1 Bn | PAT of Rs. 555 Mn • Group AGM scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 2026.
🇱🇰 LB Finance Expands Internationally via New Philippines Subsidiary
Sri Lanka’s financial services sector player LB Finance PLC has officially established its first overseas subsidiary, marking a key milestone in the company's regional expansion. • Key Developments: • Incorporated LB Finance Philippines Inc. in the Republic of the Philippines as a fully registered subsidiary. • Received both the Certificate of Incorporation and authority to operate as a finance company, dated 1 September 2026. • Strategic Impact: • Represents LB Finance's first formal footprint outside Sri Lanka, supporting geographical diversification within the non-banking financial institutions (NBFI) industry.
David Pieris Automobiles Expands Footprint with New BAIC Showroom in Kandy 📈
• Network Expansion: David Pieris Automobiles opened a new BAIC showroom at Katugastota Road, Kandy, improving access for motorists in the Central Province. The expansion builds on its flagship site in Battaramulla and presence in key locations including Colombo 02, Kurunegala, Matara, Ratnapura, Jaffna, and Ampara. • Product Portfolio & Milestones: • Local Assembly Success: Rolled out its 1,000th BAIC X55 unit earlier in 2026, assembled locally at its Hambantota facility. • Electric Mobility: Introduced the BAIC X3e fully electric crossover to broaden EV options nationwide. • SUV Offerings: Portfolio includes the BAIC X55 (1.5L turbo engine) and the rugged BAIC BJ30. • After-Sales Infrastructure: Backed by a dedicated BAIC workshop at Hyde Park Corner, Colombo, offering genuine parts, maintenance, and technical services.
📈 Salesforce Unveils Slackforce Surfaces for Workspace Data Integration
Salesforce has officially launched Slackforce Surfaces, enabling teams to transform backend enterprise data into live, interactive visual experiences directly inside Slack via Slackbot. This tool aims to drive productivity across operational environments, supporting Sri Lanka’s broader enterprise shift toward ICT/BPM optimization and AI-driven workflow efficiency. • Key Capabilities & Integration: Converts live contextual data from Salesforce, enterprise databases, and Slack history into interactive dashboards, presentation decks, calculators, or custom microsites. Allows real-time filtering, drilling into records, and channel pinning while upholding existing enterprise security permissions. • Deployment & Availability: Currently available across Enterprise+, Business+, Pro, Legacy, and Free tiers with Slackbot enabled. Live data auto-refresh features will begin rolling out in October 2026.
✈️ Emirates Winter Booking Momentum Drives Global Expansion
• Overall Performance: Emirates carried over 8.6M passengers during July–August with seat load factors exceeding 75% globally. Inbound Dubai traffic grew 7% YoY in late August, with capacity currently sitting at ~93% of pre-disruption levels. • Network & Fleet Upgrades: Added 18 new aircraft since January (11 A350s, 7 B777 freighters) with 6 more A350s arriving by year-end. Retrofitted 104 aircraft to date, boosting Premium Economy availability to 137 aircraft across 90 destinations. Starlink inflight Wi-Fi rollouts are expanding on ~50 aircraft. • Flight Expansion: Launching services to Helsinki on 1 October. Second daily flights added to Accra, Tokyo Narita, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi, alongside A380 deployment to Delhi. Expanded partnerships with flydubai now cover over 214 combined destinations. • Key Market Growth: Winter bookings are tracking ahead of last year in markets including India, Nepal, South Africa, Brazil, Portugal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. • National Context & Sri Lanka Impact: Enhanced flight capacity, fleet upgrades, and network expansion strengthen global connectivity to West & South Asia, directly benefiting Sri Lanka's tourism and aviation & logistics sectors by expanding foreign visitor access, boosting passenger transit, and supporting international trade connectivity.
🤝 HNB Life & Pan Asia Bank Partner to Expand Bancassurance 📈
• Strategic Partnership: HNB Life PLC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC to expand distribution and broaden access to life insurance solutions across Sri Lanka. • Bancassurance Reach: The agreement strengthens HNB Life's footprint in the bancassurance channel by leveraging Pan Asia Bank's growing branch network and client base to deliver holistic financial protection. • Core Focus: Integrates banking and life insurance capabilities to provide customer-centric, long-term financial safety nets for individuals, families, and businesses nation-wide.