Sri Lankan shares extended gains on Thursday, with financial and industrial stocks leading the pack, while global stocks paused ahead of key central bank meetings.

** The CSE All-Share Index ended up 0.49% at 7,569.70. The bourse rose 0.4% in the past week and is up 12.2% for the year so far.

* Still, the CSE index is off 15.8% from its lifetime high on January 29, 2021

* Trading volume rose to 140.9 million from 84 million in the previous session.

* The most heavily traded company by volume on the CSE index was SMB Leasing Plc which advanced 25%

* Leasing firm Lanka ORIX Leasing Company added 1% and was the top boost on Thursday

* Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 705.3 million Sri Lankan rupees ($3.57 million), according to exchange data.

* The Sri Lankan rupee was last quoted at 197.5 against the U.S. dollar as of 11:18 GMT, according to Refinitiv data. The currency is down 6.76% so far this year.

($1 = 197.5000 Sri Lankan rupees)

(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) ((Chandini.M@thomsonreuters.com; +918061822697;))