Trading on the Colombo Stock Exchange was temporarily halted at 9.53 a.m. yesterday (7) after transactions executed at irregular prices were detected in a newly listed equity. At the time of the halt, the S&P SL20 Index stood at 6,444.84, while the All Share Price Index (ASPI) was at 23,502.30.

The Exchange said certain trades carried out during the morning session appeared to have taken place at irregular prices, raising concerns over their potential impact on investor buying power and overall market integrity. Trading was suspended to maintain a fair and orderly market.

Following a review conducted with the concurrence of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, the CSE announced that all equity securities transactions executed prior to the halt would be cancelled. In addition, all orders placed after 9 a.m. were to be purged from the Order Management System (OMS). Trading will resume only after these steps are completed, with investors required to re-enter their orders once the market reopens.

The irregular transactions were linked to early trading in WealthTrust Securities Limited, which commenced trading on the CSE’s Diri Savi Board following a Rs. 500 million initial public offering completed in December 2025. Market sources indicated that unusually high prices were observed shortly after the opening bell, prompting regulatory intervention.

In a statement, WealthTrust Securities clarified that the incident resulted from an isolated erroneous trade executed by a market participant and confirmed that neither the company nor its pre-IPO shareholders were involved. The company stated that no pre-IPO shares were sold and that its operations and fundamentals remain unaffected.