TaprobaneFi / Research desk
The weekly wrapClear-eyed reporting on the Colombo market, local capital, and the forces shaping Sri Lankan money.
Markets /
How buying on a schedule instead of guessing the bottom worked through Colombo's 2022 crash and 2024 rebound, and where the discipline still matters in 2026.
Markets & Macro /
Emerging vs. Frontier Markets: Where Capital Flows in 202602Crypto & Markets /
How AI Agents Are Taking Over DeFi Portfolios03Trade & Supply Chains /
South Asian Exporters Face the 2026 Freight Rate Spike04Markets & Commodities /
Hormuz Aftermath: Trading the Hidden Fertilizer, Helium Shock05Markets & Investing /
The $730B AI Capex Trade: Utilities Are the New Tech StocksClose-to-close notes
Beyond the close
Markets /
Foreign investors pulled money from Colombo's stock and bond markets through the first half of 2026 as the Middle East conflict rattled global risk appetite. Here is what changed, month by month, and how local retail traders are positioning for Q3.
Banking & Finance /
Gold-backed lending at Sri Lanka's finance companies surged 69.2% in Q1 2026. The Central Bank's new 70% LTV cap tests how much of that growth was built on durable margin versus thin collateral cushions.
Auto /
From May 2026, a new 50% surcharge on customs import duty combined with the 2.5% SSCL has sharply raised landed costs for hybrids and EVs, reshaping buyer choices toward smaller engines.
Economy /
Industrial activity, led by construction and mining, powered a resilient expansion while services added breadth. CSE investors now weigh which listed builders and materials firms can convert the rebound into sustained earnings.
Auto /
Sri Lanka’s 2026 vehicle import bill is not shaped by one tax rate. It is built through CIF value, engine-capacity excise, VAT, SSCL, exchange rates, and market risk.
Auto Finance /
A USD 10,000 car does not become expensive in Sri Lanka because of shipping alone. The real price shock comes from layered import taxes, exchange-rate conversion, excise duty, VAT, and road-ready costs.
From the archive
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Editorial context is most useful beside the underlying market, sector, and global-position data.
