The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), in collaboration with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), has unveiled a comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at accelerating the growth and resilience of the country's small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.
The initiatives include the launch of the SME Creditworthiness Rating Framework, the SME Connect Awards, and the inaugural edition of The Entrepreneur magazine, all introduced as part of CA Sri Lanka's broader strategy to improve financial access, governance, and long-term sustainability for SMEs.
At a media briefing held at the Institute's headquarters in Colombo 7, CA Sri Lanka also introduced the SME Connect logo, which will serve as the official identity for its expanding portfolio of SME-focused programmes.
The event was attended by CA Sri Lanka President Tishan Subasinghe, Vice President and Chairperson of the CA SME Connect Committee Anoji de Silva, Alternate Chairperson Saman Srilal, Members of the Council, Chief Executive Officer Lakmali Priyangika, and Colombo Stock Exchange CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike.
A key highlight was the introduction of the SME Creditworthiness Rating Framework, developed following a request from the Department of Development Finance of the Ministry of Finance in December 2024. The framework has been designed to provide Sri Lankan SMEs with a standardised and scalable credit assessment system, enabling financial institutions to evaluate businesses more consistently while helping SMEs better understand and strengthen their financial standing.
Speaking at the event, CA Sri Lanka President Tishan Subasinghe emphasised the critical role SMEs play in the national economy, noting that many businesses continue to face challenges in accessing finance due to the absence of transparent and structured evaluation mechanisms.
He said the newly introduced initiatives are expected to transform the SME landscape by helping businesses improve their financial credibility, expand access to funding opportunities, strengthen investor confidence, and adopt stronger governance and financial management practices that can ultimately prepare them for public listing.
Meanwhile, the SME Connect Awards will recognise outstanding SMEs that demonstrate excellence in corporate governance, financial discipline, resilience, and sustainable growth. The awards are expected to establish industry benchmarks while encouraging greater accountability, professionalism, and best practices across Sri Lanka's SME sector.
HIP achieves record monthly RoRo and container volumes
Hambantota International Port (HIP) recorded its highest-ever monthly performance in both Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) and container operations in June 2026, handling 90,219 vehicles and 80,325 TEUs, marking a significant milestone for the port's two fastest-growing business segments.
The record-breaking performance follows months of proactive operational planning and close engagement with customers as uncertainty surrounding shipping routes in the Middle East prompted the industry to seek reliable alternative logistics solutions.
Anticipating possible disruptions linked to developments around the Strait of Hormuz, HIP took early measures to ensure sufficient operational capacity while assuring customers of uninterrupted port services. The timely preparations enabled the port to accommodate additional cargo volumes and reinforced customer confidence during a period of heightened uncertainty in global shipping.
Complementing its operational readiness, HIP intensified its customer outreach and targeted marketing efforts, attracting additional cargo and strengthening relationships with shipping lines and cargo owners. These initiatives played a key role in delivering the record June throughput.
Commenting on the achievement, HIPG CEO Wilson Qu said the milestone reflected more than a short-term increase in cargo volumes, highlighting the port's ability to anticipate market changes and provide dependable alternatives for customers.
He noted that the record performance in both RoRo and container operations underscores growing customer confidence in HIP's capabilities while reinforcing the port's long-term growth strategy across its core business segments.
The latest achievement builds on the port's exceptional growth momentum in 2025, when total cargo throughput surged by 175% to reach 8.24 million metric tonnes. During the same period, container volumes increased dramatically from 53,169 TEUs in 2024 to 428,036 TEUs in 2025, strengthening HIP's position as an emerging regional container hub alongside its established leadership in vehicle transshipment.
To support rising demand, HIP has continued investing in capacity expansion. Earlier this year, the port doubled its RoRo yard capacity while increasing container yard space by 30% to accommodate evolving regional trade patterns and higher cargo volumes. In addition, HIP has committed USD 108 million towards new container handling equipment as part of its long-term strategy to expand annual container terminal capacity to 2 million TEUs.
CA Sri Lanka unveils comprehensive initiatives to strengthen SME sector
