SenFin Research – News Updates – 15 June 2026

June arrivals begin on sluggish note despite Indian influx
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has encountered a surprisingly sluggish start to June, with arrivals in the first ten days contracting by 14.8 percent year-on-year to 37,459 visitors. Source: (Daily Mirror) https://www.dailymirror.lk/business-news/June-arrivals-begin-on-sluggish-note-despite-Indian-influx/273-342902

SL to receive urgent financial support from ADB to mitigate outcomes of Middle East conflict
Sri Lanka is to receive urgent financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). With the Middle East conflict continuing to create profound ripples across Asia and the Pacific, ADB is moving with speed and scale to deliver $4 billion rapid financing to safeguard member economies, ADB President Masato Kanda said yesterday. Source: (Daily News) https://dailynews.lk/2026/06/15/business/1010460/sl-to-receive-urgent-financial-support-from-adb-to-mitigate-outcomes-of-middle-east-conflict/


Industrial output rises as lending rates edge up; rupee depreciation reaches 7%
Sri Lanka’s industrial sector recorded modest growth in April 2026, while key lending rates, Treasury bill yields, and the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar continued to reflect evolving economic conditions, according to the latest Highlights of the Week released by the Statistics Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Source: (Daily News) https://dailynews.lk/2026/06/15/business/1010467/industrial-output-rises-as-lending-rates-edge-up-rupee-depreciation-reaches-7/

CoPF probes tourism data gaps, informal forex flows and illegal foreign payment gateways
Parliament’s Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has flagged concerns over weaknesses in the measurement of tourism earnings, informal foreign exchange transactions, and the growing use of unauthorised foreign payment gateways, highlighting several blind spots in Sri Lanka’s economic data and foreign exchange monitoring framework. Source: (Daily FT) https://www.ft.lk/front-page/CoPF-probes-tourism-data-gaps-informal-forex-flows-and-illegal-foreign-payment-gateways/44-793324

World Bank slashes global growth forecast, ready to deploy $ 100 b
The World Bank Group has sharply downgraded its global growth outlook, warning that the escalating conflict in the Middle East will push global economic expansion to its weakest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, as higher energy prices, rising inflation and tighter financial conditions weigh on economies worldwide. Source: (Daily FT) https://www.ft.lk/front-page/World-Bank-slashes-global-growth-forecast-ready-to-deploy-100-b/44-793322

Will El Niño affect Sri Lanka? Here’s what experts say
The impact of the developing El Niño weather phenomenon on Sri Lanka is expected to be minimal, despite forecasts of rising global temperatures linked to warming sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Source: (Newswire) https://www.newswire.lk/2026/06/14/will-el-nino-affect-sri-lanka-heres-what-experts-say/


Oil Prices Tumble After US-Iran Agreement Announcement
Global oil prices fell sharply on Sunday after the announcement of an agreement between the United States and Iran, easing market concerns over potential disruptions to energy supplies in the Middle East. Source: (Newswire) https://www.newswire.lk/2026/06/15/oil-prices-tumble-after-us-iran-agreement-announcement/


Secondary Bond market ends week on a bullish note
The secondary Bond market began last week on a cautious note, with subdued activity as investors navigated heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a busy primary issuance calendar featuring back-to-back Treasury Bill and Bond auctions. Yields drifted higher early in the week amid risk-off sentiment, driven by elevated and volatile crude oil prices. Source: (Daily FT) https://www.ft.lk/financial-services/Secondary-Bond-market-ends-week-on-a-bullish-note/42-793309

Foreign holdings in Govt. securities end five-week outflow streak
Foreign investor holdings in Sri Lanka’s rupee-denominated Government securities recorded a marginal increase during the week ended 11 June, snapping a five-week streak of net outflows, according to latest data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Source: (Daily FT) https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Foreign-holdings-in-Govt-securities-end-five-week-outflow-streak/44-793319

Corporate debt issuances signal slowdown as Alliance Finance retreats
Sri Lanka’s corporate debt market is showing clear signs of a slowdown as rising interest rates and domestic market volatility prompt companies to rethink their capital-raising strategies. The latest indicator of this shift came on June 12, when Alliance Finance Company PLC formally notified the Colombo Stock Exchange that it was withdrawing its highly anticipated debt issue. Source: (Daily Mirror) https://www.dailymirror.lk/business-news/Corporate-debt-issuances-signal-slowdown-as-Alliance-Finance-retreats/273-342900